PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Gabriel Ward (ranked 5749 p4p, 497 weight class) and Donald Markham (ranked 23670 p4p, 684 weight class). Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Ward
vs
Markham

178 cm
25
148 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

178 cm
27
151 lbs
1 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Hates pizza

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Likes musicals

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Gabriel Ward!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Donald Markham!
The judges for this bout are Emerson Jorge, Alexandre Firmino and Daniel Cesar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Markham has Ward up against the cage in a clinch.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Markham holding his opponent close, against the cage.

Markham breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Markham fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Ward to the ground. Markham is now in Ward's guard.

Ward is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Markham content to stall in guard here.

Markham is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Markham gets to his feet - Ward follows without any prompting.
Ward's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Ward duly obliges.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Markham closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Ward did well to prevent Markham getting side control.

Ward actively working from the bottom here.
Ward is looking to improve his position.

Markham looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.

Ward looking for a kimura from the bottom but Markham passes into side control!
Ward tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Markham wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward is working hard here to advance position.
Ward gets back to half guard.
Markham lands strikes from half guard.
Ward wants to control but Markham is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Markham looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

Markham gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
Ward cracks a nice hook into Markham's ribs.
Ward dodges the punch combination from Markham.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ward connects with a right hand. Markham shakes it off.

Markham moves into the clinch.

Markham jumps guard.

Markham is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Markham throws some sloppy strikes off his back.
Markham keeping moving, preventing Ward from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Markham has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Ward can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Markham keeping moving, preventing Ward from controlling successfully.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Markham keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Ward uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Markham moves into the clinch.
Ward jumps guard but Markham turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Ward is fighting off a takedown attempt but Markham is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Ward to the mat. Ward regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Donald Markham dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Markham moves into the clinch.
Markham content to slow the pace in the clinch.

Ward pulls Markham into guard.

Ward is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Markham defends well.
Markham looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

Ward is working actively from the bottom, looking for submissions. He's escaped his hips to the side and he's going for an armbar! Markham has his hands clasped together but Ward extends and breaks Markham's desperate grasp, forcing a tap out due to armbar! Nice BJJ displayed there by Ward.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:47 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Gabriel Ward!