PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Johny Vargas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Issumatar Tariaksuq (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Vargas comes to the cage accompanied by Drake - Trophies. Tariaksuq has chosen Tanya Tagaq - Uja as his entrance music. Issumatar Tariaksuq has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Johny Vargas's chin.

Vargas
vs
Tariaksuq

174 cm
27
157 lbs
9 - 4 - 0

177 cm
30
142 lbs
16 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Aspire Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Johny Vargas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 7 - 0, fighting out of New York, Issumatar Tariaksuq!
The judges for this bout are , Don Winkell and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tariaksuq scores with the left hand. Vargas knows he should have avoided that one.
Tariaksuq scores with a head kick.
A jab lands there for Tariaksuq.
Tariaksuq misses with a body kick.
A lazy left from Tariaksuq finds it's target.
Vargas fails with the takedown
and Tariaksuq makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Vargas misses with a wild combination.
Vargas misses with a two punch combination.
Tariaksuq swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Tariaksuq throws a hook but Vargas avoids it easily.
Vargas went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Vargas throws a series of punches but Tariaksuq avoids them all with ease.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Vargas misses with the combination.
A countering left hand to the body from Tariaksuq misses.
Vargas doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Tariaksuq counters with a low kick, right behind Vargas 's knee.
Vargas fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Johny Vargas. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tariaksuq defending well as Vargas loads up on a big left hand.
Vargas has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Roosters Coop in the buildup to the fight.
Tariaksuq scores with a leg kick.
Tariaksuq has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Vargas is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Vargas misses with a wild body shot.
That kick from Tariaksuq tenderised Vargas's leg. Vargas is trying to keep his angry face on.
Vargas throws a nice looking combination but Tariaksuq bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Crunch! Tariaksuq slams his shin into Vargas's torso.
Vargas throws a body punch but Tariaksuq moves out of range.
A head kick misses from Tariaksuq.
Vargas misses with a combination
and Tariaksuq counters with a low kick, right behind Vargas 's knee.

Tariaksuq gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Tariaksuq doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tariaksuq is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Tariaksuq is pressed up against the cage. Vargas has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Tariaksuq down to the mat. Tariaksuq avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Tariaksuq throws a shot to the body.
Tariaksuq lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tariaksuq lands a glancing blow to the side of Vargas's head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vargas throws a poor cross that misses
and Tariaksuq counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vargas throws a shot from downtown. Tariaksuq moves away and avoids it.
Vargas misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Tariaksuq lands a jab to the nose.
Tariaksuq catches Vargas with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Tariaksuq clobbers Vargas with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.

Vargas is rocked!
Vargas closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Oh Vargas is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Tariaksuq scores with a jab. Vargas acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Tariaksuq scores with the left hand. Vargas knows he should have avoided that one.
The fighters circle momentarily. Tariaksuq darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Tariaksuq lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Tariaksuq is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Vargas had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Vargas scores with a nice strike.

Vargas closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Tariaksuq struggling a bit here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An elbow from Vargas crashes against the mat.
Tariaksuq is trying to improve his position.
Vargas seems to have got his legs back now.
Tariaksuq parries the strikes from Vargas easily there. Vargas is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Tariaksuq to escape.
Vargas advances to full mount.
Tariaksuq tries to lock up and control but Vargas gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Vargas thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Vargas avoids the attempt from Tariaksuq to control.
Vargas unloads with some shots from mount but Tariaksuq bucks and avoids them well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vargas has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tariaksuq's face.
Vargas trying to control but Tariaksuq is having none of it.
Vargas tries to push Tariaksuq's head away but Tariaksuq is holding on tight.
Tariaksuq tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Tariaksuq tries to hold on but Vargas pushes him away.
Vargas throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Issumatar Tariaksuq dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Vargas scores with a jab to the head.

It looks like Issumatar Tariaksuq has been cut.
Vargas misses with a looping left.
No joy there for Vargas, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Vargas throws a series of punches but Tariaksuq moves out of range.
Vargas throws a shot from downtown. Tariaksuq moves away and avoids it.
A jab from Tariaksuq misses.
Tariaksuq slips a straight right by Vargas.
Vargas misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tariaksuq throws a shot to the body.
Tariaksuq connects with a right hand. Vargas shakes it off.
Tariaksuq throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Tariaksuq plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Vargas blocks the body kick.
Johny Vargas seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Vargas throws a nice looking combination but Tariaksuq bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Tariaksuq looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Issumatar Tariaksuq seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Vargas shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Tariaksuq pinned against the cage. Tariaksuq gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vargas scores with a body shot.
Vargas on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Tariaksuq. Tariaksuq obviously looking to wear him down.
Tariaksuq throws out a powerful jab.
Tariaksuq throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Tariaksuq is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Vargas.
Vargas tests Tariaksuq's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Tariaksuq fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Vargas has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Tariaksuq showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Vargas.
Vargas swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Tariaksuq.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tariaksuq slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Tariaksuq connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Vargas's hands.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Vargas feints and as Tariaksuq raises his hands in defense, Vargas changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.

Tariaksuq has his foot on Vargas's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Vargas works his way back into a safe position though.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Tariaksuq is on top in guard.

Tariaksuq controls from within his opponent's guard.
Vargas seems keen to control Tariaksuq's posture.
Tariaksuq trying to stand up but can't free himself from Vargas's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tariaksuq postures up.
Tariaksuq is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Tariaksuq stops Vargas from standing up.
Vargas is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Tariaksuq is looking to stand up but Vargas won't let him.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Tariaksuq thumps Vargas with a low kick.
Tariaksuq scores with a head kick. Vargas tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Johny Vargas is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice body kick from Tariaksuq.
Tariaksuq swings for the body but Vargas moves out of range.
Vargas lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Tariaksuq circles away quickly and effectively.
Tariaksuq lands with an overhand left.
Vargas throws a right and a left that Tariaksuq avoids nicely.
Vargas throws a right hand that Tariaksuq ducks under and follows up with a left that Tariaksuq also avoids with ease.
Tariaksuq misses the jab.
Vargas throws a big counter combination but Tariaksuq scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Vargas throws a nice looking combination but Tariaksuq bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Tariaksuq dodges the punch combination from Vargas.
Vargas throws a right and a left that both miss.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tariaksuq lands with an uppercut that bounces Vargas off the cage and back into range.
Tariaksuq avoids a punch combination nicely.
Tariaksuq swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Vargas gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Tariaksuq.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Johny Vargas will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Issumatar Tariaksuq's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Vargas throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Tariaksuq counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Tariaksuq lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Vargas misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tariaksuq scores with the left hand. Vargas knows he should have avoided that one.
Vargas scores with a crisp jab that stopped Tariaksuq in his tracks.
Tariaksuq lands a glancing blow to the side of Vargas's head.
Vargas looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Vargas shoots in for a takedown but Tariaksuq shows good takedown defense.
Vargas misses with a double jab.
Horrible takedown attempt by Vargas or perhaps it was just good defense by Tariaksuq, which made it look bad.
Tariaksuq counters with a body kick.
Vargas rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Tariaksuq moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vargas gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Tariaksuq.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Tariaksuq closes the distance and clinches.
Tariaksuq working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Tariaksuq doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tariaksuq misses with a punch on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vargas blocks a body shot from Tariaksuq.
Nice elbow from Tariaksuq.
Tariaksuq pushes off an throws an elbow but Vargas leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Tariaksuq lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Tariaksuq digs a right hand underneath Vargas's ribcage. Vargas let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Tariaksuq tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Tariaksuq scores with a shoulder strike.
Tariaksuq goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Nice elbow from Tariaksuq.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Tariaksuq in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
Tariaksuq throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Tariaksuq tries to throw a body punch but Vargas avoids it by throwing Tariaksuq back against the cage.
Vargas blocks the elbow strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tariaksuq working aggressively here.
Tariaksuq lands an uppercut.
Vargas is working for takedown but Tariaksuq is calmly controlling the position for now.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Johny Vargas. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Vargas is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Tariaksuq pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Vargas takes an elbow to the forehead.
Vargas's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Tariaksuq misses with a hook to the ribs.
Vargas blocking some punches.
Tariaksuq lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Vargas backwards.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Tariaksuq.
A short right from Tariaksuq on the inside.
A right hand to the body from Tariaksuq.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tariaksuq misses with a punch on the inside.
Issumatar Tariaksuq seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Tariaksuq lands a body punch.
Tariaksuq throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Tariaksuq cracks Vargas with a nice body shot.
Tariaksuq lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Vargas blocks an uppercut.
Tariaksuq doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tariaksuq creates some distance and fires off a vicious elbow that drops Vargas! He pounces and finishes the fight with more strikes! Nice KO for Tariaksuq.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:44 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Issumatar Tariaksuq!
An out of breath Issumatar Tariaksuq thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.