PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Mariano Castro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pedro Amaral (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Castro
vs
Amaral

172 cm
22
155 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

179 cm
19
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Mariano Castro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Pedro Amaral!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Cesar, Thiago Cunha and Matheus Silva.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castro misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Castro tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A jab-cross combination lands for Castro and sends Amaral crashing to the mat! Castro follows him down to the mat - Amaral regains half guard but he's not out of trouble yet!

Amaral is rocked!

It looks like Pedro Amaral has been cut.
Castro throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Amaral is still in real trouble! Can Castro finish him?
Castro prevents Amaral from improving his position.
Amaral seems to have recovered his senses.

Castro is looking for a kimura here.
Amaral is looking for a sweep. Castro is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Amaral avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Castro.
Amaral is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Castro thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral gets full guard.
Castro has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Amaral is proving hard to escape from.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Castro closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Amaral looks gassed!
Amaral throws a strike from the bottom that misses.
Castro seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.

Amaral actively working from the bottom here.

Castro is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Castro is looking to take a break and control but Amaral is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Amaral manages to get to full guard.

Amaral escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Castro gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Amaral keeping full guard, as Castro tries to pass.
Castro has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Amaral is proving hard to escape from.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Amaral wants to sweep but no luck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Amaral has an active guard here but Castro has managed to pass into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Amaral is trying to get back to full guard.
Castro tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
Amaral is looking to control Castro's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Amaral avoid being mounted?

Castro escapes and gets back to his feet.
Castro moves into range and connects with a jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Castro scores with a hook.
Amaral gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Castro counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Amaral wants to improve his position but instead Castro has moved into half guard.
Amaral trying to keep hold of his opponent's head but Castro manages to pass to mount!
Castro is landing with some decent strikes but Amaral is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Amaral really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Castro with the ground and pound from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mariano Castro dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Pedro Amaral's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Castro takes the fight into the clinch.
Amaral goes for a takedown in the clinch but Castro prevents it.

Castro escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Castro looks to land a combination but Amaral avoids it well.
Amaral stuffs the takedown attempt from Castro. Castro gets slowly back to his feet.

Castro shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Castro showed some decent athleticism there.
It looks like Castro is going to stand back up.

Castro wants to work for an arm triangle but Amaral is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Amaral looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Amaral wants to get back to full guard.
Amaral is trying to control but can't.
Amaral wants to improve his position but Castro is controlling well.

Castro decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.
Castro fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Amaral throws a leg kick but Castro sees it coming and moves out of range.
Amaral misses with a takedown attempt

and Castro counters with a single leg into guard. Amaral didn't expect that.
Amaral not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Amaral bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Castro's guard.
Castro is striking but Amaral is not phased and passes to half guard.
Amaral wants to lay and pray for a moment but Castro keeps working.
Castro missing with punches from the bottom.
Amaral is looking to take a break and control but Castro is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Castro moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castro is looking to stand up but Amaral isn't so interested in that idea.
Amaral advances position into side control!
Castro is trying to improve his position.
Castro seems a little lost for a moment, as Amaral dominates the positioning.
Amaral tries to advance to mount but Castro instead regains half guard.
Castro punching from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Castro is trying to stand up here but Amaral is controlling him well.

Amaral postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Castro to stand up.
Amaral shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
enabling Castro to counter with a crisp jab.
Mariano Castro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pedro Amaral.
Amaral with a poor takedown
and Castro counters with a good low kick that Amaral was not able to check.
Castro tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Castro misses with the combination.
Amaral shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

so Castro counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Castro has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Castro stands up from guard. Let's bang!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mariano Castro dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Pedro Amaral's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Castro throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Amaral fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Danga de danga de dang - Castro scores with a four punch combination!
Castro shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Amaral counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Castro trying to keep a closed guard but Amaral is proving a slippery customer.

Castro pushes Amaral off and scrambles back to his feet.
Mariano Castro is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Amaral with a poor takedown
and Castro counters with a straight right hand.
Amaral tries to clinch
and Castro counters with a two punch combo.
Amaral shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Castro counters with a head kick. That will keep Amaral thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Mariano Castro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pedro Amaral.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Some wild striking there from Castro.

Amaral scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Amaral is looking to advance position but Castro won't allow it.
Castro is trying to control but can't.
Castro wants to get back to his feet.
Amaral trying to pass the guard but Castro defending well.

Amaral is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Castro missing with punches from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castro tries to kick Amaral off but Amaral keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

Amaral is trying to work for a kimura but Castro is defending well.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Castro fails to land with a series of punches.
A punch combination from Castro misses.
Amaral fails with the takedown

so Castro counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Amaral is trying to control the position but Castro postures up.
Amaral pulls Castro in close to prevent any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castro would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Amaral is trying to hold Castro in close to prevent damage but Castro has managed to pass into half guard.
Castro is keen to just control but Amaral is a slippery customer.
Castro thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Amaral's head.
Castro is keen to just control but Amaral is a slippery customer.
Pedro Amaral has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Amaral won't allow Castro to pass to mount.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Amaral changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Castro looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Amaral is chipping away with strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Amaral fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Amaral lands a nice forearm strike.
Amaral tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Castro is trying to get back to his feet.
Amaral wants to take a breather but Castro manages to regain guard - a lesson learnt for Amaral.
Mariano Castro overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Castro wants to stand up but Amaral is controlling him.
Amaral trying to control the position from guard on top but Castro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Amaral tries to keep at a distance but Castro has taken the fight into the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Mariano Castro.
Well Castro has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight for Mariano Castro!
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight for Mariano Castro!
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight for Mariano Castro!

Mariano Castro wins by unanimous decision!