PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dominik Marino (ranked 4559 p4p, 0 weight class) and Cole Slovak (ranked 3673 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Marino
vs
Slovak

177 cm
18
147 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

178 cm
20
140 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Determined

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dominik Marino!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Cole Slovak!
The judges for this bout are , Don Winkell and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice sprawl there from Marino as Slovak shoots in.

Marino dives in and scores a takedown into Slovak's guard.
Slovak preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Marino sitting in guard here, content to control.
Marino has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Marino throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Slovak works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Marino throwing strikes from guard but Slovak blocks nicely.
Marino 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 one minute gone in the round.

Marino drops back looking for a leg! Slovak is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Slovak manages to kick Marino off! Marino jumps back into Slovak's guard.

Marino drops back, looking for a kneebar! Slovak looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Slovak looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Slovak!

Marino is looking to regain half guard here but Slovak keeps moving and retains side control.

Slovak tries for a kimura but Marino is defending well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marino is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Slovak is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Slovak looking to control but Marino is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Marino sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Slovak trying to control from half guard but Marino is working away.
The fighters are battling for position here. Marino manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Marino tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Marino keeping moving, preventing Slovak from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Slovak has gone for a leg lock! Marino slips out almost immediately though and dives into Slovak's guard.

Marino throws an elbow that misses. Slovak uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Marino's guard. Nice move by Slovak!

Marino looking for a guillotine here but Slovak defends easily.

Marino is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Slovak defends well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Marino looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Slovak wants to control from the top but Marino keeps moving.

Marino looking for a guillotine here but Slovak defends easily.

Marino has an active guard here but Slovak has managed to pass into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dominik Marino will probably get the nod.
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.

Slovak looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Marino is fending him off so far but Slovak persists. Nope, Marino circles away and we're back to standing.

Slovak shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Slovak showed some decent athleticism there.
Marino has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Slovak is working away from the top position though.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Marino is looking for a sweep. Slovak is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Marino is pressing down on Slovak's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Marino has control of Slovak's left arm, preventing Slovak from doing any damage.
Marino on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Marino tries to get out of the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Marino working for a triangle but Slovak defends it easily.

Marino looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Slovak tries to free his leg and advance position but Marino is retaining full guard.
Marino tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Marino keeping moving, preventing Slovak from controlling successfully.
Marino is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Marino working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Slovak.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Marino dives in and grabs Slovak's left leg, looking for a takedown. Slovak pushes down on Marino's head and hops out.
Slovak is looking for the big counter here.

Marino dives in and scores a takedown into Slovak's guard.
Slovak working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Marino.
Marino sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Slovak's guard.

Marino is working for a kimura but Slovak is defending it quite comfortably.
Marino stops Slovak from getting back to his feet.
Slovak wants to control but Marino is keeping busy.
Marino content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Marino looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Dominik Marino overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Slovak wants to get back to full guard but Marino has passed into side control.
Slovak is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.

Marino is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Slovak knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Marino wants to lay and pray for a moment but Slovak keeps working.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Marino is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Slovak is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dominik Marino dominated that second round.
That's time! Marino's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

No luck with that takedown attempt from Marino.
Marino doesn't succeed with the takedown
letting Slovak counter with a right hand.
Slovak throws a one two combo.

Slovak dives in and scores a takedown into Marino's guard.
Slovak trying to control but Marino is working from the bottom.
Slovak must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Slovak tries to free his leg and advance position but Marino is retaining full guard.
Slovak wants to control from the top but Marino keeps moving.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Marino wants to sweep here but Slovak controlling him for the moment.
Marino keeping full guard, as Slovak tries to pass.

That's one minute gone in the round.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Marino is on top in guard.

Slovak keeping full guard, as Marino tries to pass.
Marino is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Marino.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Marino accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Marino with a flurry of punches that miss.

Slovak isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Marino stacks Slovak on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Marino!
Marino 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.
Marino controls the position from side control.
Marino seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Slovak for as long as he can get away with.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Slovak is trying to control Marino's posture but Marino avoids it.
Marino tries to score with some ground and pound. Slovak controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Marino staying calm.

Marino tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Slovak regains half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Marino thows a huge punch but Slovak dodges it nicely.
Slovak keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Marino controlling the pace.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.

Marino scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Marino in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
Marino is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Slovak will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Marino working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Cole Slovak.
I think Marino 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Dominik Marino!