PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Blair Howatt (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Cassiano Victor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Howatt's entrance music is Boom - POD. A fine choice. Victor has chosen Enigma - Hello and welcome as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Howatt
vs
Victor

180 cm
24
175 lbs
9 - 6 - 0

178 cm
20
178 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Knockout power

[JMFC] Blueprint Clothing

Convicted

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 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Blair Howatt!
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, Cassiano Victor!
The judges for this bout are Edson Gomes, Paulo Santos and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Howatt misses with a wild combination.
Victor scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Howatt misses with a straight right.
Howatt throws a right hand that Victor ducks under and follows up with a left that Victor also avoids with ease.
Victor lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Howatt throws a left and a right that both miss
and Victor counters with a nice uppercut.
A telegraphed right hand from Howatt misses the target.
Jab, jab by Victor - just one landing.
Howatt throws a series of punches but Victor avoids them all with ease.
Howatt misses with a straight left.

Victor 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.
Victor wants to pass the guard but Howatt is keeping the position.
Victor postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Victor looking to pass the guard.
Howatt tries to strike from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Victor wants to pass the guard but Howatt is keeping the position.

Howatt looking for a guillotine here but Victor defends easily.
Victor looking to pass the guard.

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

Excellent takedown into side control there by Victor.
Howatt is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Victor off and has taken his back!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Victor breaks Howatt's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Victor is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Howatt looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Victor trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Howatt looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Howatt keeping full guard, as Victor tries to pass.
Victor stands and throws Howatt's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Howatt tries to improve position but can't.
Victor moves into full mount!
Howatt tries to lock up and control but Victor gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Victor tries to control but Howatt wriggling away.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Howatt can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Victor seems to be looking to move to his opponent's back but Howatt is holding on tight.
Victor throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Howatt prevents Victor from taking his back.
Howatt is squirming around, avoiding Victor's attempts to control the action.
Victor is looking to work his way around to Howatt's back. He needs to be careful though, as he's in danger of losing this dominant position.
Howatt is desperately trying to improve his position but Victor has a good base and remains in mount.

Victor is standing up, even though he is in mount.
Victor slips a jab and a cross from Howatt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
A big left from Howatt misses.

Howatt tries to keep at a distance but Victor has taken the fight into the clinch.
Victor working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Victor stalling.
Victor prevents Howatt from breaking the clinch.
Howatt blocks an uppercut.
Victor manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Victor has a couple of punches blocked by Howatt.
Howatt is trying to break free.
Victor has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Howatt is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Howatt being controlled against the cage.
Howatt wants to get back to striking at distance but Victor won't allow it.
Victor can't find room to land a body shot as Howatt controls the action.
Howatt wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Victor has Howatt pushed against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cassiano Victor dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Victor takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

It looks like Cassiano Victor has been cut.

Victor shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Victor was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Victor can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Howatt is looking to escape.
Howatt is working to get back to half guard.
Victor can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Howatt is looking to escape.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Howatt is trying desperately to improve position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Victor controlling the position easily from mount.
Victor trying to control but Howatt is having none of it.

Victor is going olschool here, as he tries to force Howatt to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Howatt shrugs it off.
Howatt sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Howatt is looking to control Victor's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Howatt avoid being mounted?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Howatt is staying active underneath Victor, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Howatt is looking to escape.
Victor works his way into side control.
Victor tries to move to full mount but Howatt actually manages to regain half guard.
Victor is trying to control the action in half guard but Howatt is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Victor tries to pass the half guard into mount. Howatt knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

Howatt is looking to sinch up a gullotine here but Victor pulls his head out easily.
Victor is looking to advance position but Howatt won't allow it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Howatt works his way to full guard. Good work.
Victor advances to half guard.
Victor is thwarting Howatt's attempts to control the position.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Victor wants to lay and pray for a moment but Howatt keeps working.
Victor wants to pass to mount but Howatt is defending the position.
Victor is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Howatt is doing well to control the position and prevent Victor from advancing to side control.
Victor trying to control from half guard but Howatt is working away.
Howatt keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Victor seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Howatt does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Victor slips a jab and a cross from Howatt.
Victor ducks under a wild hook from Howatt.
Howatt throws a predictable looking body shot
and Victor counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Howatt misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Victor counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Howatt misses with a combination
and Victor cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Howatt looks to land a left hand but Victor moved out of range nicely.
Howatt misses with a few strikes there.
Howatt misses with a hook. Victor ducked under it nicely.

Victor clinches up against the cage.
Victor lands a right hand.
Victor lands a nice uppercut.
Victor keeps control of Howatt as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cassiano Victor showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Cassiano Victor's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Howatt swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Victor counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Howatt working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Victor.
Victor trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Victor seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Howatt keeping full guard, as Victor tries to pass.

Victor is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Victor looking to pass the guard.
Victor takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Howatt tries to bum rush Victor with a series of wild strikes but Victor uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Howatt misses with a wild combination.
Howatt misses with a two punch combination.
Howatt throws a hook but Victor blocks it.

Victor rushes Howatt and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Victor misses with a hook from the clinch.
Victor misses with some punches.
Victor lands a nice shot to the body.
Victor keeps control of Howatt as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Victor unloads a knee to the mid-section. Howatt lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Victor lands a hook to the side of the head.
Howatt misses with an elbow over the top.
Howatt takes an elbow to the forehead.
Victor lands a shoulder strike.
Howatt blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Victor gets through Howatt's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Howatt is looking to break free of the clinch but Victor has double underhooks.
Nice body punch from Victor - that landed with a thud.

Victor lands a takedown into guard.
Victor wants to pass the guard but Howatt is keeping the position.
Howatt keeping moving, preventing Victor from controlling successfully.

Howatt is looking for a triangle but Victor pushes his legs off easily.
Victor pushing down on Howatt's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Howatt is staying active underneath Victor, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Victor passes to side control.
Victor sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Howatt is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Howatt trying to remain calm as Victor controls from the top position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Howatt is trying to control Victor's posture but Victor avoids it.

Victor wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Howatt, who protects the arm well.
Victor trying to control the position but Howatt is working away.
Victor working away.

Victor wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Howatt, who protects the arm well.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Victor avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

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.
Victor tries to close the distance and clinch up but Howatt swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Victor keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Howatt.
Cassiano Victor is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Victor misses with a wild body shot.
Victor changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Howatt fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Victor manages to avoid it.
Howatt throws a jab but it's blocked by Victor.
Blair Howatt has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Howatt throws a left and a right that both miss
and Victor counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Howatt scores with a hook.
Howatt misses with a hook. Victor ducked under it nicely.

Victor drives through with a takedown into guard.
Howatt looking for a sweep. Not yet Howatt, not yet.
Howatt throwing strikes off his back to little effect.

And that's the end of the fight!
Cassiano Victor comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Victor 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 Paulo Santos scores the fight 27:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cassiano Victor!