PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Marco Polo (ranked 2732 p4p, 3045 weight class) and Frankie Rodriguez (ranked 353 p4p, 387 weight class). The key to victory for Marco Polo has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Polo
vs
Rodriguez

180 cm
25
165
2 - 1 - 0

183 cm
26
170
2 - 2 - 0

Good takedowns
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

Silverguard Outfitters 🛡

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Marco Polo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Frankie Rodriguez !
The judges for this bout are Alec Ball, Robert Douchet and William Peck.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Polo misses with a body kick.
Rodriguez tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Rodriguez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Polo paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Polo throws a counter high kick but Rodriguez was just alert enough to avoid it.

Rodriguez clinches up against the cage.
Rodriguez blocks an elbow strike from Polo.
Polo definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Rodriguez managing to block the knees to the body from Polo.
A frustrated look appears on Polo's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Polo blocks a body shot from Rodriguez .
Rodriguez holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Polo effectively controlling the action here.
Rodriguez connects with a nasty looking knee right to Polo's face.

It looks like Marco Polo has been cut.
Rodriguez lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Polo stalling.
A bit of stalling here from Polo.
Polo being controlled against the cage.
Rodriguez misses with the head strike.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Rodriguez .

Polo manages to break the clinch.
A head kick by Rodriguez misses
and Polo counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Polo doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Rodriguez with a hook.

Rodriguez forces Polo back against the cage and clinches.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Polo managing to block the knees to the body from Rodriguez .
Polo trying to stall but Rodriguez improves his position.
Rodriguez with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Rodriguez blocks a body shot from Polo.
Rodriguez is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Rodriguez lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Polo leaning his opponent against the cage.
Rodriguez effectively controlling the action here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Polo can't find room to land a body shot as Rodriguez controls the action.
Rodriguez throws a knee to the head but misses.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Polo has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Polo tries to land a knee to the head but Rodriguez blocks with his arms.
Rodriguez lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Polo backwards.
Polo trying to land knees to the body.
Rodriguez lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Polo can't break the clinch.
Rodriguez lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Polo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Rodriguez lands a right hand that snaps the head of Polo backwards.
Polo tries to circle away but Rodriguez has him pinned against the cage.
Rodriguez looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Polo blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Rodriguez blocks an uppercut.
Polo wants to break free but Rodriguez has control.
Polo blocking some punches.
Polo stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Polo blocks it with crossed arms.
Polo missing with knees to the body.
Polo can't break the clinch.
Rodriguez misses with a hook to the ribs.
Polo blocking some punches.
Rodriguez is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Polo is defending well for now.
Rodriguez blocks the elbow strike.
A short right from Rodriguez .
Rodriguez working Polo over with knees to the body.
Polo letting Rodriguez take a breather here.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Rodriguez lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Polo scores with a shot to the side of Rodriguez 's head.
Polo lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Rodriguez prevents Polo from breaking the clinch.
Rodriguez taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Polo wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Rodriguez misses with the head strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Polo is trying to force a seperation but Rodriguez has the dominant position.

Polo breaks from the clinch.
Rodriguez darts in trying to clinch
and Polo counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rodriguez lands a high kick!
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!
Polo misses with a head kick.
Rodriguez clobbers Polo with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Polo moves out of range of the body kick from Rodriguez .
Polo appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Polo's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Rodriguez connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Polo scrambles back to his feet.
Rodriguez tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
And Polo counters with a quick kick to the body but Rodriguez blocks it.
Rodriguez feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Polos jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Frankie Rodriguez dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Marco Polo's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Polo looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Polo ducks under a wild hook from Rodriguez .
Polo throws a low kick, looking for Rodriguez 's leg but Rodriguez calmly moves out of range.
Polo fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Rodriguez moves in looking to clinch but Polo pushes him off.
Rodriguez looks to score with a jab to the body but Polo is just out of range.
Rodriguez misses with an attempted mid kick.
A counter left hand to the body from Polo misses its target.
A head kick misses from Rodriguez .
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rodriguez throws a head kick but Polo moves out of range.
Rodriguez misses with a two punch combination.
Polo fires out a quick counter leg kick but Rodriguez just manages to avoid it.
Rodriguez takes a shot right to the bread basket.

Rodriguez rushes Polo and presses him up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rodriguez throws a punch but it's blocked by Polo.
Rodriguez is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Rodriguez 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.
Rodriguez looking to throw knees to the head but Polo is blocking nicely.

Polo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rodriguez throws a right hand that Polo ducks under and follows up with a left that Polo also avoids with ease.
Frankie Rodriguez seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Polo blocks a head kick by Rodriguez .
Rodriguez has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Rodriguez will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
It looked like Polo was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Rodriguez .
Polo misses with a wild combination.
Rodriguez takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

It looks like Frankie Rodriguez has been cut.

Rodriguez moves into the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez misses with a punch to the body.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Polo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Polo content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Rodriguez misses with a knee strike.
Polo wants to get back to striking at distance but Rodriguez won't allow it.
Rodriguez misses with a short punch on the inside.
Frankie Rodriguez seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Rodriguez landing knees to the head.
Polo is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Polo blocks a body shot from Rodriguez .
Polo wants to break the clinch but can't.
Polo is trying to break free.
A head punch on the inside from Rodriguez fails to land.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rodriguez has Polo pushed against the cage.
Rodriguez putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Polo in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Polo tries to stall but Rodriguez uses the opportunity to gain a better position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez has Polo pressed against the cage, preventing Polo from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Rodriguez misses with a knee to the head.
A bit of stalling here from Rodriguez .

Polo manages to break the clinch.
Polo tests Rodriguez 's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Frankie Rodriguez seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Polo keeps the fight on the outside.
Polo avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Decent striking displayed by Polo there.

Rodriguez moves into the clinch successfully.
Polo is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Rodriguez just leaning against Polo, taking a breather.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Rodriguez prevents Polo from breaking the clinch.
Rodriguez dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Polo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Rodriguez stalling in the clinch but Polo improves position.
Polo avoiding damage as Rodriguez throws knees to the body.
Polo tries to circle away but Rodriguez has him pinned against the cage.
Rodriguez trying to control the position but instead, Polo has worked for underhooks and has pushed Rodriguez into the cage.
Polo is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Polo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Polo wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Polo missing with knees to the body.
Polo cracks Rodriguez with a nice body shot.
Polo blocking some punches.
Rodriguez gets through Polo's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Polo pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Polo taking a breather.

Polo breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Frankie Rodriguez showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Polo ducks under a wild hook from Rodriguez .
Polo pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A bone on bone clash there as Rodriguez blocks the leg kick.
Rodriguez connects with a right hand. Polo shakes it off.
Polo lands a jab to Rodriguez 's midsection.
Polo misses with a wild body shot.
Rodriguez throws the left hand but Polo avoids the punch easily.
Rodriguez throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Rodriguez closes the distance and pushes Polo back into the cage.
Rodriguez throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Polo blocks it with crossed arms.
Polo tries to circle away but Rodriguez has him pinned against the cage.
Polo prevents a body shot from Rodriguez .
Rodriguez swings wildly with an uppercut but Polo uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Polo lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Rodriguez backwards.
Polo is trying to break the clinch but Rodriguez is controlling him.
Rodriguez using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Polo has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Polo looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Rodriguez works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Polo managing to block the knees to the body from Rodriguez .
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Rodriguez takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Rodriguez prevents Polo from breaking the clinch.
Rodriguez has Polo pressed against the cage, preventing Polo from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Rodriguez lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Polo misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Rodriguez can't find room to land a body shot as Polo controls the action.
Polo tries to circle away but Rodriguez has him pinned against the cage.
Rodriguez landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Still in the clinch, Rodriguez scores with a nice short uppercut.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Polo as Rodriguez tries to tie him up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Come on Rodriguez - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Polo is trying to force a seperation but Rodriguez has the dominant position.
Rodriguez throws a knee to the head but misses.
Polo trying to control the position but instead, Rodriguez has worked for underhooks and has pushed Polo into the cage.
Rodriguez using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Polo has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Polo has Rodriguez pushed against the cage.
Rodriguez tries a body shot but Polo blocks it.
Rodriguez blocks an elbow strike.
Polo is trying to push Rodriguez away but Rodriguez has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Polo is trying to break the clinch but Rodriguez is controlling him.
Rodriguez trying to stall but Polo improves his position.
A short right from Rodriguez on the inside.
Rodriguez lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Polo backwards.
Frankie Rodriguez is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez prevents Polo from breaking the clinch.
Polo tries to break the clinch but Rodriguez is controlling the position.
Polo lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Rodriguez using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Polo lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Rodriguez backwards.
Rodriguez keeps control of Polo as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Polo is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Rodriguez throws a knee to the head but misses.
Rodriguez throws a punch but it's blocked by Polo.
Polo tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A short right from Polo.
Rodriguez just leaning against Polo, taking a breather.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Rodriguez landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Polo tries to break free but Rodriguez pushes him back against the cage.
Polo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rodriguez keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Polo's efforts to push away.
Rodriguez connects with a knee to the head.
Rodriguez blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Rodriguez throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Polos head.
A frustrated look appears on Polo's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rodriguez tries a body shot but Polo blocks it.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Polo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Rodriguez softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Rodriguez keeps control of Polo as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Polo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Polo tries to throw a body punch but Rodriguez avoids it by throwing Polo back against the cage.
Rodriguez blocks an elbow strike from Polo.
Marco Polo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Polo lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frankie Rodriguez comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Rodriguez winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Alec Ball scores the fight 27:30
Judge Robert Douchet scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Peck scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frankie Rodriguez !