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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jethro Rusted (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rafael Amaral (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 185 cm
30
194 lbs
17 - 8 - 0 |
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189 cm
35
194 lbs
27 - 13 - 0 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine |
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Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
17 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Jethro Rusted!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
27 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rafael Amaral!
The judges for this bout are Anni Minnemäki, Marco Blurström and Matti Vanhoillinen.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Amaral throws a head kick but Rusted moves out of range.
Rusted swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Amaral has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Rusted is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Amaral swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Amaral closes the distance but Rusted moves to the side
and Rusted counters with a stiff right hand.
Rusted misses with a body kick.
Amaral is looking to clinch but Rusted is avoiding it.
Rusted lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Amaral is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Rusted.
A big right from Amaral misses.
Rusted bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Amaral tries to clinch but Rusted moves away
and Rusted makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Amaral tries to close the distance and clinch but Rusted swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Amaral wants to clinch but Rusted slips to the side
and Rusted cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Amaral clinches with his opponent.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Rusted lands a takedown into guard.
Rusted content to stall in guard here.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Rusted keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Amaral's head.
Amaral wants to stand up but Rusted is controlling him.
Rusted trying to control the position from guard on top but Amaral is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rusted with a flurry of punches that miss.
Rusted looking to pass the guard.
Rusted content to stall in guard here.
Amaral wants to get back to his feet but Rusted is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Amaral is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Rusted lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Amaral at a distance.
Rusted tries to keep at a distance but Amaral has taken the fight into the clinch.
A short right from Amaral on the inside.
Rusted definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Amaral throws a head punch that misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Amaral.
Rusted blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Rusted escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Excellent takedown into side control there by Rusted.
Rusted is looking to take a break and control but Amaral is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Amaral tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Rusted wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Amaral tries to escape but Rusted is in control.
Rusted lands an elbow.
Amaral tries to improve position but can't.
Amaral manages to get back to half guard.
Rusted thows a huge punch but Amaral dodges it nicely.
Rusted trying to pass the guard but Amaral defending well.
Rusted is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Amaral is just riding it out for now. Rusted eventually gives up the hold.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Rusted is keen to just control but Amaral is a slippery customer.
Rusted moves nicely into side control.
Rusted has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Rusted working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Amaral is trying to buck Rusted off.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Jethro Rusted dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!
Amaral throws a lazy uppercut
and Rusted makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Amaral moves into the clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Amaral.
Amaral working aggressively here.
Amaral working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Amaral throws a head punch that misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Amaral.
Rusted breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rusted moves away from the strike by Amaral.
A cross from Amaral lands.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Amaral moves into the clinch.
Amaral swings wildly with an uppercut but Rusted uses good head movement to avoid it.
Amaral working aggressively here.
Rusted tries to break the clinch but Amaral is controlling the position.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Amaral tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rusted stalling in the clinch but Amaral improves position.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Rusted blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Amaral has Rusted pressed against the cage, preventing Rusted from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Amaral misses with a hook from the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rusted.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral swings wildly with an uppercut but Rusted uses good head movement to avoid it.
Amaral looking to throw knees to the head but Rusted is blocking nicely.
Rusted wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rusted lands with a right to the head.
Amaral throws a knee to the head but misses.
Amaral taking a breather.
Amaral lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Amaral tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Rusted wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Amaral is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rusted.
Amaral tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Rusteds head.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Amaral working aggressively here.
Rusted breaks the clinch.
Rusted connects with a body shot.
Nice uppercut there from Amaral.
Amaral misses with an uppercut.
Rusted drives through with a takedown into guard.
Amaral is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Jethro Rusted overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Amaral is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Amaral is pulling down on Rusted's head to control his posture.
Amaral wants to stand and escape but Rusted is having none of it.
Amaral manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Rafael Amaral seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Amaral takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Amaral gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Rusted breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Amaral closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Rafael Amaral showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!
Amaral slips a straight right by Rusted.
Rusted goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Amaral takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Amaral drives through and clinches with Rusted against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Amaral.
Amaral's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Rusted breaks the clinch.
Amaral gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rusted blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Amaral with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Amaral.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral working aggressively here.
Amaral misses with a knee to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Amaral.
A shot in the inside from Amaral.
Amaral lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Rusted blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Amaral trying to stall but Rusted improves his position.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Rusted blocks an uppercut.
Amaral is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Rusted tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Amaral's elbow.
Amaral has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Rusted wants to break the clinch but can't.
Amaral is pushing Rusted up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rusted blocking some punches.
Amaral throws a punch but it's blocked by Rusted.
Amaral has a couple of punches blocked by Rusted.
Rafael Amaral seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Amaral is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Rusted is trying to break the clinch but Amaral has him pressed against the cage.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Amaral fails to land.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Amaral with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Amaral misses with the head strike.
Amaral looking to throw knees to the head but Rusted is blocking nicely.
Amaral lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rusted has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Amaral after a bit of a struggle.
Rusted has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral prevents Rusted from breaking the clinch.
Rusted breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Some wild striking there from Amaral.
The fight stays on the outside here - Amaral looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Jethro Rusted is winning the standup battle so far.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rusted misses with a low kick.
Rusted is looking to wear down Amaral with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Rusted swats away the attempt to clinch by Amaral.
Amaral tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Rusted paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Amaral doesn't manage to clinch there - Rusted circles away.
Amaral moves in looking to clinch but Rusted pushes him off.
Amaral throws a shot from downtown. Rusted moves away and avoids it.
Amaral fails in his attempt to clinch.
Rusted tried to counter with a leg kick but Amaral avoided it.
Rusted throws the kick towards the body but Amaral avoids it.
Amaral swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Amaral rushes Rusted and presses him up against the cage.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Rusted.
Rusted prevents a body shot from Amaral.
Amaral misses with a hook from the clinch.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Rafael Amaral really dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
Amaral has managed to clinch.
Amaral tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rusted is trying to break free.
Amaral stops a takedown attempt from Rusted.
Amaral lands a nice uppercut.
Amaral has Rusted pressed against the cage.
Rusted is trying to break the clinch but Amaral has him pressed against the cage.
Amaral softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Amaral lands with a light punch inside.
Rusted's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Amaral clinches.
Amaral tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Amaral lands a left hand that snaps the head of Rusted backwards.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral misses with a punch on the inside.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Amaral creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Rusted blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Amaral makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Amaral swings wildly with an uppercut but Rusted uses good head movement to avoid it.
Amaral goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Amaral scores with a knee to the head.
Amaral lands with a left to the head.
Amaral taking a breather.
Rusted tries to circle away but Amaral has him pinned against the cage.
Rusted ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Rusted no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rusted pulls Amaral in to control the position.
Rusted trying to control the position.
Amaral got a little sloppy there for a moment and Rusted has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Amaral has managed to get both his arms back between Rusted's legs - danger averted.
Rusted controls Amaral momentarily but Amaral frees himself.
Amaral stands up from guard. Let's bang!
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Amaral tests Rusted's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Amaral tries to clinch
and Rusted counters with a nice uppercut.
Rusted scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Amaral fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Rusted on the side of the head.
Amaral avoids the body shot from Rusted.
Amaral steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Rusted.
A slow jab from Amaral misses its intended target.
Amaral closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Rusted pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Amaral tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Rusted counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Amaral forces Rusted back against the cage and clinches.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A short uppercut from Amaral.
Rusted can't find room to land a body shot as Amaral controls the action.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Amaral pressing his opponent against the cage.
Amaral tries to throw a body punch but Rusted avoids it by throwing Amaral back against the cage.
Amaral is pressed up against the cage. Rusted has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Amaral down to the mat. Amaral avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Amaral fails to land with a series of punches.
Amaral looks to clinch
and Rusted counters with a two punch combo.
Rusted looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Amaral throws a big counter head kick but Rusted avoids it with no problem.
Amaral tries to close the distance and clinch up but Rusted swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Amaral moves into the clinch successfully.
Rusted escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Rafael Amaral is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Amaral tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Rusted paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Rusted appears to be looking for a big counter.
Some wild striking there from Amaral.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Rafael Amaral dominated that fourth round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!
A head kick misses from Amaral.
Rusted changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Rusted just misses with a punch to the body.
Amaral moves to clinch but Rusted breaks away
and Rusted counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Amaral avoids the body shot from Rusted.
Amaral tries to counter with a clinch but Rusted shakes him off and moves away.
Amaral darts in and clinches Rusted up against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Rusted.
It looks like Rafael Amaral has been cut.
Amaral throws a head punch that misses.
Rusted stalling the fight.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rusted blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Amaral scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Amaral working aggressively here.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Rusted blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rusted tries to score a body lock takedown but Amaral shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Rusted tries to circle away but Amaral has him pinned against the cage.
Rusted can't break the clinch.
Amaral misses with a punch on the inside.
Amaral with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Amaral can't find room to land a body shot as Rusted controls the action.
Rusted with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Amaral lands an elbow that stopped Rusted in his tracks for a moment.
Amaral misses with some punches.
Rusted leaning his opponent against the cage.
Rusted is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Jethro Rusted has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Amaral throws a punch but it's blocked by Rusted.
Amaral throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Rusted blocks it with crossed arms.
A short uppercut from Amaral.
Rusted cracks Amaral with a nice body shot.
Amaral has a couple of punches blocked by Rusted.
Amaral tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rusted is trying to break free.
Amaral swings wildly with an uppercut but Rusted uses good head movement to avoid it.
Rusted breaks from the clinch.
Amaral throws an off balance right hand
and Rusted counters with a thumping low kick.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Amaral has Rusted up against the cage in a clinch.
Amaral throws a punch but it's blocked by Rusted.
Amaral misses with the head strike.
Amaral has a couple of punches blocked by Rusted.
Rusted tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Amaral just stands there and leans against the cage.
Amaral fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Amaral throws a head punch that misses.
Rusted throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Amarals head.
Rusted has had enough of the clinch but Amaral keeps him there for the moment.
Amaral leaning against his opponent.
Amaral is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rusted gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Amaral pushes Rusted off and scrambles back to his feet.
Amaral might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Amaral misses with a hook.
Amaral wants to clinch up but Rusted keeps it at a distance.
A big left from Amaral misses.
Amaral tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Amaral takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Rusted darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Rusted is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Amaral defends it well.
Rusted is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
And that's the end of the fight!
Rafael Amaral comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Amaral has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 46:49
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 46:49
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 46:49
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rafael Amaral!
Rafael Amaral is the new middleweight champion!
After winning the bout, Rafael Amaral thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
48% |
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