PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Stringer Bell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Salvatore Assante (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Assante comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Lose Yourself kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Bell
vs
Assante

185 cm
25
213 lbs
19 - 5 - 0

185 cm
24
217 lbs
16 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Stringer Bell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Salvatore Assante!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bell fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Assante manages to avoid it.
Bell bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Bell misses with a body shot.
A decent looking cross lands there for Bell.
Assante fakes the leg kick and cracks Bell in the body.
Bell takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Assante tries a head kick but it misses.
Bell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bell jabs Assante right on the nose. Assante blinks but takes it well.
Bell misses with a body shot
and Assante counters with a nice leg kick.
Assante misses with a body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Assante connects with a high kick.
A head kick misses from Assante.
Bell swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Assante counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Assante is working Bell over against the cage.
Bell tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Bell blocks an uppercut.
Bell blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Assante's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Assante misses with the head strike.

Bell jumps guard.
Bell looking to hit a scissor sweep but Assante is one step ahead there.
Bell has a closed guard, preventing Assante from standing up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bell wants to hit a switch here but Assante passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Bell there!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bell is trying to escape the mount.
Assante wants to stand but Bell is holding on to him, trying to stop him posturing up.
Bell can't escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell is working hard here to advance position.
Assante is looking to stand but Assante has his arms wrapped tightly around him, looking to prevent the damage.
Bell is desperately trying to improve his position but Assante has a good base and remains in mount.
Bell tries to lock up and control but Assante gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Bell is trying to escape the mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Assante stands up from the dominant position, so we're back on the feet.
Assante wants to clinch.
Assante fails in his attempt to clinch.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Assante.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Salvatore Assante dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Bell keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Assante misses with a right hand
letting Bell counter with a right hand.
Assante scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Bell misses with a hook to the body
and Assante counters with a flying knee. Nice.
A bone on bone clash there as Bell blocks the leg kick.
Assante avoids a punch combination nicely.
Bell throws a predictable looking body shot
and Assante counters with a three punch combo that has Bell backing up. Bell nods at Assante to acknowledge the strikes.
Assante fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bell manages to avoid it.
Bell throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bell takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Bell has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Assante.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Assante throws a head kick that misses
and Assante takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Assante dodges the punch combination from Bell.
Bell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Bell misses with the combination.
Bell scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Assante scores with a hook to the body. Bell takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Bell circles away from the clinch attempt.
Bell uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Assante throws a head kick that misses
and Bell counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Sloppy strikes from Assante. Those never looked like landing.
Bell misses with a body shot.
Bell showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Assante.
Salvatore Assante seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bell connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell avoids the head kick by Assante.
Assante tries to clinch there but Bell circles away.
Bell takes a swing at Assante's ribcage but misses.
Assante tries to close the distance and clinch up but Bell swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Bell is looking to wear down Assante with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Bell throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Bell just misses with a punch to the body.
Bell throws a combination that misses
and Assante counters with a left to the body.
Assante throws a predictable looking body shot
and Bell makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.

That's four 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.
Good standup being displayed there by Bell as he connects with a hook.
Bell lands a right hook to the body.
Assante slips a jab and a cross from Bell.
Assante throws a sloppy head kick and Bell moves out of range easily.
Assante works over Bell's head and body with a nice combination.
Assante misses with a left hand
and Bell counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Bell closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Assante throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Salvatore Assante showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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!

Assante is looking to clinch but Bell is avoiding it.
Assante tries to clinch there but Bell circles away.
Bell keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Assante pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Assante throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A head kick misses from Assante.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Assante stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Assante tries to clinch up but Bell circles away and keeps his distance.
Assante misses with a kick to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Assante tries to clinch but Bell moves out of range.
A head kick from Assante lands but Bell takes it in his stride.
Bell uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Bell scores with a punch to the head.
Assante tries to clinch up.
Assante is looking to clinch but Bell is avoiding it.
Bell throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Assante tries to clinch but Bell is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Assante throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Left hook, right uppercut from Bell.
Assante throws a series of punches but Bell moves out of range.
A punch lands to the side of Assante 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Assante looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Bell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Assante moves away.
Bell avoids a punch combination nicely.
Assante lands an overhand right.
Stringer Bell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Salvatore Assante is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Stringer Bell is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell lands with an overhand left.
Bell swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Assante counters with a nice low kick that buckles Bell's knee momentarily.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Assante is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Bell just misses with a punch to the body.
Salvatore Assante seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Assante tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bell was well out of range. Poor timing from Assante.
Bell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bell will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

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.
Bell missing with a left hand there. Assante was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bell throws a combination that misses

and Assante moves into the clinch.
Bell tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Bell misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Assante.
Good body shot from Assante.
Assante tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Assante lands a body punch.
Assante lands a right hand.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Assante.
Bell misses with the head strike.
Assante lands a nice uppercut.
Bell tries to throw a body punch but Assante avoids it by throwing Bell back against the cage.
Bell tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Bell using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Assante has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Bell tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Assante's elbow.
A head punch on the inside from Bell fails to land.
Bell misses with a punch to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Salvatore Assante comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Assante 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Salvatore Assante!