PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Paulo Filho (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Filho
vs
Johnson

179 cm
25
179 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

185 cm
26
176 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Intelligent

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Paulo Filho!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, John Johnson!
The judges for this bout are Edson Gomes, Daniel Cesar and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johnson wants to clinch up but Filho keeps it at a distance.
Johnson takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Filho connects with a body shot.
Johnson avoids the body shot from Filho.
Johnson looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Johnson fails with an attempt to clinch.
Filho leaves Johnson with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Filho throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Filho punishes Johnson's body with a nice straight punch.

Johnson forces Filho back against the cage and clinches.
Johnson has Filho pressed against the cage.
Johnson comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

It looks like Paulo Filho has been cut.
Filho jumps guard but Johnson stands there with Filho around his waist. Filho gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Filho stops a takedown attempt from Johnson.
Paulo Filho has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Johnson.
Filho is working for takedown but Johnson is calmly controlling the position for now.
Filho can't get the takedown.

Johnson jumps into guard, dragging Filho to the mat.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Filho trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Filho knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Johnson on the ground.
Filho postures up in Johnson's guard and throws a big left but Johnson blocks it.
Filho postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Filho accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Johnson is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Filho defends well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Johnson trying to keep a closed guard but Filho is proving a slippery customer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson keeping moving, preventing Filho from controlling successfully.
Johnson is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Filho looking to sit in guard and control but Johnson gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Filho on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Filho tries to get out of the position.
Johnson wanted to stand there but Filho had control of the position.
Johnson trying to control the position from guard on top but Filho is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

John Johnson has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Johnson shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Filho pinned against the cage. Filho gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Johnson tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Filho paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Filho jabs at Johnson's body.
Filho takes a swing at Johnson's ribcage but misses.
Paulo Filho seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Johnson throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Filho.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Johnson breaks the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Filho dives in and grabs Johnson's left leg, looking for a takedown. Johnson pushes down on Filho's head and hops out.
Filho misses with an uppercut.

Johnson looking to score a takedown here. Filho is defending well but Johnson drives through and ends up in Filho's guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Johnson thows a big elbow that misses.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Johnson accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Johnson wants to control from the top but Filho keeps moving.
Johnson wanted to stand there but Filho had control of the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Filho not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Johnson dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paulo Filho's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Filho swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Johnson counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Johnson stands up from half guard.
Filho looks for the body kick but Johnson saw that one coming.
Filho shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Johnson as he jumps to the side.
Johnson closes this distance looking for a takedown but Filho circles away.
Johnson shoots in but no luck this time.
Johnson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Filho looks for the body kick but Johnson saw that one coming.
Johnson changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Filho tries to avoid it but Johnson manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Filho to the ground. Filho escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Paulo Filho has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Johnson.
Johnson shoots in for a takedown but Filho shows good takedown defense.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Filho does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Filho misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Johnson.
Johnson shoots for a takedown but Filho saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Johnson is breathing heavily.
Filho swings for the body but Johnson moves out of range.

Filho closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Johnson's guard.
Filho tries to free his leg and advance position but Johnson is retaining full guard.

Johnson had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Filho defends it easily.
Filho working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Filho looking to pass the guard.
Johnson manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Filho manages to get himself to full guard.
Johnson wants to get up but he can't break Filho's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Johnson trying to control but Filho is working from the bottom.
Filho looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Johnson looking to pass the guard.
Johnson is pushing down on Filho's leg trying to pass to half guard. Filho is fighting to maintain full guard but Johnson has managed to sneak the leg through.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson controlling the action here.

Johnson is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Filho is just riding it out for now. Johnson eventually gives up the hold.
Filho holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Filho is not content to let Johnson control the position.

Johnson decides to stand up.
Paulo Filho is winning the standup battle so far.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Johnson fails to land with a series of punches.
Johnson throws a sloppy head kick and Filho moves out of range easily.
Filho misses the shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Johnson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Paulo Filho's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Filho misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A shot to the liver by Johnson. Beautiful body shot.
Johnson fails with the takedown.
Johnson shoots in for a double leg but Filho sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Filho takes a swing at Johnson's ribcage but misses.

Filho decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Filho is stalling here. Johnson is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Filho seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Johnson has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Filho is trying to get back to half guard.
Johnson wants to lay and pray for a moment but Filho keeps working.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson controlling from side mount.
Filho is not content to let Johnson control the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Filho prevents Johnson from improving position.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. John Johnson wasn't active enough on the ground.
Johnson throws a head kick that misses.
Filho throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Johnson shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Filho pinned against the cage. Filho gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Paulo Filho has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Johnson.

Johnson looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Filho!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnson tries to control but Filho wriggling away.
Johnson takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Filho is squirming around, avoiding Johnson's attempts to control the action.
Filho tries to hold on but Johnson pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Johnson working the ground and pound effectively.
Johnson controlling his opponent.

Johnson stands up from the dominant position. He obviously fancies his chances standing.
Paulo Filho has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
John Johnson is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Filho closes the distance and clinches up with Johnson, looking for a takedown. Filho pushes Johnson against the cage but Johnson circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Johnson comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Johnson 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 Edson Gomes scores the fight 27:30
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Johnson!