PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Ronnie Castillo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hamood Hallak (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Castillo
vs
Hallak

179 cm
19
200 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

184 cm
18
223 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Ronnie Castillo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Hamood Hallak!
The judges for this bout are John Mangel, Donatello Bradman and Bruno Hogan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castillo checks the leg kick nicely there.

Castillo gets tackled into the ropes by Hallak. Hallak maintains the clinch.
Hallak doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Castillo stalls.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
Castillo connects with a knee to the head.

It looks like Hamood Hallak has been cut.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hallak is looking to take this one to the mat.
Castillo stalling.
Hallak tries to throw a body punch but Castillo avoids it by throwing Hallak back against the ropes.
Castillo taking a breather.
Castillo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hallak in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Hallak looks gassed!
Hallak takes a knee to the side of the body.
Castillo utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Castillo working Hallak over with knees to the body.
Castillo lands a good knee to the midsection. Hallak won't want to take too many of those.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Castillo stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Castillo.
Hallak misses with a knee to the head.
Castillo's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Hallak is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Castillo unloads a knee to the mid-section.
The fighters are pressed against the ropes, as the pace of the fight slows.
Castillo could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Castillo stalling in the clinch.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castillo tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallak avoids the damage to the body.
Castillo blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Hallak misses with the head strike.
Hallak managing to block the knees to the body from Castillo.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Castillo.
Castillo is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hallak is defending well for now.
Hallak taking a breather.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A short uppercut from Hallak.
Castillo is looking to control Hallak's arms but Hallak gets an underhook and turns him. Now Castillo has his back to the ropes.
Hallak working aggressively here.
Castillo looking to stall.
Castillo landing knees to the body.
Hallak tries to break the clinch but Castillo is controlling the position.
Castillo scores a nice knee to the body.
Hallak takes a knee to the side of the body.
Castillo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hallak in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castillo utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
Hallak takes a knee to the side of the body.
Castillo utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Castillo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hallak in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Castillo tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallak avoids the damage to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Castillo.
Castillo scores with a knee to the head.
Castillo leaning his opponent against the ropes.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hallak tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Castillo working Hallak over with knees to the body.
Castillo tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallak avoids the damage to the body.
Castillo is trying to maintain a safe position but Hallak gets an underhook and turns Castillo into the ropes.
Castillo lands a good knee to the midsection. Hallak won't want to take too many of those.
Castillo is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hallak is defending well for now.
Castillo lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Castillo landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Castillo landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Castillo crunches a lovely knee into Hallak's ribcage.
Castillo lands a good knee to the midsection. Hallak won't want to take too many of those.
Castillo controlling the action here for a moment.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Castillo stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ronnie Castillo dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Hamood Hallak's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

A nice combination there by Hallak.
Castillo looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

Castillo closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Castillo lands a nice knee to the body.
Castillo lands a knee to the body.
Castillo leaning his opponent against the ropes.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Castillo just leaning against Hallak, taking a breather.
Castillo lands a nice knee to the body.
Castillo lands a nice knee to the body.
Castillo lands a good knee to the midsection. Hallak won't want to take too many of those.
Hallak is breathing heavily.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
Knees in the clinch landing for Castillo.
Castillo lands a nice knee to the body.
Castillo is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Castillo missing with knees to the body.
Hallak misses with the head strike.
Castillo scores a nice knee to the body.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Hallak throws a knee to the head but misses.
The referee calls for Castillo to work.
Castillo trying to land knees to the body.
Castillo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hallak avoids it.
Castillo is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Hallak misses with some punches.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Castillo with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Castillo landing knees to the head.
Castillo landing knees to the body.
Castillo scores with a knee to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castillo utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Castillo working Hallak over with knees to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Castillo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hallak in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Castillo lands a good knee to the midsection. Hallak won't want to take too many of those.
A knee to the head by Castillo.
A knee to the head by Castillo.
Ronnie Castillo has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Castillo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hallak in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Castillo scores a nice knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
Castillo landing knees to the head.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Castillo takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Castillo is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Hallak can do to turn this around?
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Castillo as Hallak tries to tie him up.
Castillo scores with a knee to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Castillo trying to land knees to the body.
Castillo will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Hallak up against the ropes.
Castillo with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Castillo tries to stall but Hallak uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Castillo taking a breather.
Hallak working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Castillo tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Hallak throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Hallak wants a takedown but no success here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Castillo is struggling to control the position.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Castillo.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Castillo.
Castillo landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Hallak tries a knee to the head but Castillo blocks it.
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Hallak looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Castillo obliges.
Hallak tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Castillo's elbow.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hallak managing to block the knees to the body from Castillo.
A knee to the head by Castillo.
Castillo is stalling here.
Hallak on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ronnie Castillo dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Hamood Hallak's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Hallak tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Castillo tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Hallak paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Castillo lands with a thumping leg kick.
Hallak lands a right hook to the body.

Castillo instigates a clinch.
Hallak throws a head punch that misses.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
Castillo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Hallak avoids it.
Castillo landing knees to the body.
Hallak avoiding damage as Castillo throws knees to the body.
Hallak pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Castillo stalling.
Castillo trying to land knees to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A body shot lands from Hallak.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
Hallak blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hallak lands with a short head shot on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hallak blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hallak misses with an elbow strike.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
Castillo missing with knees to the body.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Hallak tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A short uppercut from Hallak.
Hallak is trying to break the clinch but Castillo has him pressed against the ropes.
Castillo missing with knees to the body.
Hallak misses with a short punch on the inside.
Castillo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Castillo trying to land knees to the body.
Castillo throws a knee to the head but misses.
Castillo misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hallak.
Castillo is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hallak is defending well for now.
Hallak swings away with an uppercut that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hallak tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Castillo's elbow.
Castillo lands a nice knee to the body.
Hallak lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Castillo tries to land knees in the clinch but Hallak avoids the damage to the body.
Hallak trying to control the position but instead, Castillo has worked for underhooks and has pushed Hallak into the ropes.
Castillo is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hallak is defending well for now.
Castillo trying to stall but Hallak improves his position.
Castillo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Castillo with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Castillo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Castillo seems a little flustered. He's come in with the intention of controlling the clinch but Hallak is preventing him from doing so, at least for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hallak lands a body punch in the clinch.
Hallak blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hallak missing with knees to the body.
With the fighters clinched against the ropes, Hallak creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Castillo is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Castillo blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Castillo trying to land knees to the body.
Hallak swings wildly with an uppercut but Castillo uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hallak is trying to pull guard but Castillo has him pressed against the ropes.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Hallak as Castillo tries to tie him up.
Castillo with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Hallak wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Ronnie Castillo is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Hallak working hard to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hallak is trying to push Castillo away but Castillo has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.
Hallak misses with a punch to the body.
Hallak misses with a hook from the clinch.
Castillo trying to stall but Hallak improves his position.
Hallak slowing the pace effectively.
Castillo scores a nice knee to the body.
Hallak can't find room to land a body shot as Castillo controls the action.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hallak struggles to land a body shot inside as Castillo controls his hands.
Hallak looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Hamood Hallak has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Hallak has a couple of punches blocked by Castillo.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Hamood Hallak.
I think Castillo 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 John Mangel scores the fight 30:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 30:28
Judge Bruno Hogan scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ronnie Castillo!