PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Ronald Raygun (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gianluca Balotelli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Raygun
vs
Balotelli

172 cm
26
143 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

175 cm
26
145 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Good gas tank

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 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Ronald Raygun!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Gianluca Balotelli!
The judges for this bout are Winston Alpacca, Santiago Holmes and Bart Greer.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Raygun misses with a hook.
Raygun seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
A looping hook to the body misses from Raygun. Balotelli does a little dance to reset his feet.
Raygun shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Balotelli defends it nicely.
Balotelli blocks a low kick nicely.
Balotelli let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Raygun walks forward, straight into a front kick from Balotelli.
Balotelli lands a nice looking kick to the body. Raygun takes a step back to recover.
Raygun tries to score with a low kick but Balotelli moves his leg out of the way.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Balotelli throws a head kick that Raygun semi-blocks.
Raygun takes a swing at Balotelli's ribcage but misses.
Balotelli thuds his shin into the meat of Raygun's side.
Raygun is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Balotelli.
Balotelli unleashes a big counter combination but Raygun bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balotelli throws a low kick but Raygun moves out of range easily.
Raygun has a takedown stuffed.
Raygun shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Balotelli defends it nicely.
Balotelli is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ronald Raygun. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Balotelli lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Raygun swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Balotelli throws a counter combo.
Raygun misses with a low kick.
A nice side step and Balotelli releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Raygun closes this distance looking for a takedown but Balotelli circles away.
Despite the aggression on Balotelli's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Balotelli has tried to improve his agility in the runup to this fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raygun blocks a head kick by Balotelli.
Gianluca Balotelli is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A solid leg kick lands there for Balotelli.
Balotelli looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Balotelli tries to close the distance and clinch up but Raygun swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Balotelli looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Raygun jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Ronald Raygun seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Balotelli stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Balotelli wants it to stay on the feet.
Balotelli throws a nice looking combination but Raygun bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Raygun tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Balotelli was well out of range. Poor timing from Raygun.
Balotelli unleashes a big counter combination but Raygun bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Balotelli tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Raygun misses with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raygun misses the shot to the body.
Balotelli was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.

Raygun closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Raygun landing strikes.
Raygun is working Balotelli over with some ground and pound from side control.
Raygun tries to score with some ground and pound. Balotelli controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Raygun fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Raygun 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.
Balotelli tries to buck Raygun off but Raygun is having none of it.
Raygun lands some shots froms side control.
Raygun works to advance to full mount. Balotelli defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Raygun lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Raygun lands with some strikes.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Raygun working away from the top, dropping strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balotelli wants to get back to his feet.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Raygun cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Raygun with the ground and pound from mount.

Balotelli is rocked!
Balotelli is trying to escape the mount.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Balotelli can do anything to dispel that myth.
Raygun avoids the attempt from Balotelli to control.
Balotelli is in a horrible position here. Raygun smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Raygun cracks Balotelli with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ronald Raygun dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Raygun throws a leg kick that misses.
Raygun wants to slow Balotelli down by chopping away at his legs.
Balotelli is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
The fighters circling - Raygun throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Balotelli throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Raygun. Balotelli does a little dance to reset his feet.
Balotelli looks to land a combination but Raygun avoids it well.
Balotelli misses with a series of wild punches.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Raygun fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Raygun is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Balotelli can do to turn this around?
Balotelli looks to land a body kick but Raygun moved away.
Balotelli rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Raygun moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raygun avoids the head kick by Balotelli.
A slow jab from Raygun misses its intended target.
Raygun tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Balotelli defends well and Raygun ends up having to push Balotelli into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
A countering left hand to the body from Balotelli misses.
Raygun goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Gianluca Balotelli is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Raygun looking to score a takedown here. Balotelli is defending well but Raygun drives through and ends up in Balotelli's guard.
Raygun missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Raygun is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Balotelli is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Balotelli wants to sweep here but Raygun controlling him for the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raygun throwing strikes from guard but Balotelli blocks nicely.
Raygun throwing strikes but missing.
Balotelli has Raygun pulled in close to control his posture.
Raygun trying to control the position from guard on top but Balotelli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Balotelli tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Raygun paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Raygun takes a swing at Balotelli's ribcage but misses.
Despite the aggression on Balotelli's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Balotelli displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Raygun throws out the jab.
Balotelli moves away from the strike by Raygun.
Balotelli is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raygun avoids a kick to the body.
Balotelli dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Raygun. That did some damage!
Balotelli leaves Raygun with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
As Raygun backs off Balotelli throws a huge counter combo but Raygun manages to avoid it all.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ronald Raygun. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Raygun avoids a kick to the body.
Balotelli swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Balotelli feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Rayguns jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Balotelli throws a right and a left that Raygun avoids nicely.
Raygun attempts a counter takedown but Balotelli avoids it well and moves away.
Balotelli is looking to land body kicks.
Raygun is looking to wear down Balotelli with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Balotelli throws a push kick but Raygun slaps the foot to one side.
Raygun swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balotelli avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Balotelli is looking for the big counter here.
Raygun keeps the fight on the outside.
Raygun tries for a takedown but Balotelli sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Balotelli looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Raygun checks a leg kick.
Gianluca Balotelli seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Balotelli uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Raygun.
Balotelli lands a leg kick that knocks Raygun off balance momentarily.
Raygun swings widly with a right hand
and Balotelli counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Balotelli uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Raygun.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
No luck for Raygun with that takedown attempt.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Balotelli throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gianluca Balotelli showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Raygun misses with a leg kick.
Balotelli is looking for the big counter here.
Raygun throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Raygun shoots in looking for a takedown but Balotelli manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Raygun's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Balotelli keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Balotelli steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Raygun.
Despite the aggression on Balotelli's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Raygun goes for a double leg but Balotelli avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Balotelli continues to drive forward.
Balotelli throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Balotelli slaps away a takedown attempt from Raygun, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ronald Raygun. That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Balotelli keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Raygun.
Balotelli is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Balotelli throws a body shot but no joy.
Raygun takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Raygun throws a body punch but Balotelli moves out of range.

Raygun fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Balotelli sprawls well initially but Raygun persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Balotelli looks like he's trying to stand up.
Balotelli keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Raygun takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Raygun is nestled in close to Balotelli, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Raygun wants to control but Balotelli is keeping him busy.
Raygun thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Balotelli's head.
Raygun slips a nice elbow through Balotelli's hands, connecting with Balotelli's forehead.
Balotelli avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Raygun.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balotelli is trying to stand.
Raygun is looking to take a break and control but Balotelli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Raygun missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Raygun sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Balotelli defending well though.
Balotelli tries to kick Raygun off but Raygun keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Raygun is nestled in close to Balotelli, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Still in half guard, Raygun seems content to control.
Raygun working Balotelli over with strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Raygun sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Balotelli defending well though.
Balotelli blocking the ground and pound attempt from Raygun.
Raygun scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Raygun trying to control the action but Balotelli is working from the bottom.
Raygun slows the pace down in half guard.
Raygun lands strikes from half guard.
Balotelli looks like he's trying to stand up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Balotelli on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Raygun has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
BOOM! Raygun connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Ronald Raygun overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Raygun with the ground and pound from mount.
Balotelli is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Raygun lands a heavy elbow.
Raygun lands a big shot there that rocks Balotelli but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ronald Raygun showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Raygun has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Winston Alpacca scores the fight 29:28
Judge Santiago Holmes scores the fight 29:28
Judge Bart Greer scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ronald Raygun!