PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rodrigo Fraz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alvaro Palomo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Fraz
vs
Palomo

170 cm
25
180 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

178 cm
24
165 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Self confident

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo Fraz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Alvaro Palomo!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Daniel Cesar and Alexandre Firmino.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Palomo fails to land the takedown.
Donk. Fraz catches Palomo right on the button with a cross.
Fraz connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Palomo fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Fraz avoids it really well and circles away.
Palomo doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Palomo looks gassed!
Palomo is looking to clinch but Fraz is avoiding it.
Fraz scores with a punch to the head.

Fraz scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

Fraz goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Palomo has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Fraz but great work by Palomo.
Fraz looks to move to half guard but instead Palomo has passed into mount! Damn!
Fraz is in all sorts of trouble here.
Fraz is working hard here to advance position.
Fraz wants to control but Palomo is having none of it.

Palomo goes for an armbar but Fraz turns quickly into his guard - lovely anticipation from Fraz.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Palomo wants to stand up but Fraz is controlling him.
Fraz trying to control the position from guard on top but Palomo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Palomo wants to get back to his feet but Fraz is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Fraz has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Fraz trying to control the position from guard on top but Palomo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Palomo trying to keep a closed guard but Fraz is proving a slippery customer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.

We're going to have a standup here because Rodrigo Fraz wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Fraz scores with a body shot.

Fraz shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Palomo napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Palomo dodges the ground and pound from Fraz.
Palomo seems a little lost for a moment, as Fraz dominates the positioning.

Fraz wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Palomo, who protects the arm well.
Palomo is not content to let Fraz control the position.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Fraz throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Palomo is not content to let Fraz control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fraz advances to mount.

Fraz has control of Palomo's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Palomo regains control of the situation pretty easily.

Fraz working for a submission but Palomo is keeping him at bay.
Fraz takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four 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.
Palomo is trying to escape the mount.
Palomo blocking the ground and pound.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Fraz can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Palomo is looking to escape.
Fraz throwing sloppy strikes, which aren't doing any damage.
Palomo holding onto his opponent's waist for dear life, as Fraz tries to land some strikes to get him to release his grip.
Fraz prevents Palomo from getting the reversal.
Fraz punching from mount but Palomo doing a good job of avoiding damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rodrigo Fraz dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Fraz looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Palomo looking for a sweep. Not yet Palomo, not yet.

Palomo had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Fraz defends it easily.
Fraz controls from within his opponent's guard.
Fraz wants to control from the top but Palomo keeps moving.
Palomo wants to sweep but no luck.
Palomo keeping moving, preventing Fraz from controlling successfully.
Palomo is breathing heavily.

We're going to have a standup here because Rodrigo Fraz wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Fraz avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Palomo takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Fraz tests Palomo's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Fraz works the jab nicely.
Alvaro Palomo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Fraz cracks Palomo with a good jab.

Fraz moves into range and clinches up with Palomo.
Fraz avoiding damage.

Fraz gets control of Palomo's arms and successfully pulls guard. Fraz will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Fraz seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

Fraz is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Fraz has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Palomo off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Palomo on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fraz scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
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!
Fraz fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Palomo on the side of the head.
Fraz connects with a body shot that sends Palomo's belly button to the back.
Fraz lands a jab to the nose.
Palomo takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.

Fraz gets a clinch.

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

Fraz shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Palomo striking off his back but it's not causing Fraz any problems.
Fraz stays in close to Palomo's body and controls the position.
Palomo keeping moving, preventing Fraz from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Palomo is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Palomo is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Fraz stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Palomo swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Fraz loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

Palomo throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Fraz escapes and throws Palomo's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Palomo is trying to escape the position but Fraz is controlling the position.
Fraz postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Fraz is looking to take a break and control but Palomo is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Palomo is trying to escape the position but Fraz is controlling the position.
Fraz tries to advance to mount but Palomo denies him.
Fraz is looking to take a break and control but Palomo is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rodrigo Fraz dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Fraz shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Palomo manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Fraz could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Fraz controlling from the top position.

Palomo has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Fraz can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Fraz trying to control the position from guard on top but Palomo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Fraz knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Palomo on the ground.
Palomo takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Palomo working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Fraz doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Fraz manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Palomo avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Fraz is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Fraz tries to free his leg and advance position but Palomo is retaining full guard.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Fraz sitting in guard, not really doing much.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Rodrigo Fraz.
A jab lands there for Fraz.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Palomo enables Fraz to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Palomo manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.

Palomo escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Fraz gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fraz content to stall in guard here.
Fraz advances to half guard.
Fraz tries to pass the half guard into mount. Palomo knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Fraz is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Palomo can do to turn this around?

Palomo is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Fraz pulls his head out easily.
Palomo won't allow Fraz to pass to mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fraz missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Fraz performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Palomo regains full guard. Nicely done.
Fraz trying to stand up but can't free himself from Palomo's guard.
Palomo looking for a sweep. Not yet Palomo, not yet.
Fraz trying to control the position from guard on top but Palomo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Fraz wants to pass the guard but Palomo is keeping the position.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Fraz won't allow Palomo to get back to his feet.
Palomo trying to control the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Fraz lands with a hook. Palomo tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Fraz bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Palomo's head backwards.
Rodrigo Fraz is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Fraz shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Fraz trying to control but Palomo is working from the bottom.
Fraz looking to pass the guard.
Fraz trying to stand up but can't free himself from Palomo's guard.
Alvaro Palomo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

Palomo looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rodrigo Fraz showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Fraz has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 30:26
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rodrigo Fraz!