PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mike Strahan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Joao Garcia (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mike Strahan has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Strahan
vs
Garcia

182 cm
22
212 lbs
0 - 0 - 1

190 cm
22
200 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Big heart

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Tends to cut

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Mike Strahan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Joao Garcia!
The judges for this bout are Edson Gomes, Thiago Cunha and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Garcia throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Strahan ducks under a wild hook from Garcia.
Garcia misses with a looping right.
The fighters circling - Garcia throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Garcia works Strahan's body with a nice hook.
Strahan misses with a wild body shot.
Garcia throws a hook to the side of Strahan's head but Strahan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Garcia lands a nice hook to Strahan's body. Strahan takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Garcia misses the jab.
No joy there for Garcia, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Some wild striking there from Garcia.
Garcia looks to score with a jab to the body but Strahan is just out of range.
Strahan could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Strahan takes one to the chin there.
Strahan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Garcia moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Garcia will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Strahan moves in looking to clinch but Garcia pushes him off.
Strahan steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Garcia.
Garcia throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Strahan tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garcia paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Garcia avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Garcia is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Strahan.
Garcia fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Strahan looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Garcia loads up on a big right hand but Strahan slips the punch.
Garcia fails to land with a series of punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Strahan walks into a jab.
Strahan is looking to clinch.
Garcia misses the jab.
Strahan avoids a punch combination nicely.
Garcia swings for the body but Strahan moves out of range.
Strahan fails with an attempt to clinch.
Strahan shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Garcia clobbers Strahan with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Garcia swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Garcia looks to score with a jab to the body but Strahan is just out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia throws a right and a left that both miss.
Garcia looks gassed!
Strahan tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Garcia misses with a hook. Strahan ducked under it nicely.
Strahan is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Garcia scores with a jab to the body.
Strahan uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Garcia.
Strahan blocks a jab.
Garcia keeps the fight on the outside.

Strahan gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Strahan looking to throw knees to the head but Garcia is blocking nicely.
Strahan crunches a lovely knee into Garcia's ribcage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia tries a body shot but Strahan blocks it.
Strahan slowing the pace effectively.
Garcia is trying to break the clinch but Strahan has him pressed against the cage.
Garcia managing to block the knees to the body from Strahan.
Strahan letting Garcia take a breather here.
Garcia lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Strahan is looking to control Garcia's arms but Garcia gets an underhook and turns him. Now Strahan has his back to the cage.
Garcia wants to break free but Strahan has control.

Garcia has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Strahan uses from the top position.
Garcia lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Strahan!
Garcia throws some wild stikes that Strahan manages to avoid easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joao Garcia dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Strahan defending well as Garcia loads up on a big left hand.
Garcia looks to score with a jab to the body but Strahan is just out of range.
Garcia misses with a hook.
Strahan fails with an attempt to clinch.
Strahan tries to clinch but Garcia moves out of range.
Strahan tries to clinch but Garcia is having none of it.
Strahan tries to clinch but Garcia moves out of range.
Garcia missing with a left hand there. Strahan was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Strahan uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Garcia.
Joao Garcia seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Strahan throws a hook but Garcia avoids it easily.
Strahan is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Garcia throws out a token jab with nothing on it.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Strahan moves into the clinch.
Strahan lands an elbow just above Garcia 's eye.
Garcia working hard to break the clinch.
Garcia lands with a left to the head.
Garcia tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Garcia wants to break the clinch but can't.
Strahan dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Garcia is working Strahan over against the cage.
Strahan wants to stall.
Strahan stalling.
Strahan lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

It looks like Joao Garcia has been cut.
Garcia managing to block the knees to the body from Strahan.
Garcia fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Garcia lands with a light punch inside.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Strahan.

Garcia pulls Strahan into guard.
Strahan has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Garcia manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Strahan manages to get himself to full guard.
Garcia loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Garcia is pushing down on Strahan's leg trying to pass to half guard. Strahan is fighting to maintain full guard but Garcia has managed to sneak the leg through.
Garcia thows a huge punch but Strahan dodges it nicely.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Garcia in particular looking to stall.
Garcia thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Strahan's head.
Garcia lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Strahan is controlling Garcia's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Garcia is thwarting Strahan's attempts to control the position.
Strahan is refusing to be controlled, as Garcia sits in half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Garcia throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Garcia trying to control the action but Strahan is working from the bottom.
Garcia trying to pass the guard but Strahan defending well.
Garcia is trying to control the action in half guard but Strahan is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Strahan takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Strahan connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joao Garcia showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Joao Garcia's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Garcia throws a body punch but Strahan moves out of range.
Garcia lands a jab-cross combination.
Strahan punishes Garcia's body with a nice straight punch.
Strahan wants to clinch up but Garcia keeps it at a distance.
Strahan tries to clinch up but Garcia circles away and keeps his distance.
Strahan wants to clinch up but Garcia keeps it at a distance.
Strahan defending well as Garcia loads up on a big left hand.
Garcia throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Strahan moves into the clinch.

Garcia decides to pull guard.
Garcia looking for a sweep. Not yet Garcia, not yet.
Garcia takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Garcia manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Strahan manages to get himself to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strahan working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Garcia.
Strahan is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Garcia trying to control the position from guard on top but Strahan is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Garcia might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Strahan kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Strahan wants to sweep but no luck.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Strahan keeps moving.
Strahan on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Strahan tries to get out of the position.
Garcia throwing strikes from guard but Strahan blocks nicely.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
A punch combination from Garcia misses.

Strahan closes the distance and pushes Garcia back into the cage.
Garcia tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Strahan smiles and moves away.
Garcia misses with a wild body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia circles away from the clinch attempt.
Strahan is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Strahan tries to close the distance and clinch up but Garcia swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Nice defenses there by Strahan.
Strahan scores with a hook to the body. Garcia takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Strahan throws a right and a left that both miss.
Garcia falls off balance throwing a combination

and Strahan counters by moving into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Strahan stalling.
Strahan prevents Garcia from breaking the clinch.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Garcia tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Strahan just stands there and leans against the cage.
Strahan scores a nice knee to the body.
Strahan crunches a lovely knee into Garcia's ribcage.
Joao Garcia is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Garcia takes an elbow to the forehead.
Strahan content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Nice elbow from Strahan.
Strahan unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Strahan lands a good knee to the midsection. Garcia won't want to take too many of those.
Mike Strahan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Strahan connects with a knee to the head.
Garcia wants to stall.
Strahan with an attempt at a knee that misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mike Strahan showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Garcia 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 28:29
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joao Garcia!