PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ron Rex (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ronny Giovanni (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The key to victory for Ron Rex has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Rex
vs
Giovanni

169 cm
19
160 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

180 cm
22
165 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ron Rex!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ronny Giovanni!
The judges for this bout are , Frank Antenori and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Giovanni closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Rex to the mat! Rex manages to get full guard.

Rex escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Giovanni gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Giovanni preventing the sweep.
Rex utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Giovanni tries to free his leg and advance position but Rex is retaining full guard.
Rex is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Rex bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Giovanni's guard.
Rex throwing strikes but missing.
Giovanni utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Giovanni manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Rex gets back to half guard.
Giovanni is trying to control the action in half guard but Rex is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rex regains full guard. Nicely done.
Giovanni postures up and lands a big shot to Rex's brow.

Rex has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Giovanni off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Rex with a poor takedown

and Giovanni counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Rex's guard now.
Rex lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Giovanni!
Giovanni is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Giovanni is looking to get to half guard.
Giovanni is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Rex throws some wild stikes that Giovanni manages to avoid easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Giovanni really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
A nice elbow there by Rex.
Rex trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Giovanni is looking to get to half guard.
Rex dominating with strikes here.
Giovanni is working to get back to half guard.
BOOM! Rex connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Rex scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Giovanni?
Giovanni is looking to improve his position but Rex isn't that keen on the idea.
Rex with the ground and pound from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Giovanni working to try and regain half guard.
Rex in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Rex lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Rex raining down shots from the mount!
Rex tries to control but Giovanni wriggling away.
Rex landing strikes, looking to finish!
Giovanni is looking to get to half guard.
Rex trying to control but Giovanni is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rex breaks from Giovanni's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Rex postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Giovanni looks a forlorn figure.
Giovanni takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Giovanni tries to hold on but Rex pushes him away.
Rex takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Rex breaks from Giovanni's wrist control and lands an elbow.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Giovanni tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Giovanni throwing hammer fists to the chest of Rex. What's that going to do exactly?
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ron Rex dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Rex misses with a looping right.
Rex closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Rex misses with a few strikes there.
Rex with a lazy takedown attempt
and Giovanni counters with a straight right hand.
Rex goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Rex misses with a low kick.
Rex shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Giovanni counters with a single leg into guard. Rex didn't expect that.

Rex escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Giovanni gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Giovanni working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Giovanni trying to control but Rex is working from the bottom.
Rex looking for a sweep. Not yet Rex, not yet.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Giovanni avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Giovanni's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Giovanni wants to control from the top but Rex keeps moving.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Rex swats away the attempt to clinch by Giovanni.

Giovanni drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Rex on the wrong end of some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Giovanni working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.

Giovanni wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Rex, who protects the arm well.
Rex tries to improve position but can't.
Giovanni working away.

Giovanni working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Giovanni lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Rex down.
Giovanni looking to control but instead Rex has slipped a leg in, to regain half guard.
Rex is trying to stand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Giovanni thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Rex's head.
Rex gets back to full guard.
Rex is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Rex working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Giovanni doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Giovanni manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Giovanni cracks Rex with a solid left hand.
Giovanni stands up over Rex, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Rex not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Giovanni trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's four 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.
Giovanni scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Giovanni passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Giovanni advances to full mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rex is trying to escape the mount.
Giovanni trying to control but Rex is having none of it.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Giovanni cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ronny Giovanni showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Rex drives through with a takedown into guard.
Rex scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Giovanni is trying to control the position but Rex postures up.
Giovanni has control of Rex's left arm, preventing Rex from doing any damage.
Rex working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Rex in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.

Giovanni is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Rex defends well.
Rex works over Giovanni with some ground and pound from guard.
Rex trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Giovanni is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Giovanni prevents Rex from improving his position.
Rex might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.

Giovanni is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Rex trying to control here.
Rex slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Rex tries to strike from the bottom.
Rex is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rex is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Giovanni is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Giovanni working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Rex trying to keep a closed guard but Giovanni is proving a slippery customer.
Rex manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Giovanni manages to get himself to full guard.
Giovanni is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Rex stopping the sweep attempt from Giovanni.
Rex throwing strikes but missing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rex trying to control the position from guard on top but Giovanni is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Giovanni doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Giovanni manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Rex manages to get himself to full guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Rex is on top in guard.
Giovanni is trying to keep Rex in close.
Rex wants to pass the guard but Giovanni is keeping the position.
Rex being controlled here momentarily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Rex accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Giovanni controlling the position.
Rex has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Rex postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Giovanni trying to control the position.
Rex trying to control but Giovanni is working from the bottom.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Rex shoots and misses

and Giovanni counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Giovanni drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Giovanni jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Rex keeping moving, preventing Giovanni from controlling successfully.

Giovanni got a little sloppy there for a moment and Rex has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Giovanni has managed to get both his arms back between Rex's legs - danger averted.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ronny Giovanni comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Giovanni 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29
Judge Suge Night scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ronny Giovanni!