PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Matheus Carvalho (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rafael Martinez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Carvalho's entrance music is Notorious BIG - Victory. A fine choice. Martinez has chosen Juicy as his entrance music. I don't know about you partner, but I'm pumped for this one!

Carvalho
vs
Martinez

192 cm
26
222 lbs
8 - 6 - 1

196 cm
23
223 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

ADCC Champion
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

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 8 - 6 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Matheus Carvalho!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Rafael Martinez!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Matti Vanhoillinen and Roosa Järviläinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Martinez connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Martinez slips a straight right by Carvalho.
Martinez misses with a left hand
and Carvalho cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Martinez keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

Martinez shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Martinez wants to lay and pray for a moment but Carvalho keeps working.

Martinez is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Carvalho gets back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martinez won't allow Carvalho to sweep him here.
Martinez trying to control the position from guard on top but Carvalho is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Martinez stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Carvalho swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Martinez trying to control but Carvalho is working from the bottom.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Carvalho working a defensive guard here.

Rafael Martinez has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Carvalho throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

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.
Martinez wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Martinez lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Carvalho circles away quickly and effectively.
A big left from Martinez misses.
Carvalho swings away with a body shot that misses
and Martinez counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Martinez stuffs the takedown.
Carvalho misses with a jab, cross combination.
Martinez throws a looping overhand right but Carvalho ducks down to avoid it.
A punch combination from Martinez misses.
Martinez avoids a punch combination nicely.
Carvalho takes a swing at Martinez's ribcage but misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez misses with a right hand
and Carvalho counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Carvalho misses with an uppercut

and Martinez counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Carvalho looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Carvalho keeping moving, preventing Martinez from controlling successfully.

Carvalho is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Martinez is aware though and is defending well.
Martinez throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Carvalho is trying to control the position but Martinez postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Martinez tries to stand but Carvalho is controlling from the bottom.
Martinez trying to control the position from guard on top but Carvalho is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Carvalho bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Martinez's guard.
Martinez keeping moving, preventing Carvalho from controlling successfully.
Carvalho works over Martinez with some ground and pound from guard.
Martinez 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.
Carvalho trying to control the position from guard on top but Martinez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rafael Martinez dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Nice defenses there by Carvalho.
Carvalho misses with a double jab
and Martinez counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Martinez lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Carvalho backs up against the cage.

It looks like Matheus Carvalho has been cut.
Carvalho misses with a body shot
and Martinez makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Carvalho clobbers Martinez with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Martinez throws a left and a right that both miss
enabling Carvalho to counter with a crisp jab.
Martinez swings away with a body shot that misses
and Carvalho counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Martinez misses with a body punch

and Carvalho counters with a nice double leg into side control. Martinez won't be happy with that.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Carvalho working the ground and pound.
Martinez sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martinez avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Carvalho.
Carvalho trying to control from Martinez's half guard. Martinez has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Martinez wants to stand but Carvalho is controlling the position.
Carvalho wants to control from the top but Martinez keeps moving.
Martinez wants to sweep here but Carvalho controlling him for the moment.

Martinez is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Martinez is breathing heavily.
Martinez working a defensive guard here.

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.
Carvalho wants to control from the top but Martinez keeps moving.
Carvalho trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Carvalho is looking to work some ground and pound but Martinez has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Martinez is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Carvalho postures up and lands a big shot to Martinez's brow.
Carvalho wants to control from the top but Martinez keeps moving.
Carvalho seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Martinez wants to sweep but no luck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez keeping moving, preventing Carvalho from controlling successfully.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

Martinez had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Carvalho defends it easily.
Carvalho thows a big elbow that misses.
Carvalho works over Martinez with some ground and pound from guard.
Carvalho scoring with some ground and pound.
Carvalho loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Martinez being controlled here, momentarily.
Carvalho postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Carvalho lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Carvalho trying to control the position from guard on top but Martinez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Carvalho is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Martinez is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Martinez 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.
Martinez is trying to control the position but Carvalho postures up.
Martinez 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.
Carvalho wants to control from the top but Martinez keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matheus Carvalho dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Matheus Carvalho's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. And we move into the final round!

Carvalho throws a poor cross that misses
and Martinez counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Martinez fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Martinez looks to score with a jab to the body but Carvalho is just out of range.
Martinez misses with a right hand

and Carvalho counters with a single leg into guard. Martinez didn't expect that.
Carvalho wants to pass the guard but Martinez is keeping the position.
Martinez is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Martinez trying to control the action but Carvalho is working from the bottom.
Carvalho is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Martinez's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Martinez's back!
I really don't envy Martinez right now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Carvalho has Martinez flattened out and is raining down punches.
Martinez takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Carvalho avoiding Martinez 's attempts to control his hands.
Carvalho softening up his opponent with strikes here.
Carvalho controlling from the back.
Carvalho is trying to stick to Martinez's back but Martinez is turning into Carvalho. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Carvalho's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Martinez.

Carvalho is looking for a triangle but Martinez pushes his legs off easily.
Carvalho wants to control but Martinez passes easily into half guard.
Martinez is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Martinez is trying to control the action in half guard but Carvalho is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Martinez is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Carvalho has managed to free his arm - good work.
Martinez wants to stand up but Carvalho has a hold of him and won't allow it.
Carvalho is refusing to be controlled, as Martinez sits in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Martinez seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Carvalho manages to get to full guard.
Martinez not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Carvalho is trying to control the position from the bottom.

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.
Martinez with a nice head shot there.
Carvalho working a defensive guard but Martinez manages to pass into side control anyway.
Check out the look on Martinez's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!

Martinez stands up.
Carvalho scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Carvalho dives in and grabs Martinez's left leg, looking for a takedown. Martinez pushes down on Carvalho's head and hops out.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matheus Carvalho showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Carvalho has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 29:28
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matheus Carvalho!