PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Cobb Nash (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paolo Souza (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nash comes to the cage accompanied by Dry the River. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Nash
vs
Souza

195 cm
21
287 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

193 cm
26
265 lbs
13 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Cobb Nash!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Paolo Souza!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Paulo Santos and Alexandre Firmino.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nash throws a jab but it's blocked by Souza.
Souza misses the shot to the body.
Souza looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Nash is fending him off so far but Souza persists. Nope, Nash circles away and we're back to standing.
Nash lands a nice shot to the body.
A combination from Nash does no damage.
The fighters circling - Souza throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Souza throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Nash scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Souza doesn't seem bothered though.
A lazy left from Nash finds it's target.
Nash swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Souza counters with a lovely straight right hand!

Souza bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Souza in side control, throwing shots but Nash defends.
Nash is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Nash manages to get back to half guard.
Nash wants to get back to full guard.
Nash trying to control from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Souza thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Nash keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Souza wants to lay and pray for a moment but Nash keeps working.
Souza wants to pass to mount but Nash is defending the position.
Souza throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Souza thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Nash's head.
Souza is trying to control the action in half guard but Nash 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.
Souza sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Nash defending well though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Souza not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Nash blocking the ground and pound attempt from Souza.

Souza is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Nash defends it well.
Souza wants to lay and pray for a moment but Nash keeps working.
Souza throws a strike but Nash avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Nash is pulling down on Souza's head to control his posture.
Nash keeping moving, preventing Souza from controlling successfully.
Nash keeping full guard, as Souza tries to pass.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nash controlling Souza's posture.
Souza trying to control the position from guard on top but Nash is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Paolo Souza hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Souza fails with the takedown

and Nash counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Souza!
Nash looking to ground and pound but Souza is blocking nicely.
Souza sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Nash uses his free foot to push down on Souza's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Souza.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nash landing shots from mount.
Nash with the ground and pound from mount.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Souza is bucking up trying to escape but Nash cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Nash prevents Souza from getting the reversal.
Nash with good strikes from the mount here!
Souza is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Souza is in all sorts of trouble here.
Nash can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Souza is looking to escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Souza throws a combination that misses
and Nash counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Nash lands a nice shot to the body.
Nash catches Souza with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Nash lands a nice shot that snaps Souza's head back.
Nash keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Souza.
Nash thows a body shot but no joy.
Nash scores with a decent looking hook.
Nash is looking to wear down Souza with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Souza uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Nash.
Souza misses the body punch
and Nash counters with a stiff right hand.
Souza digs a good body shot into Nash's ribs.
Paolo Souza seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nash misses with a straight left.
Souza takes one to the side of the head.
Souza misses with a jab to the body
and Souza takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Souza throws an off balance right hand
and Nash counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Nash just misses with a punch to the body.
Souza misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Nash counters with a nice body shot.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nash misses with a wild body shot.
Souza is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Souza swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Nash closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Souza blocking the ground and pound attempt from Nash.
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. Nash connects with a nice short shot to Souza's temple.
Souza makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Souza.
Nash has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Nash preventing the sweep.
Nash stands and throws Souza's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Nash looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Souza is avoiding damage well.
Souza manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nash throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Nash is looking to stall here but Souza recovers full guard.
Souza keeping moving, preventing Nash from controlling successfully.
Nash postures up and lands a big shot to Souza's brow.
Nash passes Souza's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Nash landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nash throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Souza is trying to stand up here but Nash is controlling him well.
Nash content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Souza is staying active underneath Nash, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Cobb Nash overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Souza slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Nash won't allow Souza to sweep him here.
Nash stands and throws Souza's legs to the side, diving into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Nash moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
Nash connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Souza some visible discomfort.
Souza is looking to reverse the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nash is looking to take a break and control but Souza is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Souza is looking for a sweep.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cobb Nash dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Souza swings widly with a right hand

and Nash counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Souza is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Nash on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Nash moves into full guard.
Souza wants to control from the top but Nash keeps moving.
Souza trying to move into half guard but instead Nash has managed to sweep!
Souza tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Nash looking to sit in guard and control but Souza gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Nash looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Souza throws a strike but Nash rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Nash trying to control but Souza is working from the bottom.
Nash throwing strikes from guard but Souza blocks nicely.
Souza looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two 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.
Nash passes Souza's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Nash thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Nash wants to pass to mount but Souza is defending the position.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nash trying to advance position but Souza counters by regaining guard.
Souza is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

Souza is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Nash controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Souza tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Souza working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Nash.
Souza wants to sweep here but Nash controlling him for the moment.
Nash postures up.
Nash trying to control the position from guard on top but Souza is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Nash stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Souza swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Paolo Souza has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Nash looking to sit in guard and control but Souza gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Souza accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Cobb Nash is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Nash is controlling Souza's posture.
Nash keeping full guard, as Souza tries to pass.
Souza cracks Nash with a solid left hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Cobb Nash.
Well Nash 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cobb Nash!