PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rogerio Rodrigo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Castle Irons (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Rodrigo might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone. Rogerio Rodrigo is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples... Tweaking his own nipples that is.

Rodrigo
vs
Irons

170 cm
27
153 lbs
10 - 6 - 0

176 cm
24
168 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

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 10 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Rogerio Rodrigo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Castle Irons!
The judges for this bout are Hugh Johnson, Skip Squint and John Mangel.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Irons misses with a combination
and Irons takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Rodrigo scores with a punch to the head.
Rodrigo uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Irons.
Nice shot lands for Rodrigo.
Rodrigo fails to land with a series of punches.
A telegraphed right hand from Rodrigo misses the target.
Rodrigo throws a combination that misses
and Irons counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Good leg kick by Irons there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
A combination from Irons does no damage.
No luck for Rodrigo with that takedown attempt.

Rodrigo closes the distance and clinches.
A bit of stalling here from Irons.
Rodrigo jumps guard but Irons stands there with Rodrigo around his waist. Rodrigo gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Rodrigo avoids the elbow strike from Irons, against the cage.
Rodrigo is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rogerio Rodrigo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Knees in the clinch landing for Irons.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A knee to the head by Irons.

It looks like Rogerio Rodrigo has been cut.
Irons gets underhooks to prevent Rodrigo's takedown attempt.
Irons is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rodrigo can't get the takedown.
A right hook to the body lands for Irons.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Irons with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Irons works on Rodrigo's body with a couple of short punches.

Rodrigo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Irons moves into range and clinches up with Rodrigo.
Irons slows down the pace here.
Irons scores with a shoulder strike.
Still in the clinch, Irons scores with a nice short uppercut.
Irons presses Rodrigo against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Rodrigo is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Irons connects with a knee to the head.
Irons landing knees to the head.
Irons lands a nice shot to the body.
Rodrigo is breathing heavily.

Rodrigo manages to break the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Irons thumps Rodrigo with a low kick.
Rodrigo throws a lazy uppercut
and Irons counters with a nice leg kick.
Rodrigo throws a left and a right that both miss
and Irons counters with a nice leg kick.
Irons fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Irons lands a nice leg kick that just misses Rodrigo's sensitive parts.
Irons lands a two punch combo.

Irons clinches with his opponent.
Irons putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Rodrigo in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Rodrigo takes a knee right on the jaw!
Irons misses with a knee to the head.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Irons utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Rodrigo looking to slow down the pace here.
Rodrigo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
A right hand to the body from Irons.
Irons scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Irons cracks Rodrigo with a nice body shot.
Irons lands a nice shot to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A short right from Irons on the inside.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Irons.
Irons scores a nice knee to the body.
Irons misses with a knee strike.
Irons lands with a left to the head.
Irons stalling against the cage.
Rodrigo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
A short left from Irons.
Irons landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Rodrigo.
Rodrigo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Irons tries to land knees in the clinch but Rodrigo avoids the damage to the body.
Rodrigo tries to score a body lock takedown but Irons shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Irons working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Irons scores with a hook to the body.
Rodrigo drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Irons gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Irons gets underhooks to prevent Rodrigo's takedown attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Irons pushes Rodrigo back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Rodrigo avoiding damage as Irons throws knees to the body.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Irons.
A right handed body shot lands from Irons.
A frustrated look appears on Rodrigo's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rodrigo wants to break free but Irons has control.
Irons lands a knee to the body.
Irons lands a right hand that snaps the head of Rodrigo backwards.
Rodrigo is trying to maintain a safe position but Irons gets an underhook and turns Rodrigo into the cage.
Irons tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Irons lands a nice knee to the body.
Irons landing knees to the head.
Irons throws a knee to the head but misses.
Irons misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Rodrigo.
Rodrigo wants to break the clinch but can't.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Irons working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Irons throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Rodrigo blocks it with crossed arms.
Rodrigo is trying to drag Irons to the mat but Irons just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Irons just leaning against Rodrigo, taking a breather.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Castle Irons dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rogerio Rodrigo'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.

Rodrigo drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Irons is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Rodrigo wants to get back to full guard.
Irons trying to advance position but Rodrigo counters by regaining guard.
Rodrigo trying to keep a closed guard but Irons is proving a slippery customer.
Irons sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Irons being controlled here momentarily.
Rodrigo looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Rodrigo has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Irons has passed into side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rodrigo manages to work his way to half guard, despite Irons's best efforts.
Irons seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Rodrigo does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Rodrigo tries to roll over but Irons keeps him under control.
Rodrigo trying to control but Irons postures up.
Irons content to control rather than advance.

Irons is trying to work for a kimura but Rodrigo is defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Rodrigo is trying to get back to full guard.
Irons is thwarting Rodrigo's attempts to control the position.
Irons missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Irons connects with a nice short shot to Rodrigo's temple.
Irons is taking a breather. Rodrigo 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.
Irons looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Rodrigo with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodrigo tries to roll over but Irons keeps him under control.
Irons throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Rodrigo gets back to full guard.
Irons looking to sit in guard and control but Rodrigo gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Rodrigo is pushing down on Irons's leg trying to pass to half guard. Irons is fighting to maintain full guard but Rodrigo has managed to sneak the leg through.
Irons slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Irons trying to control the position here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rodrigo trying to control but Irons is working from the bottom.
Irons is pulling down on Rodrigo's head to control his posture.
Rodrigo trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Rodrigo wants to control from the top but Irons keeps moving.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Rodrigo moves out of range of the strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Rogerio Rodrigo will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Rogerio Rodrigo's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Rodrigo swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Irons.
Rodrigo connects with a nice looking jab.
Rogerio Rodrigo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Irons slips a jab and a cross from Rodrigo.
Rodrigo gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Irons.
Rodrigo throws a left and a right that both miss

and Irons counters by clinching up.
Irons tries to land knees in the clinch but Rodrigo avoids the damage to the body.
Irons throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Rodrigo blocks it with crossed arms.
Rodrigo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Rodrigo avoiding damage as Irons throws knees to the body.
Irons doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Irons prevents Rodrigo from breaking the clinch.
Irons comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Irons digs a right hand into Rodrigo's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Rodrigo's gas tank.
Rodrigo jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Irons walks away with a smile on his face. Rodrigo gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Rodrigo throws a left and a right that both miss
and Irons counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Rodrigo moves away from the strike by Irons.
Irons gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Irons lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Irons lands with an uppercut that bounces Rodrigo off the cage and back into rage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rodrigo throws a poor cross that misses
and Irons counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Irons with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Irons slips under a jab.

Irons closes the distance and clinches.
Irons gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Rodrigo.
Irons gets underhooks to prevent Rodrigo's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rogerio Rodrigo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rodrigo is trying to break free.
Irons is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Rodrigo is defending well for now.
Irons scores with a knee to the head.
Irons is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Irons keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Rodrigo's efforts to push away.
A right hand to the body from Irons.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Irons using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Castle Irons seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

Rodrigo turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Rodrigo manages to end up in side control.
Irons is looking to reverse the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodrigo with the ground and pound but Irons regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Irons has his hands clasped together around Rodrigo's back. He's all about the action.
Rodrigo stalling away here and it's allowed Irons to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
Rodrigo wants to control from the top but Irons keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Irons is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Rodrigo trying to control but Irons is working from the bottom.
Rodrigo advances to half guard.

Rodrigo is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Rodrigo thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Irons to regain full 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.
Irons is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Rodrigo accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Rodrigo trying to control the position from guard on top but Irons is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Irons has Rodrigo pulled in close to control his posture.

Irons kicks Rodrigo off and gets to his feet.
Rodrigo on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Irons. Irons obviously looking to wear him down.

And that's the end of the fight!
Castle Irons comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Irons 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 Hugh Johnson scores the fight 28:30
Judge Skip Squint scores the fight 28:30
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Castle Irons!