PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Gaspar Saroa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Henric Andersen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Andersen has chosen Sultans Of Swing as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Saroa
vs
Andersen

170 cm
28
185 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

192 cm
31
180 lbs
18 - 14 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Basic striking
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Steel Penn's Laundry 93%

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 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Gaspar Saroa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 14 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Henric Andersen!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Alexandre Firmino and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Saroa shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Saroa showed some decent athleticism there.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Saroa missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Saroa winds up and cracks Andersen with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Ground and pound from Saroa.

Saroa is looking for a kimura but Andersen is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Saroa to get the leverage.
Saroa is controlling the pace.
Andersen is trying to stand back up but Saroa is controlling him
Andersen is trying to get back to full guard.
Saroa sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Andersen defending well though.

Saroa is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Saroa 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.
Andersen wants to control but Saroa is keeping busy and won't allow it.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Saroa uses his free foot to push down on Andersen's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Andersen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saroa scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Andersen?
Saroa looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Saroa lands with some strikes.
Saroa lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Andersen is in a horrible position here. Saroa smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Saroa lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Saroa with a couple of short strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Saroa lands a heavy elbow.

Andersen is rocked!
Saroa scoring with strikes but Andersen is staying in there.
Andersen is still in real trouble! Can Saroa finish him?
Andersen really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
The referee warns Andersen that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Saroa dominating with strikes here.
Andersen seems to have recovered his senses.
Andersen sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Andersen is trying to stand up here but Saroa is controlling him well.
Saroa is looking to take a break and control but Andersen is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Andersen wants to control but Saroa is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Saroa passes to side control.
Saroa working the ground and pound.
Andersen taking a bit of punishment here - Saroa scoring with strikes.

Saroa wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Andersen, who protects the arm well.
Andersen taking a bit of punishment here - Saroa scoring with strikes.
Saroa cracks Andersen with a big right hand but Andersen just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Andersen struggling a bit here.

Saroa is trying to get an arm triangle but Andersen is defending well.
Andersen can't do much from the bottom here.
Andersen manages to work his way to half guard, despite Saroa's best efforts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Andersen is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Saroa's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Saroa's back!
Andersen doesn't have the hooks in and Saroa manages to turn into his guard.
Andersen looking for a sweep. Not yet Andersen, not yet.
Saroa looking to pass the guard.
Saroa wants to control from the top but Andersen keeps moving.
Saroa prevents Andersen from getting back to his feet.
Saroa lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Saroa landing with the ground and pound.
Saroa scoring with punches to the head and body.
Andersen looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

Saroa drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Andersen dives on top into guard.
Saroa tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saroa trying to keep a closed guard but Andersen is proving a slippery customer.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Saroa is pulling down on Andersen's head to control his posture.
Andersen wants to stand but Saroa is controlling his posture from full guard.

Andersen got a little sloppy there for a moment and Saroa has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Andersen has managed to get both his arms back between Saroa's legs - danger averted.
Andersen wants to stand and escape but instead Saroa has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Saroa working some strikes from top position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Saroa landing with the ground and pound.
Saroa wants to control from the top but Andersen keeps moving.
Andersen is pulling down on Saroa's head. It's preventing any offense from Saroa, at least for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Saroa shoots for a double leg takedown but Andersen sprawls well. He's pushed Saroa's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

Saroa throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Andersen tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Saroa is in Andersen's guard.
Saroa might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Saroa trying to control the position from guard on top but Andersen is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Saroa stopping the sweep attempt from Andersen.
Saroa working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Andersen wants to sweep but no luck.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Saroa's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Saroa wants to control from the top but Andersen keeps moving.
Saroa preventing the sweep.
Saroa stands up over Andersen, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Andersen working a defensive guard here.
Saroa lands a couple of elbows.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saroa is working Andersen over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Saroa is looking to work some ground and pound but Andersen has wrist control.

Andersen looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Andersen has his feet on Saroa's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.

Saroa tries to keep at a distance but Andersen has taken the fight into the clinch.
Saroa tries to work over Andersen's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Saroa looking to slow down the pace here.
Saroa has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

Andersen escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Andersen buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Saroa doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Andersen counters with a right hand to the body.
Gaspar Saroa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Saroa misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gaspar Saroa. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Saroa scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Saroa tries to pass to full mount but Andersen defends it.
Saroa missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Andersen misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Andersen pushes Saroa off looking to stand but Saroa dives back in and keeps control.
Saroa seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Saroa looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Andersen with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Andersen is staying active underneath Saroa, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Gaspar Saroa overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Andersen is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Saroa's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Saroa's back!
Andersen lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Saroa looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.

Andersen is working for the rear naked choke. He has one arm under the chin but Saroa has hold of the other arm. A bit of a stalemate here.
Saroa breaks Andersen's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Andersen preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Andersen wants to sweep here but Saroa controlling him for the moment.
Saroa is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Andersen can do to turn this around?
Saroa scoring with punches to the head and body.
Saroa stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Andersen swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Saroa trying to control but Andersen is working from the bottom.
Andersen controls Saroa momentarily but Saroa frees himself.
Saroa chips away with some ground and pound.
Saroa stands up over Andersen, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Saroa lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Saroa wants to control from the top but Andersen keeps moving.
Saroa scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Andersen is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Saroa is controlling him.
Saroa works a leg free and moves into half guard.
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!
Andersen blocking the ground and pound attempt from Saroa.
Saroa slips a nice elbow through Andersen's hands, connecting with Andersen's forehead.
Andersen avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Saroa.
Andersen is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Saroa scores with a couple of nice shots.

Saroa is looking for a kimura here.
Andersen looks like he's trying to stand up.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Saroa wants to pass the guard but Andersen is defending well.
Saroa stops Andersen from getting back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gaspar Saroa dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Andersen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Saroa manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Andersen moves into the clinch successfully.
Saroa tries to stall but Andersen uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Saroa tries for a takedown but Andersen manages to get underhooks.
Saroa is looking to control Andersen's arms but Andersen gets an underhook and turns him. Now Saroa has his back to the cage.

Andersen breaks from the clinch.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!

Saroa forces Andersen back against the cage and clinches.
Andersen lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Andersen lands a hook to the side of the head.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Andersen manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Andersen lands a left hand that snaps the head of Saroa backwards.
Andersen comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Andersen lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Andersen scores with a shot to the side of Saroa's head.
Saroa is looking for a takedown.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saroa is trying to drag Andersen to the mat but Andersen just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gaspar Saroa. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Andersen breaks from the clinch.
Andersen slips a straight right by Saroa.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Andersen!
Andersen moves in looking to clinch but Saroa pushes him off.
Andersen moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Andersen tries to close the distance and clinch up but Saroa swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Andersen is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Saroa looks for a takedown but Andersen sprawls well.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Nice combo by Andersen! Oh, that's hurt him - Saroa falls to the canvas and Andersen follows him into side control.

Saroa is rocked!
Saroa is trying to improve his position.
Andersen working the head and body with strikes.
You can see the frustration on Saroa's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Saroa tries to improve position but can't.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Andersen is looking to take a break and control but Saroa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Saroa manages to work his way to half guard, despite Andersen's best efforts.
Saroa manages to get to full guard.
Saroa not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Saroa wants to sweep here but Andersen controlling him for the moment.
Saroa is trying to control the position but Andersen postures up.
Andersen trying to stand up but can't free himself from Saroa's guard.
Saroa manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saroa scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Saroa working Andersen over with strikes here.
Saroa connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Saroa lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.

Saroa wants to finish this one by submission but Andersen is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Saroa.
Saroa avoids the attempt from Andersen to control.
Saroa trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Saroa lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
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!
A nice elbow there by Saroa.
Andersen is desperately trying to improve his position but Saroa has a good base and remains in mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saroa in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Saroa lands a heavy elbow.
Saroa can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Andersen is looking to escape.
Andersen is in all sorts of trouble here.
Saroa has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Andersen's face.
Andersen tries to buck Saroa off but he can't manage it.
Saroa lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Saroa lands with some strikes.
Andersen is in a horrible position here. Saroa smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Saroa unloading with bombs!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Saroa landing shots from mount.
Saroa working Andersen over with strikes here.
Henric Andersen has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gaspar Saroa is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Andersen is flailing around like a fish out of water, trying to land strikes.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Gaspar Saroa.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Saroa, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gaspar Saroa!
Gaspar Saroa decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.