PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Matt Black (ranked 2386 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nathan Leal (ranked 22460 p4p, 0 weight class). Black comes to the cage accompanied by Manu Chao - Mr. Bobby. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Black
vs
Leal

192 cm
41
275 lbs
31 - 19 - 1

195 cm
24
275 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 31 - 19 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Matt Black!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nathan Leal!
The judges for this bout are George Francis, Cecil Peabody and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Leal circles away from the clinch attempt.
Leal unleashes a big counter combination but Black bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Black closes this distance looking for a takedown but Leal circles away.
Leal takes one to the chin there.
Black scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Black lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Black tries to clinch but Leal moves out of range.
Leal displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Black.
Leal lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Black closes the distance and clinches up with Leal, looking for a takedown. Black pushes Leal against the cage but Leal circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Matt Black. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Leal is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Black is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Black shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Leal as he avoids it easily.
Black tries for a takedown but Leal sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Leal moves forwards but Black connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Black tries to close the distance and clinch up but Leal swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Black will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Black scores with the left hand. Leal knows he should have avoided that one.
Black scores with the left hand. Leal knows he should have avoided that one.
Leal leaves Black with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Black clobbers Leal with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Black tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Black tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Leal was well out of range. Poor timing from Black.
Despite the aggression on Leal's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.

Black feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Black is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Black trying to control but Leal is working from the bottom.
Black is stalling in the full guard.
Black lands a couple of digs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Black looking to sit in guard and control but Leal gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Black is pulling down on Leal's head. It's preventing any offense from Leal, at least for the moment.
Black utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Black preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Leal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Black tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Leal postures up in Black's guard and throws a big left but Black blocks it.
Leal wants to control from the top but Black keeps moving.
Leal is looking to work some ground and pound but Black has wrist control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Leal must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Leal postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Leal wants to pass the guard but Black is keeping the position.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Black darts in and clinches Leal up against the cage.
Black stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Leal is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Leal blocks a body shot from Black.
Black struggles to land a body shot inside as Leal controls his hands.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Black tries to throw a body punch but Leal avoids it by throwing Black back against the cage.
Black swings wildly with an uppercut but Leal uses good head movement to avoid it.
Leal blocks a body shot from Black.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Black dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Black is looking to clinch but Leal is avoiding it.
Despite the aggression on Leal's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Black is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Leal can do to turn this around?
Black shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Leal but Leal pushes him off and we're back to square one.

Black clinches.
A head punch on the inside from Black fails to land.
Leal blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Leal breaks the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Black fails to land the takedown.
Black changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Black is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Leal's half guard.

Black is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Leal is just riding it out for now. Black eventually gives up the hold.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Leal can do anything to dispel that myth.
Leal keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Black is nestled in close to Leal, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Black wants to take a breather but Leal is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Black throwing shots but Leal is blocking nicely.
Matt Black overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Leal pushes Black off looking to stand but Black dives back in and keeps control.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Black tries to pass the half guard into mount. Leal knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

Black is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Leal has managed to free his arm - good work.
Black throwing shots but Leal is blocking nicely.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Black feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Black postures up and lands a big shot to Leal's brow.
Black trying to control but Leal is working from the bottom.
Leal really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Black. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Leal working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Black.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Leal is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Black throws a big right hand that misses.
Leal avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Black wants to control from the top but Leal keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leal is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Black is controlling him.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Leal avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
It looks like Black has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Matt Black is winning the standup battle so far.
Black tries to clinch up.
Leal is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Black lands with an uppercut that bounces Leal off the cage and back into range.

Black shoots in for a takedown and gets it.

Black seems like he's working for an arm triangle here. He's freed his trapped foot and he's rotating nicely. Leal is in big trouble! He's tapping out! This one is aaaaaaaaaaaall over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:59 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Arm Triangle). Matt Black!
A very excited looking Matt Black made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.