PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Francesco Aquino (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alexander Graham (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Aquino kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genuis that is The Godfather theme. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Aquino
vs
Graham

160 cm
22
145 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

168 cm
23
145 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 2 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Francesco Aquino !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Alexander Graham!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, Andrew Berry and James Ackerman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Aquino shoots in but no luck this time.

Graham closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Aquino knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Graham on the ground.
Graham in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Graham working the ground and pound.
Aquino tries to buck Graham off but Graham is having none of it.
Aquino is breathing heavily.
Graham working the ground and pound.
Graham in side control lands a decent elbow.

Graham tries for a kimura but Aquino is defending well.

Graham tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Graham has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Aquino wants to get back to his feet.
Graham working the head and body with strikes.

Graham decides to stand up, so the ref orders Aquino to his feet.
Graham connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Graham throws a right and a left that Aquino avoids nicely.
Graham misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A jab from Graham finds it's way through Aquino 's defenses.
Alexander Graham seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Graham darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Aquino wants to stand back up but Graham manages to pass into side control.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Graham works to advance to full mount. Aquino defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Aquino really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Graham has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Aquino is working hard here to advance position.
Graham trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Graham has his opponent pinned against the ropes, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Aquino 's face.
Graham pushing the pace here, looking to move to his opponents back and work for a finish.
Aquino is trying to escape the mount but Graham keeps good control and instead manages to take Aquino 's back.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Graham scores with punches from the back.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Graham has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Aquino 's body.
Graham cracks Aquino with a big shot to body and one to the head - really punishing Aquino from the back mount here, looking to soften him up.
Graham trying desperately to keep hold of the dominant position.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
The referee is taking a good look at Aquino as he is on the wrong end of some big shots from Graham!
Graham has Aquino flattened out and is raining down punches.

Graham has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Aquino has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
Aquino breaks Graham's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Graham trying to keep a closed guard but Aquino is proving a slippery customer.
Aquino throws a big right hand that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aquino in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Graham keeping moving, preventing Aquino from controlling successfully.
Graham looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Aquino wants to pass the guard but Graham is keeping the position.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Graham misses with a takedown

and Aquino counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Graham actively working from the bottom here.
Graham wants to improve his position but Aquino is controlling well.
Aquino could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Graham is looking to control Aquino 's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Graham avoid being mounted?
Graham is looking to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Graham flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Aquino wants to stand up but Graham has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Graham has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Aquino is working away from the top position though.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Aquino has a takedown stuffed.
Graham fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Graham stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Francesco Aquino . That's going to take a lot out of him.

Graham scores with a takedown into Aquino 's guard.
Graham trying to control but Aquino is working from the bottom.
Graham lands a couple of elbows.
Graham trying to control but Aquino is working from the bottom.
Graham wants to pass the guard but Aquino is keeping the position.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Aquino looking to control.
Graham stays in close to Aquino 's body and controls the position.
Graham won't allow Aquino to sweep him here.
Aquino is looking to stand up but Graham isn't so interested in that idea.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Aquino scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Aquino changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Graham tries to avoid it but Aquino manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Graham to the ground. Graham escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Graham misses with a takedown attempt

and Aquino counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Aquino has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Graham working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Aquino doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Aquino manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Graham lands a couple of decent looking body shots there.
Aquino throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Graham pushes Aquino off and scrambles back to his feet.
The fight stays on the outside here - Aquino looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Aquino drops his hands momentarily and Graham takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Graham shoots in but Aquino avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Nice sprawl there from Graham as Aquino shoots in.

Graham changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Aquino looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Graham advances to mount.
Graham working Aquino over with strikes here.
Aquino reaches up to try and control the position but Graham seems to have an arm triangle now! Uh oh! Aquino rolls and tries to escape and now Graham has his back!
Aquino turns into Graham and is now in his guard.
Graham throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Graham keeping moving, preventing Aquino from controlling successfully.
Graham bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Aquino 's guard.
Graham trying to control the position from guard on top but Aquino is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Graham thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Graham sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Aquino 's guard.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Graham is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Graham scores with a couple of good hammerfists.

Graham is working for a kimura but Aquino is defending it quite comfortably.
Graham prevents Aquino from improving his position.
Aquino is trying to maintain the position but Graham is very close to passing his half guard.
Graham works his foot free and advances to mount.
A nice elbow there by Graham.
Graham looking to control but Aquino is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Graham looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Aquino wants to hold on but Graham pushes him away.

Aquino has left one of his arms exposed and Graham doesn't need a second invitation. He's isolated it and locked on a tight armbar. Aquino screams and taps out, obviously in a lot of pain. Hopefully there isn't permanent damage to that arm.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 8:26 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Alexander Graham!