PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Caius Cosades (ranked 1882 p4p, 190 weight class) and Dante Esposito (ranked 1418 p4p, 145 weight class). Cosades comes to the cage accompanied by Reign of the Septims. Dante Esposito struggled to make weight for this fight. He only made it down to 147.0lbs at the first attempt and had to take the additional two hours to make the official bout weight. Let's see how much it's taken out of him. This should be a great matchup!

Cosades
vs
Esposito

175 cm
26
152 lbs
10 - 9 - 0

178 cm
30
161 lbs
18 - 8 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 9 - 0, fighting out of New York, Caius Cosades!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 8 - 1, fighting out of Helsinki, Dante Esposito !
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Arvi Lind and Matti Vanhoillinen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Esposito lands a nice leg kick that just misses Cosades's sensitive parts.
Cosades swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Esposito counters with a nice body shot.
Cosades connects with an inside leg kick.
Cosades throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Esposito counters with a slapping leg kick.
Esposito moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Esposito throws a wild body kick that Cosades sees coming a mile off.
Cosades throws a quick inside leg kick.
Esposito throws a combination that misses

and Cosades counters with a takedown into side control! That could mean trouble for Esposito !
We've been hearing that Cosades has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Esposito is working to avoid the ground and pound but Cosades connects with a decent elbow.
An elbow from Cosades crashes against the mat.
An elbow from Cosades crashes against the mat.
Esposito seems a little lost for a moment, as Cosades dominates the positioning.
Cosades tries to score with some ground and pound. Esposito controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Esposito wants to control but Cosades postures up.
Cosades wants to lay and pray for a moment but Esposito keeps working.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cosades postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Cosades landing strikes.
Esposito is looking for a sweep.
Cosades wants to lay and pray for a moment but Esposito keeps working.
Cosades throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Cosades working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Cosades misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Cosades is looking to take a break and control but Esposito is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Esposito on the wrong end of some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cosades moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
Cosades 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.
Cosades misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Cosades trying to control the action but Esposito is working from the bottom.
Esposito is trying to control Cosades's posture but Cosades avoids it.
Esposito tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Cosades wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The strikes coming from Cosades are missing the target in this wave of attacks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Esposito defending against the ground and pound.
Esposito managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Cosades.
Esposito felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Cosades wants to control but Esposito is keeping him busy.
Cosades misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Esposito parries the strikes from Cosades easily there. Cosades is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Esposito to escape.
Cosades scoring with punches from side control.
Esposito taking punishment in the form of punches.
The strikes coming from Cosades are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Cosades is looking to take a break and control but Esposito is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Cosades lands a decent elbow from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
An elbow from Cosades crashes against the mat.
Cosades looks up at the clock and then as Esposito takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Cosades smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Cosades grinds an elbow into Esposito 's temple.
Cosades landing strikes.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cosades trying to control the position but Esposito is working away.
Cosades misses with the ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Cosades with the ground and pound but Esposito regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Cosades throwing shots but Esposito is blocking nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Caius Cosades dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

A shot to the liver by Cosades. Beautiful body shot.
Cosades shoots in for a takedown but Esposito shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Cosades shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Esposito defends it nicely.
Cosades throws a wild body kick that Esposito sees coming a mile off.
Esposito lands a nice leg kick that just misses Cosades's sensitive parts.
Cosades is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Esposito can do to turn this around?
A good leg kick by Esposito .
Cosades throws a head kick but Esposito moves out of range.
Esposito takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cosades throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Cosades feints and then cracks Esposito 's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Esposito down.
Esposito connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Esposito punishes Cosades's body with a nice straight punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cosades misses with a kick to the body.
Dante Esposito is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Esposito throws a head kick that misses.
Esposito takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Esposito with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Cosades takes a swing at Esposito 's ribcage but misses.
Esposito throws a head kick but Cosades moves out of range.
Nice shot by Esposito .
Esposito walks into a straight right hand from Cosades.
Cosades uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Esposito is looking to score with low kicks.
Esposito takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Cosades feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Esposito 's calf.
Cosades takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Cosades just misses with a punch to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cosades takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Esposito takes a body punch but keeps moving.
An inside leg kick from Cosades misses.
Esposito throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Esposito misses with a leg kick
and Cosades counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Esposito feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Cosades's calf.
A swing and a miss from Cosades.
It seemed like Esposito was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Cosades connects with a solid leg kick.
Esposito swings widly with a right hand
and Cosades counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Esposito feints and then cracks Cosades's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Cosades down.
Cosades takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Esposito moves out of range of the leg kick from Cosades.
Esposito looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Esposito slaps away a takedown attempt from Cosades, before circling back to the center of the mat.
It seemed like Esposito was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Caius Cosades. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cosades scores with a body shot.
Cosades moves out of range of the strikes.
Cosades misses with a body kick.
Jab, jab by Esposito - just one landing.
Esposito throws a leg kick but Cosades moved away.
Cosades shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Esposito sprawls well. Esposito wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Cosades gets slowly back to his feet.
Esposito looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Cosades throws a front kick aimed at Esposito 's knee but Esposito avoids it well.
Esposito takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Esposito moves out of range as Cosades throws a body kick.
Esposito was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Cosades looks to land a body kick but Esposito moved away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Esposito crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Cosades - the referee stops the clock and Esposito gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Cosades. Esposito manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Caius Cosades is winning the standup battle so far.
Esposito dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Esposito does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Cosades throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Cosades, right into the meat.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Esposito delivers a nice body kick.

Cosades closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Esposito quickly recovers to half guard.

Esposito manages to create a bit of space in order to work his way back to his feet. Cosades keeps hold of his opponent and drives him back against the cage.
Esposito tries to throw a body punch but Cosades avoids it by throwing Esposito back against the cage.
Esposito tries to work over Cosades's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Esposito .
Esposito throws a punch but it's blocked by Cosades.
Cosades lands a left hand that snaps the head of Esposito backwards.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Caius Cosades will probably get the nod.
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!

Esposito does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Cosades blocks a head kick by Esposito .
Cosades just misses with a punch to the body.
Esposito is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Cosades with a body shot.
Cosades is looking to wear down Esposito with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Cosades throws a sloppy head kick and Esposito moves out of range easily.
Cosades is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Cosades connects with a solid leg kick.
Cosades throws a head kick but Esposito moves out of range.
Cosades slips a straight right by Esposito .
Cosades shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Esposito defends it nicely.
Esposito was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cosades ducks under a wild hook from Esposito .
Cosades steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Esposito .
Cosades lands a slapping body shot.
Esposito with a hook.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Esposito lets loose with a powerful body kick. Cosades will feel that in the morning.
Cosades thows a body kick. Esposito tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Cosades punishes Esposito 's body with a nice straight punch.
Cosades lands a head kick!
Cosades throws a lazy body kick
and Esposito counters with a solid body kick.
Cosades tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Esposito was well out of range. Poor timing from Cosades.
Cosades looks to land a body kick but Esposito moved away.
Cosades throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Esposito misses with a head kick.
Cosades feinted with a counter takedown.
A swing and a miss from Esposito .
Cosades lands a head kick. Esposito smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

It looks like Dante Esposito has been cut.
Cosades fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Esposito manages to avoid it.
Dante Esposito has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Esposito misses with a hook. Cosades ducked under it nicely.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cosades looks to throw a body kick
and Esposito counters with a nice low kick that buckles Cosades's knee momentarily.
Cosades throws a head kick but Esposito moves out of range.
Cosades looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Esposito has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Cosades finds it's way round the side to connect with Esposito 's head.
Cosades lands with a nice body kick.
Esposito wants to land a leg kick but Cosades is out of range.
Cosades swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Esposito has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Cosades.
Cosades throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Cosades connects with the punch.
Cosades feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Esposito 's calf.
Cosades looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Esposito misses with a kick to the body.
Esposito takes a shot to the body in his stride.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cosades throws a body kick that misses
and Esposito counters with an inside leg kick.
Cosades misses the shot to the body.
Esposito takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Cosades throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Esposito looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Esposito keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Esposito throws out a counter right but Cosades avoids it with no problem.
Esposito misses with a body kick.
Cosades is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Caius Cosades is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Cosades connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Cosades takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
A looping hook to the body misses from Cosades. Esposito does a little dance to reset his feet.
A solid body kick from Esposito .
Esposito tries to score with a low kick but Cosades moves his leg out of the way.
Esposito lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Esposito on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Cosades ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Some wild striking there from Esposito .
Cosades drops down looking for a counter takedown but Esposito sprawls and moves away.
Esposito takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Cosades misses with a kick to the body.
Caius Cosades seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cosades just misses with a punch to the body.
Esposito ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Cosades moves away.
Nice body punch from Cosades.
Esposito lands a nice looking body shot.
Esposito thuds his right hand into Cosades's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Cosades pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Cosades decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Cosades is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!

And that's the end of the fight!
Caius Cosades showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Cosades has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 30:28
Judge Arvi Lind scores the fight 29:28
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Caius Cosades!
An out of breath Caius Cosades thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.