PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Renan Barao (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Arturo Gatti III (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gatti III has chosen Black Milk & Royce 5'9 - Losing out as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Barao
vs
Gatti III

170 cm
29
150 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

172 cm
36
148 lbs
31 - 14 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

KAISER

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Renan Barao!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 14 - 1, fighting out of London, Arturo Gatti III!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Sam Margolis and Daniel Bishop.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gatti III fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Barao has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Barao shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Barao is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Barao tries to clinch up
and Gatti III counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Barao is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Barao tries to clinch there but Gatti III circles away.
Barao blocks a low kick nicely.
Barao takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Gatti III lands a lovely overhand right.
Barao tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Gatti III counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A combination from Gatti III does no damage.
Barao shoots in looking for a takedown. Gatti III tries to sprawl out of it but Barao keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Gatti III manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barao tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Gatti III defends well and Barao ends up having to push Gatti III into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Renan Barao. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
A head punch on the inside from Gatti III fails to land.
Gatti III scores with a shoulder strike.
Gatti III scores with a shot to the side of Barao's head.
Gatti III throws a head punch that misses.
Barao is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Gatti III to keep the fight standing.
A short uppercut from Gatti III.
Nice body punch from Gatti III.

Gatti III escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Gatti III goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Gatti III defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Barao.
Barao shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Gatti III as he jumps to the side.
Renan Barao seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Barao wants to clinch up but Gatti III keeps it at a distance.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Gatti III!
Barao is looking to clinch but Gatti III is avoiding it.
Gatti III throws a leg kick but Barao checks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barao checks a low kick from Gatti III.
Barao avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gatti III throws a hook but Barao blocks it.
Gatti III chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Barao tries to clinch but Gatti III moves out of range.
Gatti III looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Gatti III connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Barao wants to clinch up but Gatti III keeps it at a distance.
Arturo Gatti III is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Barao shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Gatti III but Gatti III pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Gatti III looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Gatti III bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Barao's head.
Barao tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barao throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Gatti III misses with the combination.

Barao gets a double leg takedown into Gatti III's guard.
Gatti III is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Barao is controlling him.
Gatti III avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Gatti III has control of Barao's left arm, preventing Barao from doing any damage.
Gatti III can't keep his opponent in guard - Barao advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Barao looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

Barao is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Gatti III has managed to free his arm - good work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Barao seems to be working for a kimura but Gatti III defends the submission attempt.
Barao tries to pass to full mount but Gatti III defends it.
Gatti III is trying to get back to full guard.

Barao is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Gatti III sees it coming and defends easily.
Gatti III trying to hold on to Barao's head to control him but Barao postures up.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gatti III tries to get to full guard but Barao has control of the leg.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Gatti III wants to control but Barao is keeping busy and won't allow it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Arturo Gatti III dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Gatti III looks to land a left hand but Barao moved out of range nicely.
Gatti III throws a leg kick which misses Barao's front leg but catches the back leg as Barao tries to avoid it.
Gatti III ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Barao moves away.
A clash of legs there as Barao blocks the low kick.
Gatti III throws a head kick that misses.
Barao checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Barao wants to clinch up but Gatti III keeps it at a distance.
Barao doesn't manage to clinch there - Gatti III circles away.
Gatti III lands a right hook to the body.
Barao tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Gatti III counters with a nice uppercut.
Barao moves to clinch but Gatti III breaks away
and Gatti III connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barao tries to clinch up.

Barao dives in and scores a takedown into Gatti III's guard.
Gatti III is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gatti III working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Barao.

Gatti III has managed to wall walk up one of the corner posts to get back to his feet. Barao is pushing him up against the cage, looking to control the position.
Gatti III makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Gatti III misses with a punch on the inside.
Barao jumps guard but Gatti III stands there with Barao around his waist. Barao gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Gatti III creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Gatti III throws a head punch that misses.
Gatti III throws a punch but it's blocked by Barao.
Gatti III cracks Barao with a nice body shot.
Gatti III throws a punch but it's blocked by Barao.
Barao is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barao can't find room to land a body shot as Gatti III controls the action.
Barao lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Barao.
Gatti III trying to land knees to the body.
Barao misses with a hook from the clinch.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Barao blocks a punch to the side of the head.

Gatti III breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barao tries to clinch but Gatti III moves away
and Gatti III counters with an inside leg kick.
Gatti III throws a nice inside leg kick.
Gatti III throws a big shot that misses.
Gatti III throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Barao takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

Barao forces Gatti III back against the cage and clinches.
A short left from Gatti III.
Gatti III's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barao is looking for a takedown.
A head punch on the inside from Gatti III fails to land.
Barao swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Barao is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Renan Barao. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Barao lands a nice shot to the body.
Gatti III lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Barao blocking some punches.
Barao looking to slow down the pace here.
Barao working aggressively here.
Gatti III misses with a short punch on the inside.
Gatti III cracks Barao with a nice body shot.
Gatti III doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Gatti III blocks an uppercut.
Gatti III tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Barao's elbow.

Barao successfully pulls guard.

Gatti III got a little sloppy there for a moment and Barao has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Gatti III has managed to get both his arms back between Barao's legs - danger averted.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Gatti III is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Barao keeping moving, preventing Gatti III from controlling successfully.
Gatti III throws a big right hand that misses.
Barao keeping full guard, as Gatti III tries to pass.
Gatti III sitting in guard, not really doing much.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Gatti III throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Barao works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gatti III preventing the sweep.
Gatti III must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Gatti III postures up and lands a big shot to Barao's brow.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Barao is looking for a triangle but Gatti III pushes his legs off easily.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Gatti III is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Arturo Gatti III showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Gatti III bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Gatti III feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Baraos jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
A looping hook to the body misses from Gatti III. Barao does a little dance to reset his feet.
Arturo Gatti III seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Barao doesn't manage to clinch there - Gatti III circles away.
Gatti III tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Barao closes the distance looking to clinch
and Gatti III counters with a low kick, right behind Barao 's knee.
Barao tries to clinch but Gatti III is having none of it.
Gatti III turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Gatti III circles away from the clinch attempt.
Barao fails in his attempt to clinch.
Barao fails in his attempt to clinch.
Renan Barao is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barao moves into the clinch.
Barao has a couple of punches blocked by Gatti III.
Gatti III misses with a hook to the ribs.
Barao blocks a body shot from Gatti III.
Barao has a couple of punches blocked by Gatti III.
Gatti III scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Barao scores with a shoulder strike.
A right handed body shot lands from Gatti III.
Barao lands a shoulder strike.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Gatti III.
Barao is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Gatti III misses with some punches.
Gatti III tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Barao has a couple of punches blocked by Gatti III.
Barao scores with a shot to the side of Gatti III's head.

Gatti III breaks the clinch.
Gatti III blocks a head kick by Barao.
Gatti III keeps the fight on the outside.
Barao uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Gatti III.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gatti III throws a sloppy head kick and Barao moves out of range easily.
Barao is looking to clinch but Gatti III is avoiding it.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Barao tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Barao moves into the clinch.
Gatti III scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A shot in the inside from Gatti III.

Barao drags the fight down to the ground.
Gatti III working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Barao's head.
Gatti III slips nicely into half guard.
Gatti III is nestled in close to Barao, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Barao is not content to let Gatti III control the position.
Gatti III is pressing down on Barao's thigh, looking to free his foot. Barao is holding on for now.
Gatti III wants to take a breather but Barao is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gatti III prevents Barao from improving his position.
Gatti III not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Barao wants to get back to full guard.
Gatti III seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Gatti III sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Barao is trying to stand up here but Gatti III is controlling him well.
Nice strikes from Gatti III there.
Barao tries to kick Gatti III off but Gatti III keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Gatti III is pressing down on Barao's thigh, looking to free his foot. Barao is holding on for now.
Gatti III looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Barao is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Gatti III pulls his head out easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Barao trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Gatti III with good strikes from the mount here!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gatti III looking to control but Barao is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Gatti III breaks from Barao's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Gatti III is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Gatti III looking to control but Barao is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Barao is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gatti III landing shots from mount.
Renan Barao has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Barao tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Barao throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.

And that's the end of the fight!
Arturo Gatti III comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Gatti III 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 William Gold scores the fight for Arturo Gatti III!
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight for Arturo Gatti III!
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight for Arturo Gatti III!

Arturo Gatti III wins by unanimous decision!
Arturo Gatti III seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.