PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Sam Hitz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Umberto Eco (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Umberto Eco has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Hitz
vs
Eco

182 cm
20
190 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

182 cm
19
195 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Determined

Behold The Beast
Steel Penn Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Sam Hitz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Umberto Eco!
The judges for this bout are Felipe Paraventi, Emerson Jorge and Thiago Cunha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz is having none of it.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz moves out of range.
Hitz missing with a left hand there. Eco was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Eco avoids the body shot from Hitz.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz moves out of range.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hitz paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Eco moves in looking to clinch but Hitz pushes him off.
Umberto Eco seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Eco tries to clinch there but Hitz circles away.
Crunch! Eco slams his shin into Hitz's torso.
Hitz avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Eco lands with a thumping leg kick.
Eco looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Eco is looking to clinch but Hitz is avoiding it.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch but Hitz swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hitz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Eco tries to clinch up but Hitz circles away and keeps his distance.
Eco staying out of range there.
Eco stuffs the takedown.
Eco connects with a solid leg kick.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz moves out of range.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Hitz.
Eco is looking to clinch.
Eco wants to clinch up but Hitz keeps it at a distance.
Eco scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Eco tries to clinch there but Hitz circles away.
Umberto Eco is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Eco doesn't manage to clinch there - Hitz circles away.
Eco fails with an attempt to clinch.
Hitz sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Eco tries to clinch up but Hitz circles away and keeps his distance.
Hitz circles away from the clinch attempt.
Hitz throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Eco lets loose with a powerful body kick. Hitz will feel that in the morning.
Hitz is breathing heavily.
The fight stays on the outside here - Eco looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz is having none of it.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Eco.

Eco moves into range and clinches up with Hitz.
Eco scores a nice knee to the body.
A knee to the head by Eco.

It looks like Sam Hitz has been cut.
Eco content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Eco landing knees to the body.
Hitz takes a knee to the side of the body.
Eco putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hitz in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Eco with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Eco scores a nice knee to the body.
Eco landing knees to the head.
Eco with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Eco with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Eco lands a nice knee to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Eco lands a nice knee to the body.
Eco comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Eco with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Eco using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Eco scores with a knee to the head.
Knees to the body from Eco.
Eco is struggling to control the position.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Hitz tries for a takedown. No joy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Umberto Eco dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Sam Hitz's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Eco fails with an attempt to clinch.
Eco is looking to clinch.
Eco tries to clinch up but Hitz circles away and keeps his distance.
Eco lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
A head kick from Eco lands but Hitz takes it in his stride.
Eco fails in his attempt to clinch.
Eco dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Hitz. That did some damage!
Hitz keeps the fight on the outside.
The fight stays on the outside here - Eco looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hitz circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hitz pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Eco is looking to clinch.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hitz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Eco is looking to clinch.
Eco is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Eco throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Eco tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Hitz throws a jab when Eco was well out of range.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hitz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Hitz circles away from the clinch attempt.

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.
Hitz avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Hitz keeps the fight on the outside.
Eco fails in his attempt to clinch.
Eco throws a body punch but Hitz moves out of range.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hitz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Eco tries to clinch up.
Eco moves in looking to clinch but Hitz pushes him off.
Eco looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Eco moves in looking to clinch but Hitz pushes him off.
Eco is looking to clinch.
Eco wants to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Eco. Hitz shrugs it off though.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz is having none of it.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hitz paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Eco fails with an attempt to clinch.
Eco wants to clinch up but Hitz keeps it at a distance.
Eco tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Hitz closes this distance looking for a takedown but Eco circles away.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hitz paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Eco tries to clinch up but Hitz circles away and keeps his distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Eco tries to clinch up but Hitz circles away and keeps his distance.
Eco fails with an attempt to clinch.
Eco tries to clinch up.
Eco doesn't manage to clinch there - Hitz circles away.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz is having none of it.
Eco is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Hitz throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Eco's waist but Eco gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Hitz off to one side.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
The fight stays on the outside here - Eco looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Eco wants to clinch up but Hitz keeps it at a distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Umberto Eco showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Sam Hitz's cut.
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. This is the final round!

Eco lands a nice leg kick that just misses Hitz's sensitive parts.
Hitz will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Hitz keeps the fight on the outside.
Eco tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hitz swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Eco tries to clinch but Hitz moves out of range.
Eco throws out a loose jab but Hitz uses good head movement to avoid it.
Eco tries to clinch there but Hitz circles away.
Hitz misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Eco is looking to clinch but Hitz is avoiding it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Eco tries to clinch up.
Eco is looking to clinch but Hitz is avoiding it.
Eco takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Eco wants to clinch up but Hitz keeps it at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Eco swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Eco wants to clinch.
Hitz will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Eco moves into the clinch successfully.
Eco misses with a body punch.
Eco misses with a knee strike.
Eco landing knees to the head.
Eco is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Hitz is defending well for now.
Eco slows down the pace here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Knees in the clinch landing for Eco.
Eco has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Eco dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Eco misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hitz.
Hitz goes for a takedown in the clinch but Eco prevents it.
Eco stalling against the cage.
Eco misses with a knee to the head.
Eco throws a knee to the head but misses.
Eco lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Eco takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Eco using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Eco lands a knee to the head.
Hitz takes a knee right on the jaw!
Hitz takes a knee to the side of the body.
Come on Eco - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Sam Hitz has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Eco landing knees to the head.
Eco slowing the pace effectively.
Eco tries to throw a body punch but Hitz avoids it by throwing Eco back against the cage.
Eco unloads a knee to the mid-section. Hitz lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Eco lands an elbow inside.
Eco tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Hitz is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Eco obliges.
Eco is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Eco tries to land a knee to the head but Hitz blocks with his arms.
A knee to the head by Eco.
Eco landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Eco.
Umberto Eco seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
A bit of stalling here from Eco.
Eco gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Eco throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Eco with a knee to the head.
Eco scores with a knee to the head.
Eco manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Umberto Eco is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Eco misses with the head strike.

And that's the end of the fight!
Umberto Eco comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Eco 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 Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 26:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 26:30
Judge Thiago Cunha scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Umberto Eco!