PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Pablo Ja (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Noah Walburn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Walburn's choice of entrance music: Flirting with Disaster. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Ja
vs
Walburn

200 cm
24
180 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

169 cm
23
170 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Powerful

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 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Pablo Ja!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Noah Walburn!
The judges for this bout are Seu Braga, Thiago Cunha and Mauricio Rocha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Walburn throws a head kick but Ja moves out of range.
Walburn doesn't manage to clinch there - Ja circles away.
Walburn is looking to clinch.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Walburn.
Ja regains half guard, as Walburn was trying to land strikes.
Ja regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Walburn.
Walburn wants to control from the top but Ja keeps moving.
Ja working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Walburn.
Ja looking for a sweep. Not yet Ja, not yet.
Walburn postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Walburn distracts Ja with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Ja is looking to stand up but Walburn isn't so interested in that idea.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walburn trying to control the position from guard on top but Ja is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Ja throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Walburn distracts Ja with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Walburn is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Ja has momentary wrist control but Walburn slips an elbow through the middle.
Walburn makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Walburn preventing the sweep.
Walburn pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Ja is keeping the position for now.
Ja really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Walburn won't allow Ja to sweep him here.

Ja scrambles and gets back to his feet.

Walburn shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ja is desperately trying to improve his position but Walburn has a good base and remains in mount.
Ja is bucking up trying to escape but Walburn cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Ja bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Ja stopping the sweep attempt from Walburn.
Walburn is pulling down on Ja's head. It's preventing any offense from Ja, at least for the moment.
Walburn wants to sweep but no luck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walburn has his hands on Ja's head, controlling the position.
Ja pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Walburn is keeping the position for now.
Ja sitting in guard here, content to control.
Ja has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Walburn is proving hard to escape from.
Walburn is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Walburn is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Walburn seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Ja has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Walburn is proving hard to escape from.
Walburn seems keen to control Ja's posture.
Ja controls from within his opponent's guard.
Walburn has his hands on Ja's head, controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Noah Walburn 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.

Ja listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Walburn looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Ja is fending him off so far but Walburn persists. Nope, Ja circles away and we're back to standing.
Walburn wants to clinch.
Ja stuns Walburn with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Ja misses the shot to the body.
Walburn fails in his attempt to clinch.

Ja gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Ja bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Walburn's guard.
Walburn looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Walburn looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Ja trying to control the position from guard on top but Walburn is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walburn is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Ja wants to control from the top but Walburn keeps moving.

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

Walburn has managed to clinch.
Walburn pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Ja digs a right hand underneath Walburn's ribcage. Walburn let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Ja looking to stall.
Walburn has Ja pressed against the cage, preventing Ja from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Ja wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Ja tries to break the clinch but Walburn is controlling the position.
Walburn lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Walburn just misses with a elbow thrown towards Ja's brow.

Ja pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Ja works the jab nicely.

Walburn clinches with his opponent.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Ja creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Walburn creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Nice elbow from Walburn.

It looks like Pablo Ja has been cut.
Ja wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Walburn has him pressed against the cage.
Walburn tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ja avoids it.

Ja successfully pulls guard.
Walburn looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Walburn postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Walburn trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Walburn's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walburn postures up in Ja's guard and throws a big left but Ja blocks it.
Walburn stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ja swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Walburn lands a couple of digs.
Ja is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Walburn has his hands clasped together around Ja's back. He's all about the action.
Walburn is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Ja is trying to control the action in half guard but Walburn is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Walburn is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Ja wants to stand up but Walburn is controlling the position.
Walburn slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Ja controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Walburn keeping moving, preventing Ja from controlling successfully.
Ja preventing the sweep.

Ja stands up from guard. Let's bang!

Walburn has taken the fight to the clinch.
Walburn tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Walburn using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Ja has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Walburn looks to throw an elbow but misses.
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 Pablo Ja will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Pablo Ja's cut.
That's time! Ja's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Ja fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Walburn tries to clinch up but Ja circles away and keeps his distance.
Ja throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ja scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Ja checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Ja misses the shot to the body.
Ja stalks Walburn and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Walburn's face. Walburn staggers backwards, shaken.
Walburn throws a solid leg kick but Ja takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Walburn.
Ja swinging wildly here.

Walburn closes the distance and clinches.
Walburn throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Ja blocks it with crossed arms.
Walburn lands an elbow inside that Ja shrugs off.
Walburn misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Ja.
Walburn tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Ja avoids it.
Walburn misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Ja.
Walburn takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ja is trying to break the clinch but Walburn is controlling him.
Ja avoids the elbow strike from Walburn, against the cage.
Walburn misses with an elbow over the top.
Ja tries to circle away but Walburn has him pinned against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Walburn throws an elbow that misses.
Ja is working for takedown but Walburn is calmly controlling the position for now.
Walburn looking to throw knees to the head but Ja is blocking nicely.
Knees in the clinch landing for Walburn.
Walburn throws an elbow but it misses.
Walburn is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Ja gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Walburn prevents Ja from breaking the clinch.
Ja takes an elbow to the forehead.
Walburn missing with knees to the body.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Ja.
Ja makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Walburn misses with an elbow strike.

Ja pulls guard successfully.
Ja lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Walburn!
Walburn is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
A nice elbow there by Ja.
Walburn tries to lock up and control but Ja gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Walburn tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Ja sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Noah Walburn has got the better of the ground game so far.
Ja throws some wild stikes that Walburn manages to avoid easily.
Walburn tries to hold on but Ja pushes him away.
Walburn tries to reverse the position but Ja maintains control.
Walburn is squirming around, avoiding Ja's attempts to control the action.
Ja controlling from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Walburn is looking to get to half guard.
Ja will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Ja tries to control but Walburn wriggling away.
Walburn wants to hold on but Ja pushes him away.

That's four 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.
Ja sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Walburn avoids a series of strikes thrown by Ja.
Ja looking to control but Walburn is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Pablo Ja just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Ja moves out of range of the leg kick from Walburn.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Walburn fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Ja.
Ja blocks a head kick by Walburn.
Ja fails to land with a series of punches.
Ja throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Walburn tries to clinch but Ja moves out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Pablo Ja showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Ja has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Seu Braga scores the fight for Noah Walburn!
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight for Noah Walburn!
Judge Mauricio Rocha scores the fight for Noah Walburn!

Noah Walburn wins by unanimous decision!