PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pedro Maia (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Wanderlei Silva (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Maia comes into the arena with Ratamahatta blaring out of the sound system. Pedro Maia could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Wanderlei Silva's chin.

Maia
vs
Silva

179 cm
22
170 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

190 cm
22
180 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Pedro Maia!
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, Wanderlei Silva!
The judges for this bout are Luis Engracia, Alexandre Firmino and Matheus Silva.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Silva misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Maia shoots and misses

and Silva moves into the clinch.
Maia using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Maia has had enough of the clinch but Silva keeps him there for the moment.
Silva is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Maia jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Silva walks away with a smile on his face. Maia gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Maia misses with a takedown

and Silva counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pedro Maia. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Silva prevents Maia from improving his position.

Silva is working for a submission of some sort.
Maia wants to control but Silva is keeping busy and won't allow it.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Silva escapes and gets back to his feet.
Maia tries for a takedown but Silva circles away easily

and Silva counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Maia is looking to control Silva's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Maia avoid being mounted?

Silva stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.
Maia is looking to clinch but Silva is avoiding it.

Silva looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Maia keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Maia wants to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maia tries to get to full guard but Silva has control of the leg.
Maia is breathing heavily.
Silva looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Silva is taking a breather. Maia says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Maia might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Silva sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Maia defending well though.
Maia tries to get to full guard but Silva has control of the leg.

Silva decides he's had enough of the ground and stands up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Maia moves away.
Silva misses with an attempted mid kick.
Maia fails in his attempt to clinch.
Silva tries to clinch there but Maia circles away.

Maia gets caught flat footed, as Silva shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.

Silva stands and steps away. Maia gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Maia throws a head kick that misses

and Silva counters with a single leg into guard. Maia didn't expect that.

Maia throws his legs up looking for a submission but Silva uses it to pass to side control.
Silva slows the pace down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Silva stands up and we're back to a striking position.

Maia moves into range and clinches up with Silva.
Silva tries a knee to the head but Maia blocks it.
Silva is looking to break free of the clinch but Maia has double underhooks.
Silva prevents the takedown attempt.
Maia creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Silva's defenses.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Maia throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Maia tries for a takedown. No joy.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Silva keeps control of Maia as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Wanderlei Silva 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.

Silva shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Silva showed some decent athleticism there.
Maia is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Silva stands up from half guard... He's had enough of that ground malarky for the time being.
Maia tries to clinch there but Silva circles away.
Silva clinches but Maia breaks the clinch
enabling Maia to counter with a crisp jab.
Silva moves in looking to clinch but Maia pushes him off.
Maia tries for a takedown but Silva circles away easily

and Silva counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Silva.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Maia wants to stand but Silva is controlling the position.

Silva stands and steps away. Maia gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Silva misses with a double jab

and Maia holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Silva stalls.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Maia trying to land knees to the body.
Maia gets underhooks to prevent Silva's takedown attempt.
Maia tries to pull guard but Silva holds him up against the cage and eventually Maia drops back down to his feet.
Maia can't break the clinch.
Maia wants to get back to striking at distance but Silva won't allow it.
Silva wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Maia keeps control of Silva as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Maia prevents Silva from breaking the clinch.
Maia has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Silva avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pedro Maia. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Silva fails to pull guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva is trying to stall.

Maia breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Silva throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Maia's waist but Maia gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Silva off to one side.
Maia wants to clinch

and Silva decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Maia's guard.

Silva is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.

Silva decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Maia, up you get!
Maia misses with a takedown attempt

and Silva decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Maia's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maia is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Maia is really struggling to control Silva but he's trying to hold on to the position.

Silva stands up from Maia's guard - Silva perhaps looking for a knockout.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Silva decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Wanderlei Silva showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Silva changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Maia looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Maia tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Silva wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The strikes coming from Silva are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Maia is trying to control Silva's posture but Silva avoids it.
Maia seems a little lost for a moment, as Silva dominates the positioning.
Silva working away.

Silva looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Maia can't do much from the bottom here.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Silva throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Silva has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

Silva decides to take the fight back to the feet.

Maia gets caught flat footed, as Silva shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Maia is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

Maia escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Silva gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Silva not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maia wants to stand up but Silva is controlling him.
Maia trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
Silva works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Maia looks like he's trying to stand up.

Silva decides to stand up and try his luck on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Silva closes this distance looking for a takedown but Maia circles away.
Maia scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Maia moves in looking to clinch but Silva pushes him off.

Silva scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Silva is trying to control. Maia wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Wanderlei Silva is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Maia trying to control here.
Still in half guard, Silva seems content to control.
Silva stops Maia from getting back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Silva controlling the action here.
Pedro Maia has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

And that's the end of the fight!
Wanderlei Silva comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Silva winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Luis Engracia scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 27:30
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Wanderlei Silva!