PBP Commentary

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

Brandford
vs
Rocco

182 cm
19
190 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
18
181 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Powerful

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, RIck Brandford!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Dino Rocco!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Rocco throws a lazy right hand but Brandford sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Brandford misses with a low kick.
Rocco misses with an uppercut.
Rocco throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Brandford sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Rocco thows a left - swing and a miss!
Rocco misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Brandford slips under a jab from Rocco.
Rocco tries to bum rush Brandford with a series of wild strikes but Brandford uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Brandford ducks under a wild hook from Rocco.
Brandford avoids the body shot from Rocco.
A slow jab from Rocco misses its intended target.
Brandford throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Rocco.
Rocco takes a swing at Brandford's ribcage but misses.

Brandford looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Brandford not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rocco taking some punishment here, with Brandford in his half guard.
Brandford thows a huge punch but Rocco dodges it nicely.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Rocco can do anything to dispel that myth.
Brandford missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Rocco wants to control the action here but instead Brandford manages to pass to full mount!
Rocco tries to buck Brandford off but he can't manage it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Brandford thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rocco trying desperately to get to his feet.
Brandford with good strikes from the mount here!
Brandford has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Rocco's face.
Rocco taking shots to the head.
Brandford postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Rocco looks a forlorn figure.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Brandford in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Brandford scoring with strikes but Rocco is staying in there.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Rocco wants to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
Brandford throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Rocco because Brandford loaded up on that one.
Rocco avoids a series of strikes thrown by Brandford.
Brandford prevents Rocco from getting the reversal.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brandford looking to finish Rocco with some ground and pound. This is bad for Rocco!
Rocco tries to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Brandford looking to ground and pound but Rocco is blocking nicely.
Rocco is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Rocco is trying to escape the mount.
Rocco looks gassed!
Rocco avoids a series of strikes thrown by Brandford.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Brandford throwing strikes here but Rocco is writhing around nicely and avoiding any serious damage.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Rocco is bucking up trying to escape but Brandford cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
A nice elbow there by Brandford.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rocco tries to hold on but Brandford postures up.
Brandford landing shots from mount.
Rocco's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Rocco tries to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
Brandford is landing with some decent strikes but Rocco is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Brandford punching from mount but Rocco doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Rocco is working to get back to half guard.
Rocco wants to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
Rocco is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Brandford landing strikes from the mount and Rocco is in trouble!
Brandford has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Rocco's face.
Rocco is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brandford raining down shots from the mount!
Rocco tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Brandford landing punches.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford is having none of it.
Brandford throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Brandford landing shots from mount.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Rocco wants to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rocco keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Brandford connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

RIck Brandford dominated that round.
That's time! Brandford's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

A slapping leg kick lands for Brandford.
Rocco throws a right and a left that Brandford avoids nicely.
Brandford avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Rocco lands a jab to the nose.
Dino Rocco seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Brandford shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Rocco sprawls well. Rocco wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Brandford gets slowly back to his feet.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Brandford.
Rocco takes a swing at Brandford's ribcage but misses.

Brandford looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Brandford scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Brandford thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Rocco to regain full guard.
Rocco is trying to keep Brandford in close.
Brandford prevents Rocco from getting back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rocco is controlling Brandford's posture.
Rocco is breathing heavily.
Rocco is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Dino Rocco has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.

Brandford fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Rocco sprawls well initially but Brandford persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Rocco tries to kick Brandford off but Brandford keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Rocco tries to get to full guard but Brandford has control of the leg.
RIck Brandford overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Brandford seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Brandford throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Brandford thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Brandford throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Brandford not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Rocco blocking the ground and pound attempt from Brandford.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rocco avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Brandford.
Brandford thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Rocco's head.
Brandford missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Brandford prevents Rocco from improving his position.
Rocco is trying to maintain the position but Brandford is very close to passing his half guard.
Rocco is looking to escape.
Rocco slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Rocco working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Brandford.
Rocco tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Rocco has Brandford pulled in close to control his posture.
Brandford throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brandford throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Rocco works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Rocco is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Dino Rocco wasn't active enough on the ground.
Brandford shoots in and drives through. Rocco sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for RIck Brandford. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rocco waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Brandford.
Brandford tries to clinch but Rocco moves out of range.
RIck Brandford is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Brandford throws a big shot that misses.
Dino Rocco is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Brandford with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.

Brandford shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Rocco tries to lock up and control but Brandford gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Brandford won't let Rocco get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Brandford with good strikes from the mount here!
Rocco wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee warns Rocco that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Brandford in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
A nice elbow there by Brandford.
Rocco is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Rocco tries to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
Brandford with a couple of short strikes.
Rocco tries to hold on but Brandford pushes him away.
Rocco is trying to escape the mount.
A nice elbow there by Brandford.
Brandford working Rocco over with strikes here.
Rocco wants to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

RIck Brandford dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Rocco is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Brandford.
Brandford ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Brandford displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Rocco throws out the jab.
Brandford connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Rocco might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Brandford staying out of range there.
Brandford swinging wildly here.
Brandford moves out of range of the strikes.
Rocco throws a looping overhand right but Brandford ducks down to avoid it.

Brandford shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Rocco's guard.
Brandford prevents Rocco from getting back to his feet.
Brandford missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Brandford postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Brandford stops Rocco from standing up.
Brandford postures up in Rocco's guard and throws a big left but Rocco blocks it.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Brandford accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rocco looking to control.
Brandford has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Brandford throws a big right hand that misses.
Rocco trying to keep a closed guard but Brandford is proving a slippery customer.
Brandford is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Rocco can do to turn this around?
Brandford connects with a couple of short punches.
Rocco manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Brandford manages to get himself to full guard.
Brandford has a closed guard, preventing Rocco from standing up.
Rocco trying to control but Brandford is working from the bottom.
Dino Rocco has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two 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.
Brandford can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Rocco controls the pace.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Dino Rocco.
Brandford fails to land the takedown.
A big right from Brandford misses.
Brandford slips under a jab.
Rocco looks to score with a jab to the body but Brandford is just out of range.
Horrible takedown by Brandford or perhaps it was just good defense by Rocco which made him look bad.
Rocco misses with an uppercut.
Brandford shoots for a takedown but Rocco saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for RIck Brandford. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rocco misses the jab.
Rocco throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brandford moves out of range of the strikes.
Brandford moves out of range of the strikes.
Rocco misses with a hook.
Brandford scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
A slapping leg kick lands for Brandford.
Rocco throws the left hand but Brandford avoids the punch easily.
Rocco lands with an uppercut that bounces Brandford off the cage and back into rage.
Brandford fails to land the takedown.
Brandford is looking to clinch.

Brandford closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Rocco to the mat! Rocco manages to get full guard.
Rocco has control of Brandford's left arm, preventing Brandford from doing any damage.
Brandford stops Rocco from standing up.
Rocco is trying to control the position but Brandford postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rocco avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Rocco has control of Brandford's left arm, preventing Brandford from doing any damage.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Dino Rocco hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.

Brandford closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Rocco pushes Brandford away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Brandford gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Rocco wants to control but Brandford postures up.
Brandford lands a nice forearm strike.
RIck Brandford is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Rocco is looking to regain half guard here but Brandford keeps moving and retains side control.
Sloppy strikes there by Brandford.

Rocco throws Brandford to one side and escapes!
A swing and a miss from Rocco.
Rocco lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Brandford circles away quickly and effectively.

And that's the end of the fight!
RIck Brandford showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Brandford, 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 30:26
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 30:26
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... RIck Brandford!