PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jonathan Sparks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Geronimo dos Santos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jonathan Sparks has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Sparks
vs
dos Santos

172 cm
31
165 lbs
16 - 4 - 0

171 cm
23
167 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jonathan Sparks!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Geronimo dos Santos!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Alyssa Summers and Chad Campbell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sparks tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. dos Santos manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
dos Santos scores with a leg kick.
dos Santos tests Sparks's chin there with a solid looking shot.
dos Santos clobbers Sparks with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
dos Santos misses the shot to the body.
dos Santos throws a wild body kick that Sparks sees coming a mile off.
dos Santos misses with a wild body shot.
That kick from Sparks tenderised dos Santos's leg. dos Santos is trying to keep his angry face on.
Good leg kick by dos Santos there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Jab, jab by Sparks - just one landing.
dos Santos swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
dos Santos throws a big shot that misses.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
dos Santos throws a lazy right hand but Sparks sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
dos Santos swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Sparks counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
dos Santos falls off balance throwing a combination
and Sparks counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Sparks avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sparks bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Sparks thows a body shot but no joy.
dos Santos misses the jab.
dos Santos lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Sparks lands a nice shot that snaps dos Santos's head back.
Sparks slips a straight right by dos Santos.
dos Santos ducks under a wild hook from Sparks.
dos Santos wants to slow Sparks down by chopping away at his legs.
Sparks scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. dos Santos doesn't seem bothered though.
Sparks connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
dos Santos takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Sparks keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

Sparks lands a left and a right that send dos Santos crashing to the mat, dazed. Sparks thinks about following him to the mat but decides to wave him back up to his feet!

dos Santos is rocked!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
dos Santos throws a big shot that misses.
dos Santos is still on wobbly legs! Can Sparks finish him?
Sparks connects with a leg kick. dos Santos looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
dos Santos looks gassed!
Sparks getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
dos Santos avoids the body shot from Sparks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
dos Santos takes one to the side of the head.
Sparks staying out of range there.
Sparks displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as dos Santos throws out the jab.
dos Santos pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Sparks tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but dos Santos paws at him with a jab and circles away.
dos Santos walks into a straight right hand from Sparks.
dos Santos ducks under a wild hook from Sparks.
Sparks waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract dos Santos.
The fighters circling - Sparks throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
dos Santos throws a leg kick
and Sparks counters with a left to the body.
Geronimo dos Santos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sparks swings for the body but dos Santos moves out of range.
dos Santos shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sparks pinned against the cage. Sparks gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
dos Santos seems to have recovered his senses.
Sparks takes a swing at dos Santos's ribcage but misses.
Sparks bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
An inside leg kick from Sparks misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sparks ducks down and throws a hook to the body but dos Santos moves away.
Sparks tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but dos Santos was well out of range. Poor timing from Sparks.
dos Santos uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sparks.
dos Santos on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
dos Santos ducks under a wild hook from Sparks.
dos Santos's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Sparks connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! dos Santos scrambles back to his feet.
dos Santos takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Sparks keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sparks throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Sparks on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by dos Santos. dos Santos obviously looking to wear him down.
Jonathan Sparks is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
That kick from Sparks tenderised dos Santos's leg. dos Santos is trying to keep his angry face on.
dos Santos moves into range and connects with a jab.
dos Santos avoids the body shot from Sparks.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
dos Santos avoids the body shot from Sparks.
dos Santos throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sparks misses the shot to the body.
Sparks misses with a body shot.
dos Santos throws a jab but it's blocked by Sparks.
dos Santos avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
dos Santos misses with a body kick.
dos Santos throws a chopping leg kick but Sparks manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Sparks moves away from the strike by dos Santos.
Sparks throws a low kick but dos Santos moves out of range easily.
Sparks tries to clinch but dos Santos is having none of it.
Good exchange - dos Santos coming out on top.
Sparks uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from dos Santos.
dos Santos takes a jab right on the kisser.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
dos Santos looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
dos Santos waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Sparks.
dos Santos lands with a thumping leg kick.
Sparks looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jonathan Sparks dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Sparks misses with a low kick.
No luck with that takedown attempt from dos Santos.
dos Santos throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
The fighters circling - dos Santos throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
dos Santos goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
dos Santos jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Sparks swings for the body but dos Santos moves out of range.
dos Santos tries a low kick but Sparks avoids it.
dos Santos misses with an uppercut
and Sparks counters with a thumping low kick.
Sparks is looking to wear down dos Santos with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Sparks just misses with a punch to the body.
dos Santos ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Sparks lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
dos Santos tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Sparks swivels and escapes.
dos Santos is breathing heavily.

dos Santos looking to score a takedown here. Sparks is defending well but dos Santos drives through and ends up in Sparks's guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Sparks looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sparks escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. dos Santos gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Sparks is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Sparks is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
dos Santos has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sparks is working away from the top position though.

Sparks is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
dos Santos moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sparks working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Sparks preventing the sweep.
dos Santos has his hands on Sparks's head, controlling the position.

Sparks drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and dos Santos dives on top into guard.

Sparks looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

Sparks escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. dos Santos gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
dos Santos trying to control but Sparks is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
dos Santos distracts Sparks with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
dos Santos trying to control the position from guard on top but Sparks is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sparks wants to sweep but no luck.
Sparks lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for dos Santos!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sparks avoids the attempt from dos Santos to control.
dos Santos is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Sparks is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but dos Santos is surviving well by controlling Sparks's body position as best he can.
dos Santos is looking to get to half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
dos Santos wants to control but Sparks is having none of it.

Sparks is working for a guillotine from mount but dos Santos frees his head quite easily.
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 Jonathan Sparks will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

dos Santos throws a looping overhand right but Sparks ducks down to avoid it.
Sparks missing with a left hand there. dos Santos was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
dos Santos thumps Sparks with a low kick.
Sparks misses with the combination.
Sparks moves in looking to clinch but dos Santos pushes him off.
dos Santos finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
dos Santos lands a jab to the head.
Sparks fails with an attempt to clinch.
Sparks jabbing away but nothing is landing.
dos Santos fails with the takedown.
dos Santos lands with a hook. Sparks tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
dos Santos walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
dos Santos cracks Sparks with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
dos Santos lands a jab to Sparks's midsection.
Sparks checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
dos Santos connects with a crisp jab.
Jonathan Sparks is winning the standup battle so far.
dos Santos ducks under a wild hook from Sparks.
dos Santos lands a head shot.
dos Santos jabs Sparks right on the nose. Sparks blinks but takes it well.
Sparks takes a shot to the body in his stride.
A jab from Sparks finds it's way through dos Santos's defenses.
dos Santos keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sparks wants to slow dos Santos down by chopping away at his legs.
dos Santos blocks a low kick nicely.
Sparks dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Sparks fakes high and swings low for a body shot but dos Santos manages to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A swing and a miss from dos Santos.
Sparks takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
dos Santos throws a push kick but Sparks slaps the foot to one side.
dos Santos takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
dos Santos fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Sparks manages to avoid it.
Sparks keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from dos Santos.
dos Santos rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Sparks moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
dos Santos misses the shot to the body.
A slapping body kick lands there for dos Santos.
Sparks takes a jab right on the kisser.
dos Santos avoids a kick to the body.
A jab from dos Santos misses.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from dos Santos - that will leave a mark!
Sparks lands an overhand right.
dos Santos attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sparks throws a body punch but dos Santos moves out of range.
dos Santos throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Sparks stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
dos Santos with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Sparks to score with a decent uppercut.
Some wild striking there from Sparks.
Sparks looking to land some kicks to the body here.
A punch combination from dos Santos misses.
dos Santos misses with a hook. Sparks ducked under it nicely.
dos Santos tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Sparks was well out of range. Poor timing from dos Santos.
Good work by dos Santos as he checks the leg kick.
Sparks waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract dos Santos.
Sparks throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
dos Santos fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Sparks is out of range.
Sparks wants to land a leg kick but dos Santos is out of range.
Sparks misses with a double jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A combination from Sparks does no damage.
dos Santos uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sparks.
Nice defenses there by Sparks.
Sparks takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
dos Santos paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Nice takedown defense from Sparks. No joy for dos Santos on that attempt.
dos Santos misses with a looping left.
Sparks lands with a cross.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sparks ducks right into an uppercut from dos Santos.
dos Santos throws a nice looking combination but Sparks bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
dos Santos keeps the fight on the outside.
Sparks cracks dos Santos with a good jab.
Sparks lands a nice shot to the body.
Sparks misses with an uppercut. dos Santos saw that one coming.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Geronimo dos Santos just about did enough to take it.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

dos Santos thows a left - swing and a miss!
Sparks uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from dos Santos.
Sparks lands a nice looking body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Sparks. dos Santos does a little dance to reset his feet.
dos Santos fails to land with a series of punches.
dos Santos lands with a shot to the body.
Sparks scores with a jab to the head.
Sparks fails in his attempt to clinch.
dos Santos uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sparks.
A nice combination there by Sparks.
Sparks looks to land a combination but dos Santos avoids it well.
Sparks uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by dos Santos.
Sparks takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
dos Santos keeps the fight on the outside.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Sparks checks a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
dos Santos buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
dos Santos misses the jab.
Sparks needs to keep his hands up - dos Santos had a free shot at his head there.
dos Santos throws a nice inside leg kick.
Sparks avoids the body shot from dos Santos.
Sparks misses with a telegraphed body shot
letting dos Santos counter with a right hand.
dos Santos lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
A clash of legs there as dos Santos blocks the low kick.
A cross from Sparks lands.
dos Santos shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sparks pinned against the cage. Sparks gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
dos Santos pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sparks misses with a wild combination.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from dos Santos, right into the meat.
Sparks is looking to score with low kicks.
dos Santos throws a jab but it's blocked by Sparks.
Sparks is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
dos Santos 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.
dos Santos throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sparks counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A combination from Sparks does no damage.
dos Santos has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
dos Santos shoots in but no luck this time.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Sparks swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sparks takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
dos Santos lands a jab.
Sparks bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

dos Santos feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
dos Santos throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
dos Santos trying to control but Sparks is working from the bottom.

Sparks escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. dos Santos gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
dos Santos slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
dos Santos looks up at the clock and then as Sparks takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, dos Santos smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
dos Santos scores with punches from side control.
You can see the frustration on Sparks's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
dos Santos is looking to take a break and control but Sparks is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sparks is looking to regain half guard here but dos Santos keeps moving and retains side control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sparks is letting dos Santos control him for a moment.
Sparks is looking to regain half guard here but dos Santos keeps moving and retains side control.
dos Santos wants to control but Sparks is keeping him busy.
dos Santos tries to advance to mount but Sparks denies him.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sparks tries to bench press dos Santos off him but dos Santos keeps the position.
dos Santos works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Geronimo dos Santos dominated that fourth round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

dos Santos blocks a leg kick.
A jab from dos Santos does it's job there.
dos Santos ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sparks moves away.
A good leg kick by dos Santos.
A slow jab from Sparks misses its intended target.
Sparks looks to land a right hand but dos Santos moved out of range.
Sparks steps to the side to avoid the strikes from dos Santos.
dos Santos misses with a looping left.
dos Santos takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
dos Santos lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Sparks cracks dos Santos with an open hand slap.
Jab by dos Santos.
Sparks moves out of range as dos Santos strikes.
Sparks ducks down and throws a hook to the body but dos Santos moves away.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Sparks crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from dos Santos - the referee stops the clock and Sparks gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says dos Santos. Sparks manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sparks throws a combination. dos Santos tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
dos Santos scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by dos Santos.
Nice shot by Sparks.
A bone on bone clash there as dos Santos blocks the leg kick.
dos Santos swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Sparks throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Decent striking displayed by dos Santos there.
Sparks misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from dos Santos. Sparks shrugs it off though.
Sparks keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Sparks on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
dos Santos displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Sparks throws out the jab.
Sparks lands with an overhand left.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sparks avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Sparks lands a slapping body shot.
dos Santos ducks under a wild hook from Sparks.
dos Santos throws a quick inside leg 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!
Sparks throws a wild body kick that dos Santos sees coming a mile off.
Sparks misses with an uppercut.
dos Santos throws a leg kick but Sparks moved away.
dos Santos throws a hook but Sparks avoids it easily.
Sparks throws the left hand but dos Santos avoids the punch easily.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts dos Santos, as that shot connected.
Sparks throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sparks misses with a wild body shot.
Sparks misses with a telegraphed body shot
and dos Santos counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sparks displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as dos Santos throws out the jab.
Sparks takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
dos Santos on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Sparks lands with a shot to the body.
dos Santos blocks a jab.
A punch combination from Sparks misses.
Sparks takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
dos Santos throws a hook but Sparks blocks it.
dos Santos misses with an attempted mid kick.
Sparks lands with a nice body punch.
Sparks bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps dos Santos's head backwards.
dos Santos lands a jab-cross combination.
dos Santos throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sparks scores with a jab to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Sparks enables dos Santos to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Sparks manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Sparks looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
dos Santos stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Sparks swivels though and keeps the full guard.
dos Santos is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

Sparks throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

Sparks escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. dos Santos gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
dos Santos trying to control but Sparks is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Geronimo dos Santos comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think dos Santos has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight 47:49
Judge Alyssa Summers scores the fight 46:49
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Geronimo dos Santos!
Geronimo dos Santos is the new lightweight champion!
An out of breath Geronimo dos Santos thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.