PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between dave schneider (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Miguel Cotto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Miguel Cotto is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

schneider
vs
Cotto

180 cm
22
140 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

170 cm
18
140 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, dave schneider!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Miguel Cotto!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Dmitry Maklakov and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
schneider tries to clinch up but Cotto circles away and keeps his distance.

Cotto shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Cotto showed some decent athleticism there.
Cotto trying to control the action but schneider is working from the bottom.
The fighters are battling for position here. schneider manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Cotto is working schneider over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Cotto throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Cotto looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Cotto trying to control the position from guard on top but schneider is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

schneider is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Cotto trying to control but schneider is working from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cotto postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Cotto in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
schneider has his takedown stuffed

and Cotto counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in schneider's guard now.

Cotto avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Cotto connects with a couple of short punches.
Cotto thows a big elbow that misses.
Cotto throws a big right hand that misses.
schneider utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Cotto lands a couple of elbows.
Cotto preventing the sweep.
Cotto wants to control from the top but schneider keeps moving.

Cotto avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
schneider is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
schneider keeping moving, preventing Cotto from controlling successfully.

Cotto drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but schneider manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Cotto has schneider in his guard.
Cotto tries to land a sweep but no joy.

schneider avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Cotto throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
schneider controlling from the top position.
Cotto keeping moving, preventing schneider from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Cotto is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Connects with an elbow from the bottom, proving to the judges that he's still active off his back.
Cotto manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. schneider manages to get himself to full guard.
Cotto throwing strikes but missing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Cotto accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
schneider looking to hit a scissor sweep but Cotto is one step ahead there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cotto slips nicely into half guard.
Cotto slips a nice elbow through schneider's hands, connecting with schneider's forehead.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cotto is nestled in close to schneider, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
schneider punching from the bottom.
Cotto working the head and body with strikes.
schneider has hold of Cotto's hands but Cotto slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Cotto working over schneider with some ground and pound. schneider looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Cotto missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

schneider looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

schneider is defending against the submission attempts here by Cotto.
Cotto is tying to control. schneider wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Miguel Cotto dominated that 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.

schneider tries for a takedown but Cotto circles away easily

and Cotto counters with a nice double leg into side control. schneider won't be happy with that.
schneider tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Cotto wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Cotto lands a few punches from side control.
schneider is looking to regain half guard here but Cotto keeps moving and retains side control.
schneider takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.

Cotto thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

Cotto tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Cotto has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
schneider is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cotto has control of an arm but schneider manages to advance to Cotto's back!
Cotto scores with strikes from the back.
You can see the frustration on schneider's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
A lull in the action here.

Cotto is persistently looking for the submission but schneider is defending it well.

Cotto looking for the choke from the back.

Cotto looking for the RNC.
Cotto punches the canvas rather than the man.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cotto is looking for the choke from the back position but schneider is controlling his hands well.
Cotto is trying to stick to schneider's back but schneider is turning into Cotto. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Cotto's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by schneider.

Cotto has his foot on schneider's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. schneider works his way back into a safe position though.
Cotto throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
schneider works over Cotto with some ground and pound from guard.

Cotto is looking for a triangle but schneider pushes his legs off easily.

Cotto looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Cotto is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
schneider postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Cotto is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
schneider postures up.

Cotto has his foot on schneider's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. schneider works his way back into a safe position though.
Cotto is trying to control the position from the bottom.
schneider really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
schneider trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Cotto will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
schneider with a lazy takedown attempt

and Cotto counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Cotto.

schneider working for a triangle but Cotto defends it easily.
schneider wants to stand but Cotto is controlling the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
schneider has a closed guard, preventing Cotto from standing up.
Miguel Cotto has got the better of the ground game so far.
schneider wants to sweep here but Cotto controlling him for the moment.
Cotto is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
schneider keeping full guard, as Cotto tries to pass.

Cotto drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Cotto jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
schneider shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Cotto counters with a shoot takedown. schneider fights it but they end up in guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for dave schneider. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cotto working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Miguel Cotto showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Cotto shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Cotto content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

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

Cotto drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Cotto jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

schneider has his foot on Cotto's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Cotto works his way back into a safe position though.
Cotto controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
schneider throws a couple of weedy looking strikes off his back.
Cotto slips nicely into half guard.
schneider is trying to control but Cotto manages to pass to mount!
Cotto landing strikes from the mount.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Cotto lands a big shot there that rocks schneider but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
schneider in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Cotto lands a big elbow.
Cotto breaks from schneider's wrist control and lands an elbow.

Cotto looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
schneider taking shots to the head.
Cotto lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Cotto landing strikes, looking to finish!
Cotto avoids the attempt from schneider to control.
Cotto lands a nice shot to the head.
BOOM! Cotto connects with a massive shot to the dome!
schneider is wriggling around trying to escape.

That's two 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.

Cotto jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but schneider manages to avoid the submission attempt.
schneider is trying to control Cotto's posture but Cotto avoids it.
Cotto lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Cotto in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
schneider can't do much from the bottom here.
Cotto is chipping away with strikes.
schneider stops Cotto from passing to mount.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Cotto feints and as schneider raises his hands in defense, Cotto changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
schneider looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cotto tries to free his leg and advance position but schneider is retaining full guard.
Cotto advances to half guard.
Cotto lands strikes from half guard.

schneider looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Cotto passes the guard and advances to mount!
Cotto fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
schneider is looking to improve his position but Cotto isn't that keen on the idea.
Cotto is in the full mount, landing strikes.
schneider is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

Cotto working from mount. He moves in close and looks like he might be going for an arm triangle... He's hopped off to the side and he's transitioned into an Anaconda choke. schneider turning a nasty shade of purple. He's refusing to tap but he's gone! He's out! The ref rips Cotto off and cradles schneider's limp body as Cotto celebrates with his corner.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:04 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Anaconda Choke). Miguel Cotto!