PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Tajhon Blahs (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kimbo Pottsy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Blahs
vs
Pottsy

170 cm
21
169 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

191 cm
21
163 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Tajhon Blahs!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Kimbo Pottsy!
The judges for this bout are Paulo Santos, Seu Braga and Mauricio Rocha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Blahs looks to land a combination but Pottsy avoids it well.

Blahs pushes Pottsy up against the cage in a clinch.
Pottsy tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Blahs smiles and moves away.
Pottsy looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Pottsy tries for a takedown but Blahs sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Tajhon Blahs has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kimbo Pottsy.
Pottsy closes this distance looking for a takedown but Blahs circles away.
Pottsy shoots in but Blahs avoids the takedown attempt easily.

Blahs closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Blahs gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Pottsy regains guard.

Pottsy has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Blahs can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Pottsy doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Blahs is pushing down on Pottsy's leg trying to pass to half guard. Pottsy is fighting to maintain full guard but Blahs has managed to sneak the leg through.
Blahs works his way into full mount!
Pottsy tries to reverse the position but Blahs maintains control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blahs lands a nice shot to the head.
Pottsy is trying to escape the mount.
Pottsy looks gassed!
Blahs controlling his opponent.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Pottsy trying desperately to get to his feet.
Blahs takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Pottsy is working to get back to half guard.
Blahs scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Pottsy really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Blahs in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A nice elbow there by Blahs.
Blahs tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Blahs raining down shots from the mount!
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Pottsy is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Blahs takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Blahs scoring with strikes but Pottsy is staying in there.
Blahs sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Blahs pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blahs controlling the position easily from mount.
Blahs's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Blahs lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Blahs lands a heavy elbow.
Pottsy throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Blahs working the ground and pound effectively.
Pottsy is trying to escape the mount.
Blahs looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blahs prevents Pottsy from getting the reversal.
Blahs punishing his opponent with strikes.
Blahs working Pottsy over with strikes here.
Blahs controlling from the full mount.
A nice elbow there by Blahs.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Pottsy is looking to get to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Blahs takes the fight into the clinch.
Pottsy drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Blahs gets the underhooks and prevents it.

Blahs gets a trip takedown into half guard.

Pottsy actively working from the bottom here.
Blahs is taking a breather. Pottsy 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.
Blahs lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Pottsy is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Blahs scores with a couple of nice shots.
Pottsy is breathing heavily.
Still in half guard, Blahs seems content to control.
Blahs working Pottsy over with strikes.
Blahs is taking a breather. Pottsy 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.

Pottsy actively working from the bottom here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pottsy tries to get to full guard but Blahs has control of the leg.

Blahs moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Pottsy.
Blahs lands a decent elbow from side control.
Blahs working the ground and pound.
Pottsy taking a bit of punishment here - Blahs scoring with strikes.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Pottsy being controlled for a moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blahs seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Pottsy for as long as he can get away with.
Blahs slips into full mount, dodging the strikes by Pottsy.
Blahs sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Blahs connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Pottsy is looking to improve his position but Blahs isn't that keen on the idea.
Blahs looking to control and managing it successfully.

Blahs is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Pottsy can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blahs controlling his opponent.
Pottsy throwing hammer fists to the chest of Blahs. What's that going to do exactly?
Pottsy working to try and regain half guard.
Blahs landing strikes from the mount and Pottsy is in trouble!
Pottsy really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Pottsy is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Blahs looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Blahs with a couple of short strikes.
Blahs working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Blahs with the ground and pound from mount.
Pottsy tries to buck Blahs off but he can't manage it.
Pottsy throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Blahs controlling the position easily from mount.
Blahs pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Pottsy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Blahs controlling the position easily from mount.
Blahs with shots to the head and body - Pottsy looks very uncomfortable down there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tajhon Blahs dominated that second round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Pottsy fails to land the takedown.
Pottsy looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Blahs is fending him off so far but Pottsy persists. Nope, Blahs circles away and we're back to standing.
Kimbo Pottsy seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Blahs looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Blahs not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Blahs passes Pottsy's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Blahs not doing much here.

Pottsy looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Tajhon Blahs overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Blahs lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Blahs slows the pace down in half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pottsy on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blahs prevents Pottsy from improving his position.

Pottsy looking for a kimura from the bottom but Blahs passes into side control!
Pottsy is looking for a sweep.
Blahs happy to just control the position for now.
Blahs working the head with strikes.
Blahs landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Blahs connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Pottsy some visible discomfort.

Blahs tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blahs is chipping away with strikes.
Pottsy is trying to strike from the bottom but Blahs has passed into full mount.
Blahs breaks from Pottsy's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Pottsy is looking to get to half guard.
Blahs lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Pottsy throwing hammer fists to the chest of Blahs. What's that going to do exactly?
Pottsy tries to reverse the position but Blahs maintains control.
Blahs postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Pottsy looks a forlorn figure.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blahs with good strikes from the mount here!
Blahs controlling the position easily from mount.
Blahs putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Blahs scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Pottsy?
Blahs looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Blahs prevents Pottsy from getting the reversal.
Blahs with shots to the head and body - Pottsy looks very uncomfortable down there.
Blahs is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Pottsy can do to turn this around?
Blahs controlling the position easily from mount.
Pottsy is working to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blahs looking to control and managing it successfully.
Blahs landing punches.
Tajhon Blahs is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Pottsy working to try and regain half guard.
Blahs lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Pottsy is desperately trying to improve his position but Blahs has a good base and remains in mount.

Blahs looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.
Kimbo Pottsy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Pottsy is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tajhon Blahs showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Blahs 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 Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:26
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight 30:25
Judge Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tajhon Blahs!
Tajhon Blahs retains his lightweight title!