PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Hiroshi Papo (ranked 4378 p4p, 23597 weight class) and Mateusz Mateusz (ranked 266 p4p, 362 weight class). Mateusz is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Marcin Najman-ostatnia walka. I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Mateusz Mateusz was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

Papo
vs
Mateusz

160 cm
33
140
7 - 10 - 1

185 cm
22
135
1 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 10 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Hiroshi Papo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Mateusz Mateusz!
The judges for this bout are Paul Gruel, Colin Fray and Josh West.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Papo scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Mateusz wants to get back to his feet but Papo is dominant here and he's now got Mateusz's back!
Papo is throwing punches to the body, looking to soften Mateusz up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mateusz is trying to stand back up.
Papo controls the action.
Papo lands shots from the back.
Papo has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Mateusz's body.
Mateusz trying to control the hands but Papo won't let him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mateusz rolls, trying to escape but Papo keeps control of the position.
Papo controlling from the back.
We've been hearing good reports from Papo's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Mateusz trying to control but not successfully.
Good control from Papo.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mateusz is trying to get back to his feet but Papo has full control of the position and if anything, Mateusz has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Papo controls the position.
Papo is punishing Mateusz with strikes - can he finish him?!
Papo is working the ground and pound. Can Mateusz escape?
What can Mateusz do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
Mateusz is really stuck here.
Papo is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mateusz tries to escape the position.
Papo loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Mateusz hold on?
Papo is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Mateusz tries to roll but Papo sticks to his back.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Hiroshi Papo dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Papo drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Papo controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Papo might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

Mateusz working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Papo has passed into half guard!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Papo is controlling the pace.
Papo's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

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

Papo closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Mateusz tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Papo tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Papo cracks Mateusz with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Papo sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Papo has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Mateusz's face.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Papo landing strikes from the mount.
Papo working Mateusz over with strikes here.
Papo content just to control the position here.
Hiroshi Papo overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Hiroshi Papo dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Papo drives through with a takedown into guard.
Mateusz being controlled here, momentarily.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Papo's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Mateusz not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Papo sitting in guard, not really doing much.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mateusz has momentary wrist control but Papo slips an elbow through the middle.
Papo stays in close to Mateusz's body and controls the position.

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

Papo shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Mateusz manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Papo sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Papo seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Mateusz for as long as he can get away with.
Further stalling from Papo.
Mateusz wants to sweep but no luck.
Papo sitting in guard here, content to control.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
If it seems like I'm not saying a lot, it's just because Papo is stinking the place up with his stalling.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mateusz gets caught napping as Papo dives in and scores a takedown. Mateusz manages to retain guard.
Papo showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Papo has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Papo lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Papo's corner is telling him to maintain position.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
A looping hook to the body misses from Mateusz. Papo does a little dance to reset his feet.

Papo closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Papo is staying tight to Mateusz's torso, preventing him from escaping.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hiroshi Papo showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Papo, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Paul Gruel scores the fight 30:27
Judge Colin Fray scores the fight 30:27
Judge Josh West scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hiroshi Papo!