PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Matthieu Benoit (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bret Hart (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hart has chosen Vertigo - U2 as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Benoit
vs
Hart

185 cm
28
193 lbs
16 - 10 - 2

180 cm
31
198 lbs
15 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Milwaukee's Best 160 -$75 Vote Colbert!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 10 - 2, fighting out of New York, Matthieu Benoit!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bret Hart!
The judges for this bout are Alyssa Summers, Chad Campbell and Joseph Jones.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Benoit moves into range and connects with a jab.

It looks like Bret Hart has been cut.
Hart stuffs the takedown.

Hart clinches up against the cage.
Benoit lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Hart tries to break free but Benoit pushes him back against the cage.
A short left from Hart.

Benoit's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hart looks to land a right hand but Benoit moved out of range.
Hart takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
A big right from Benoit misses.
Bret Hart seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hart misses with a hook. Benoit ducked under it nicely.
Benoit throws a right and a left that Hart avoids nicely.
Hart wants to slow Benoit down by chopping away at his legs.
An inside leg kick from Hart misses.
A jab lands there for Benoit.
Hart looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Benoit swings for the body but Hart moves out of range.
Benoit misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Hart slips under a jab from Benoit.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit dips to his left and cracks Hart with an uppercut!
Benoit misses with a body shot.
Hart throws a series of punches but Benoit avoids them all with ease.
Hart looks to throw the jab but Benoit is out of range.
Benoit fails to land the takedown.
Hart misses with a looping left.
Benoit feints and then cracks Hart's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Hart down.
Hart tries to land a front kick but Benoit steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Benoit swings for the body but Hart moves out of range.
Benoit scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Hart doesn't seem bothered though.
Benoit throws a body punch but Hart moves out of range.
Hart throws a hook to the side of Benoit's head but Benoit sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Hart throws a leg kick that is checked
and Benoit counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Benoit tries to score with a low kick but Hart moves his leg out of the way.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hart tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Benoit manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Benoit fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Hart checks it well.
Hart misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Benoit.
Benoit tries to close the distance and clinch but Hart swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Hart misses with a looping right.
A big right from Hart misses.
Benoit with a nice cross.

Hart scores a takedown into full mount!
Benoit manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Benoit is pressing down on Hart's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Benoit has Hart pulled in close to control his posture.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Benoit is on top in guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Benoit is in close to Hart's body, working some short punches and elbows.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benoit throws a big right hand that misses.
Hart trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!

Benoit is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Hart looking to control.
Benoit wants to pass the guard but Hart is keeping the position.
Benoit slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Hart is trying to control the position but Benoit postures up.

Benoit drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Benoit jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Benoit trying to control but Hart is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Hart is looking for a triangle but Benoit pushes his legs off easily.
Hart looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Hart uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Hart takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
No joy there for Benoit, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Benoit ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Benoit fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Matthieu Benoit. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Benoit lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Hart has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Hart and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Benoit keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Benoit ducks under a wild hook from Hart.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matthieu Benoit dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Bret Hart's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Benoit throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Hart throws a right and a left that both miss.
A nice inside leg kick there by Benoit. That's going to slow Hart down.
Benoit fails to land with a series of punches.
Benoit connects with a leg kick. Hart looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Hart pivots, looking for a leg kick but Benoit is out of range and Hart settles back down.
Benoit throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Hart keeps the fight on the outside.
Benoit defending well as Hart loads up on a big left hand.
Matthieu Benoit is winning the standup battle so far.
Hart takes one on the button.
Benoit lands a slapping body shot.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Benoit.
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!

Benoit thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Hart is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Benoit's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hart blocking the ground and pound attempt from Benoit.
Hart makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Hart.
Benoit wants to pass the guard but Hart is keeping the position.
Hart trying to keep a closed guard but Benoit is proving a slippery customer.
Benoit working some strikes from top position.
Benoit stopping the sweep attempt from Hart.
Benoit loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Benoit controlling from the top position.
Benoit with a nice head shot there.
Benoit showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Benoit looking to sit in guard and control but Hart gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Hart throws a big right hand that misses.
Benoit controlling the position.

Benoit looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Benoit is on top in guard.
Benoit 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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hart is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Benoit trying to control but Hart is working from the bottom.
Benoit postures up.
Hart keeping moving, preventing Benoit from controlling successfully.

Hart looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Hart is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Benoit sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit throwing strikes but missing.
Hart wants to sweep here but Benoit controlling him for the moment.
Benoit is pushing down on Hart's leg trying to pass to half guard. Hart is fighting to maintain full guard but Benoit has managed to sneak the leg through.

Benoit is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Matthieu Benoit overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Hart wants to improve his position but Benoit is controlling well.
Hart makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Hart.
Benoit wants to control from the top but Hart keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Benoit controls from within his opponent's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matthieu Benoit dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Bret Hart's cut.
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!

Benoit sizes up Hart with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Benoit lands a body shot.
Benoit connects with a leg kick. Hart looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
A combination from Hart does no damage.
Hart keeps the fight on the outside.
Benoit looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Hart lands with a right hand.
Benoit throws a leg kick which misses Hart's front leg but catches the back leg as Hart tries to avoid it.
Hart throws an ugly left hook that misses
letting Benoit counter with a right hand.
Decent striking displayed by Benoit there.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hart scores with a sloppy right hand. Benoit should have avoided that one.
Hart takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Benoit fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Hart, pushing him back against the cage.
Hart tries a knee to the head but Benoit blocks it.
Benoit lands a right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit stalling against the cage.
Benoit lands a left hand that snaps the head of Hart backwards.
Benoit scores with a shoulder strike.
Benoit keeps control of Hart as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Benoit works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Benoit scores with a hook to the body.
Benoit lands a body shot in the clinch.
Hart prevents a body shot from Benoit.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Benoit scores with a shot to the side of Hart's head.
A left hand lands to the body for Benoit.
Benoit misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The referee is keeping an eye on Benoit - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Nice body punch from Benoit - that landed with a thud.
Benoit lands a hook that snaps the head of Hart backwards.
Benoit will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Hart up against the cage.
Benoit pushes Hart back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Benoit manages to break the clinch.
Benoit chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Hart misses with a hook
and Benoit counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Hart on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Hart takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

That has opened up Bret Hart's cut even more.
Hart's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Benoit connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Hart scrambles back to his feet.
Hart takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Hart throws a shot from downtown. Benoit moves away and avoids it.
Benoit scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Benoit scores with a nice body kick.
Benoit lands an overhand right.
Jab by Benoit.
Benoit scores with a kick to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hart takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Benoit lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Benoit scores with a nice strike.
Benoit is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Hart can do to turn this around?
Benoit thumps Hart with a low kick.
Hart takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Benoit bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Hart's head backwards.
Benoit throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hart.
Benoit is looking to clinch but Hart is avoiding it.
Hart walks into a stiff left hand from Benoit.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Benoit shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Hart as he avoids it easily.
Bret Hart has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Benoit ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Benoit connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Benoit scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Benoit lands a really nice looking cross but Hart seems unphased.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice body kick there by Benoit.
Matthieu Benoit is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
A big right from Hart misses.
Benoit tries to bum rush Hart with a series of wild strikes but Hart uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Hart tries to work over Benoit's front leg with a kick but Benoit checks it.
Benoit feints and then cracks Hart's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Hart down.
A punch combination from Benoit misses.
Benoit lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Benoit works Hart's body with a nice hook.
Benoit slips under a jab.

Benoit closes the distance and clinches.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Benoit jumps guard and drags Hart to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Benoit looking for a sweep. Not yet Benoit, not yet.
Hart wants to control from the top but Benoit keeps moving.
Benoit is trying to keep Hart in close.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matthieu Benoit showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Benoit 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 Alyssa Summers scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matthieu Benoit!
Matthieu Benoit decided to hype himself up post fight. It was going well but he went on about it a bit too long and the crowd turned on him a little.