PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Alessio Rivera (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jon Forio (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Rivera
vs
Forio

188 cm
21
188 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

180 cm
20
185 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Intelligent

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Determined

S.W.A.T.

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 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alessio Rivera!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Jon Forio!
The judges for this bout are Illya Tyunina, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Forio shoots in looking for a takedown. Rivera tries to sprawl out of it but Forio keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Rivera manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Forio swats away the attempt to clinch by Rivera.
Rivera lands with a cross.
Rivera tries to clinch but Forio moves out of range.
Forio lands a jab-cross combination.
Jon Forio seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Rivera!
Forio just misses with a punch to the body.
Rivera drops Forio with a left right combo! Rivera follows him down to the ground into side control.

Forio is rocked!

It looks like Jon Forio has been cut.
Forio is trying to control Rivera's posture but Rivera avoids it.
Forio is still in real trouble! Can Rivera finish him?
Forio wings away with a couple of strikes but they don't land.
Forio sneaks back into half guard.
Forio trying to keep hold of his opponent's head but Rivera manages to pass to mount!
Forio seems to have recovered his senses.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Forio working to try and regain half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivera is looking to stand but Rivera has his arms wrapped tightly around him, looking to prevent the damage.
Forio keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Forio bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Rivera keeping moving, preventing Forio from controlling successfully.
Forio lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Forio looking to pass the guard.
Forio slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rivera is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the ropes but Forio has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Forio cracks Rivera with a big elbow.

Forio thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Forio looks gassed!
Forio tries to advance to mount but can't.
Forio is looking to take a break and control but Rivera is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Rivera wants to get back to his feet.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Forio is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Rivera has escaped the position, nice work there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rivera wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

Forio goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Rivera rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Forio's guard! Nice work there by Rivera!
Rivera has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Forio is proving hard to escape from.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Forio misses with a looping right.
Rivera throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Forio fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.

Forio scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Forio trying to control the position but Rivera is working away.

Rivera throws Forio to one side and escapes!
Forio misses with a series of wild punches.
The fight stays on the outside here - Rivera looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Rivera attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Rivera lands with a kick to the ribs.
Rivera throws a series of punches but Forio avoids them all with ease.
Rivera misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Rivera tries a head kick but it misses.
Forio avoids a punch combination nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Forio looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Alessio Rivera is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Rivera misses with the combination.
Rivera is looking to clinch.
Forio closes this distance looking for a takedown but Rivera circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Alessio Rivera will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jon Forio's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Forio tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Good leg kick by Rivera there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Forio throws a series of punches but Rivera avoids them all with ease.
Forio avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Forio takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Forio takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Rivera showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Forio.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Forio.
Rivera stuffs the takedown attempt from Forio. Forio gets slowly back to his feet.
Rivera works the jab nicely.
Rivera keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Forio shoots in looking for a takedown. Rivera tries to sprawl out of it but Forio keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Rivera manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Alessio Rivera has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jon Forio.

Rivera takes the fight into the clinch.
Rivera gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Forio.
Forio is breathing heavily.

Rivera breaks the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rivera tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Rivera checks a leg kick.
Forio avoids a punch combination nicely.
Rivera tries to bum rush Forio with a series of wild strikes but Forio uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Rivera is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Forio misses with a combination
and Rivera counters with a left to the body.
Forio showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Rivera.
Forio cracks Rivera with a right hand to the side of the head.
Rivera fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Forio checks it well.
Rivera throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Rivera throws a sloppy head kick and Forio moves out of range easily.
Nice defenses there by Rivera.
Forio throws a head kick that misses.
Rivera tries to work over Forio's front leg with a kick but Forio checks it.
Rivera tries to clinch but Forio moves out of range.

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.
Forio shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Rivera holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

Rivera breaks the clinch.
Rivera throws a sloppy head kick
and Forio counters with a three punch combo that has Rivera backing up. Rivera nods at Forio to acknowledge the strikes.
Nice sprawl there from Rivera as Forio shoots in.
Forio moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Forio swings for the body but Rivera moves out of range.
Forio fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Forio displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rivera throws out the jab.
Forio fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Rivera takes one to the chin there.

Rivera is rocked!
Forio lands with a jab that stuns his opponent. Rivera is looking to close the distance but Forio sees it coming and throws a beautiful knee! Rivera crumbles to the mat and that's all she wrote! Let's hope Rivera is OK because that was naaaaaasty!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:38 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Knee). Jon Forio!