PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Minowa Shittu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Robert Paulson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Robert Paulson has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Shittu
vs
Paulson

195 cm
22
218 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

179 cm
22
200 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Intelligent

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Syndicate Drugs

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Minowa Shittu!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Robert Paulson!
The judges for this bout are Emerson Jorge, Felipe Paraventi and Alexandre Firmino.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Paulson has taken the fight to the clinch.
Paulson misses with a knee to the head.

Paulson escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Paulson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Shittu swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Paulson is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Paulson paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Shittu shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Paulson but Paulson pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Shittu showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Paulson.
Shittu shoots in and drives through. Paulson sprawls well.
Shittu shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Paulson as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Minowa Shittu. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shittu closes this distance looking for a takedown but Paulson circles away.

Paulson darts in and clinches Shittu up against the ropes.

Paulson breaks from the clinch.
Paulson throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Nice sprawl there from Paulson as Shittu shoots in.
Shittu has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Decent striking displayed by Paulson there.
Paulson misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paulson scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Paulson tries to clinch but Shittu is having none of it.
Shittu takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Shittu is breathing heavily.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Paulson is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Paulson is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

Paulson escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Paulson looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

Paulson closes the distance and clinches.

Paulson manages to break the clinch.
Shittu fails with the takedown

and Paulson moves into the clinch.
Shittu wants a takedown.

Paulson breaks from the clinch.
Shittu is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Paulson.
A nice combination there by Paulson.
Paulson scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Shittu is rocked!
Shittu has his takedown stuffed
and Paulson counters with an inside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shittu avoids a punch combination nicely.
Shittu tries for a takedown but Paulson circles away easily

and Paulson counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Shittu will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shittu is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Paulson wants to get up but he can't break Shittu's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Paulson trying to control but Shittu is working from the bottom.
Shittu throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Paulson would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Shittu pulls Paulson in close to prevent any damage.
Paulson postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Paulson must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Shittu not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Shittu misses with a takedown attempt

and Paulson decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Shittu's guard.
Shittu striking off his back but it's not causing Paulson any problems.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Paulson landing with the ground and pound.
Paulson passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Paulson scoring with punches from side control.
Shittu wants to control but Paulson postures up.
Paulson scores with a couple of short elbows.
Shittu manages to work his way to half guard, despite Paulson's best efforts.
Shittu taking some punishment here, with Paulson in his half guard.
Paulson landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Paulson slips a nice elbow through Shittu's hands, connecting with Shittu's forehead.
Paulson is looking for the mount but instead finds himself back in full guard.
Shittu tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Paulson wants to control from the top but Shittu keeps moving.
Shittu manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Paulson manages to get himself to full guard.
Paulson wants to control but Shittu passes easily into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Paulson is looking to improve his position.
Shittu blocks the strikes from Paulson.
Paulson is looking for a sweep. Shittu is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Paulson is in trouble now - Shittu has advanced to mount!
Shittu tries to control but Paulson wriggling away.
Paulson is desperately trying to improve his position but Shittu has a good base and remains in mount.
Shittu looking to control but Paulson is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Paulson keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Paulson should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Paulson wants to control but Shittu is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Robert Paulson dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Paulson throws a head kick but Shittu moves out of range.
A jab from Paulson does it's job there.
Shittu fails with the takedown
and Paulson counters with a slapping leg kick.
Shittu gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Paulson counters by clinching up.
Paulson tries to break the clinch but Shittu is controlling the position.
Paulson changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Shittu fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Shittu is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Paulson.
Paulson is looking to clinch.
Paulson misses with a few strikes there.
Paulson scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Paulson tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Paulson scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Shittu doesn't seem bothered though.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Shittu. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Paulson scores with a hook.
A nice inside leg kick there by Paulson. That's going to slow Shittu down.
Shittu misses with a takedown attempt
and Paulson counters with a three punch combo that has Shittu backing up. Shittu nods at Paulson to acknowledge the strikes.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Minowa Shittu. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shittu avoids a punch combination nicely.
Robert Paulson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Shittu gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

so Paulson counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Paulson preventing the sweep.
Paulson really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Shittu. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Paulson looking to pass the guard.
Shittu is trying to control the position but Paulson postures up.
Paulson pushing down on Shittu's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Paulson is tying to control. Shittu wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Paulson prevents Shittu from improving his position.
Paulson tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Shittu.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Shittu with a poor takedown
and Paulson connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Shittu with a poor takedown

and Paulson counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Paulson lands with a left to the head.
Paulson is leaning against Shittu and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Shittu stops a takedown attempt from Paulson.
Paulson has had enough of the clinch but Shittu keeps him there for the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Paulson breaks from the clinch.
Paulson looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Paulson lunges at Shittu with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Shittu's hand.
Shittu takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Paulson scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Paulson swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Shittu.
Paulson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Paulson.
Paulson is working the combinations to good effect here.
Shittu tries for a takedown but Paulson circles away easily

and Paulson counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Paulson.

Paulson breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Paulson connects with a jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Paulson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Shittu changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Paulson tries to avoid it but Shittu manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Paulson to the ground. Paulson escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Nice takedown defense from Paulson. No joy for Shittu on that attempt.
Nice sprawl there from Paulson as Shittu shoots in.
Shittu with a poor takedown
and Shittu takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Shittu tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Left hook, right uppercut from Paulson.
Oh Shittu is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Shittu with a poor takedown
and Paulson counters with a right hand to the body.
Shittu closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shittu shoots and misses
and Paulson counters with a nice low kick that buckles Shittu's knee momentarily.
Paulson misses with a head kick.

Shittu shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Shittu showed some decent athleticism there.
Shittu not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Shittu trying to control from half guard but Paulson is working away.
Shittu missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Shittu is thwarting Paulson's attempts to control the position.
Shittu seems to have got his legs back now.
Robert Paulson has got the better of the ground game so far.
Shittu passes to side control.
Shittu lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Paulson down.
Shittu has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Shittu in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Paulson is looking for a sweep.
Shittu lands a decent elbow from side control.
Paulson is not content to let Shittu control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shittu connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Paulson some visible discomfort.
Paulson gives up the full mount - oops, sloppy defensive grappling there!
Paulson is desperately trying to improve his position but Shittu has a good base and remains in mount.
Shittu unloads with some shots from mount but Paulson bucks and avoids them well.
Paulson tries to buck Shittu off but he can't manage it.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Paulson can do anything to dispel that myth.
Paulson throwing hammer fists to the chest of Shittu. What's that going to do exactly?
Paulson is desperately trying to improve his position but Shittu has a good base and remains in mount.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Paulson throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Paulson is trying desperately to improve position.
Paulson tries to hold on but Shittu pushes him away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Robert Paulson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're 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.

Shittu with a lazy takedown attempt
and Paulson counters with a nice leg kick.
Paulson misses with a two punch combination.
Shittu looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Paulson misses with a series of wild punches.
Shittu takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Shittu with a lazy takedown attempt
letting Paulson counter with a right hand.
Shittu shoots for a takedown but Paulson saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Minowa Shittu. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shittu will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
The fight stays on the outside here - Paulson looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Shittu looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Paulson is fending him off so far but Shittu persists. Nope, Paulson circles away and we're back to standing.

Paulson closes the distance and clinches.

Shittu pulls Paulson into guard.
Paulson trying to control but Shittu is working from the bottom.
Shittu avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Paulson in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Shittu is pulling down on Paulson's head to control his posture.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Paulson accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Paulson postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Paulson postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Paulson cracks Shittu with a solid left hand.

Shittu has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Paulson can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Paulson with a flurry of punches that miss.
Shittu looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Shittu throwing rabbit punches from the bottom - showing the judges that he's keeping busy.
Paulson with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

Shittu looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Paulson accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Paulson stopping the sweep attempt from Shittu.
Paulson chips away with some ground and pound.
Shittu manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Paulson is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Shittu prevents Paulson from getting the reversal.
Paulson flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Paulson is working to get back to half guard.
Shittu trying to control but he's not successful this time.

Shittu looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.
Shittu prevents Paulson from getting the reversal.
Shittu takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Paulson is working to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Paulson sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Paulson wants to control but Shittu is keeping busy.
Paulson landing rabbit punches to the side of Shittu's head. Not doing much damage but still scoring a few points.
Paulson slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Paulson is on top in guard.
Paulson stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Shittu swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Shittu looking to control.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Shittu is on top in guard.
Shittu stops Paulson from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Paulson trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Shittu slips nicely into half guard.
Paulson is trying to stand up here but Shittu is controlling him well.
Paulson is staying active underneath Shittu, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Paulson moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Paulson controls Shittu momentarily but Shittu frees himself.
Paulson wants to improve his position but instead Shittu has moved into half guard.
Paulson is looking to escape.
Shittu winds up and cracks Paulson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Shittu is tying to control. Paulson wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Paulson is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Shittu is trying to control the action in half guard but Paulson is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Minowa Shittu has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Paulson is looking to improve his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Robert Paulson.
Well Paulson has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Emerson Jorge scores the fight 27:30
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Robert Paulson!