PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Pence Apene (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Igor Zanta (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Apene
vs
Zanta

187 cm
31
205 lbs
14 - 4 - 0

209 cm
29
205 lbs
14 - 2 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Basic striking
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Good elbows
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 14 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Pence Apene!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Igor Zanta!
The judges for this bout are Skip Squint, Winston Howard and Damien Edna.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Apene shoots for a double leg takedown but Zanta sprawls well. He's pushed Apene's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Apene misses with a takedown attempt
and Zanta counters with a nice body kick.
Apene fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Pence Apene. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A combination from Apene does no damage.
Apene fails with the takedown
and Zanta counters with a nice body kick.
Apene with a poor takedown
and Zanta counters with a thumping low kick.
Apene shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Zanta counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Zanta circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Apene misses with a takedown
and Zanta counters with an inside leg kick.
Apene is breathing heavily.
Apene with a lazy takedown attempt
and Zanta counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Apene tries to close the distance and clinch but Zanta swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Apene shoots and misses
and Zanta counters with a low kick, right behind Apene 's knee.
Apene with a poor takedown
and Zanta counters with a body kick that stops Apene in his tracks momentarily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Apene tries to score a power double leg takedown but Zanta sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Apene somewhat.
Igor Zanta is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Apene fails with the takedown
and Zanta counters with a nice low kick that buckles Apene's knee momentarily.
Apene gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Zanta counters with a flying knee. Nice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Apene has a takedown stuffed.
Apene tried to score with a low kick but Zanta checks it.
Apene gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Zanta counters with a nice leg kick.
Apene shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Zanta sprawls well. Zanta wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Apene gets slowly back to his feet.
Apene shoots in looking for a takedown but Zanta manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Apene's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Apene shoots and misses
and Zanta counters with a thumping low kick.
Apene darts in trying to clinch
and Zanta counters with a nice kick to the body.
Apene looks to clinch
letting Zanta counter with a right hand.

It looks like Pence Apene has been cut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Apene fails with a takedown attempt.
Apene is looking to clinch but Zanta is avoiding it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zanta stuffs the takedown attempt from Apene. Apene gets slowly back to his feet.

Apene closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Zanta to the mat! Zanta manages to get full guard.
Zanta is looking to stand up but Apene isn't so interested in that idea.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Apene trying to control but Zanta is working from the bottom.
Apene stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Zanta swivels though and keeps the full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Igor Zanta dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Pence Apene's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Nice takedown defense from Zanta. No joy for Apene on that attempt.

Apene shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Zanta looks like he's trying to stand up.
Zanta tries to push off, looking to stand up, but Apene manages to move to mount!

Zanta defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Apene.
Zanta really wants to buck Apene off and get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Apene lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Zanta hang on?
Zanta is trying to stand up.
Apene looking to control but Zanta is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Zanta trying desperately to get to his feet.
Zanta is breathing heavily.
Apene controlling his opponent.
Apene lands a big shot there that rocks Zanta but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Zanta is squirming around, avoiding Apene's attempts to control the action.
Pence Apene overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Zanta really wants to buck Apene off and get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zanta is squirming around, avoiding Apene's attempts to control the action.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Zanta tries to buck Apene off but he can't manage it.
Apene trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Zanta squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Apene sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Apene has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Zanta's face.
Zanta is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Zanta taking shots to the head.
Zanta is in a horrible position here. Apene smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Apene has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Apene won't let Zanta get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Zanta tries to buck Apene off so he can stand up but Apene has got his back now - this could be big trouble! He's slapped on a rear naked choke that looks really tight! Zanta falls backwards, slamming Apene to the mat but Apene holds on tight! Zanta is forced to tap and this one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:19 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (RNC). Pence Apene!
After the big win, Pence Apene made sure to do all the important stuff like thanking his sponsors Blood Bank ($10) and telling the interviewer how much he loves him.