PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Joe D Amato (ranked 5146 p4p, 3918 weight class) and Ignacio Alvarez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Joe D Amato has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

D Amato
vs
Alvarez

193 cm
18
218
4 - 1 - 0

194 cm
18
220
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Joe D Amato!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ignacio Alvarez!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Steve Montenegro and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but D Amato paws at him with a jab and circles away.

D Amato throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Alvarez tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. D Amato is in Alvarez's guard.
Alvarez trying to control the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
D Amato stays in close to Alvarez's body and controls the position.

D Amato gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
D Amato lands a jab to Alvarez's midsection.
D Amato misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Alvarez throws a big counter head kick but D Amato avoids it with no problem.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
D Amato lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Alvarez circles away quickly and effectively.
Alvarez is clearly trying to counter these attacks from D Amato with a body shot.
Alvarez throws a nice head kick!
Alvarez takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
D Amato tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Alvarez was well out of range. Poor timing from D Amato.
D Amato connects with a body shot that sends Alvarez's belly button to the back.
Alvarez looks winded!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alvarez throws an off balance right hand
and D Amato counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
D Amato is looking to wear down Alvarez with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
D Amato misses with a head kick.

D Amato fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Alvarez, pushing him back against the cage.
D Amato has had enough of the clinch but Alvarez keeps him there for the moment.
Our sources have told us that D Amato has been working on his elbows in the gym.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as D Amato takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
D Amato tries to break the clinch but Alvarez is controlling the position.
D Amato dodges an elbow strike from Alvarez.
Alvarez tries to work over D Amato's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Alvarez breaks from the clinch.
Alvarez lands a head kick. D Amato smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Joe D Amato seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
D Amato misses with a double jab.
D Amato lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by D Amato.

It looks like Ignacio Alvarez has been cut.

D Amato closes the distance and clinches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
D Amato has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
D Amato lands with a right to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Alvarez is trying to break the clinch but D Amato has him pressed against the cage.
D Amato is trying to break free.
Alvarez keeps the fight in the clinch, despite D Amato's efforts to push away.
D Amato has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Alvarez wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but D Amato has him pressed against the cage.
D Amato blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
D Amato blocks an elbow strike from Alvarez.
D Amato lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Alvarez is trying to break the clinch but D Amato has him pressed against the cage.
Alvarez working aggressively here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
D Amato blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Alvarez throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but D Amato blocks it with crossed arms.
Alvarez fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

D Amato manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
D Amato pulls Alvarez in close to prevent any damage.
Alvarez trying to control the position from guard on top but D Amato is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
D Amato controlling the position.

D Amato kicks Alvarez off and gets to his feet.
An inside leg kick from D Amato misses.
D Amato ducks under a wild hook from Alvarez.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch but D Amato swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
D Amato tries to bum rush Alvarez with a series of wild strikes but Alvarez uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Alvarez throws a head kick but D Amato moves out of range.
Alvarez fakes high and swings low for a body shot but D Amato manages to avoid it.
Alvarez throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
D Amato scores with a punch to the head.
Ignacio Alvarez is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Alvarez blocks a head kick by D Amato.
Alvarez moves out of range of the body kick from D Amato.
Alvarez tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. D Amato manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Alvarez connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
D Amato tries a head kick but it misses.

D Amato closes the distance and clinches.
Alvarez has D Amato pressed against the cage, preventing D Amato from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
D Amato misses with a knee to the head.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Joe D Amato dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Ignacio Alvarez's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Alvarez tries to clinch up.
Alvarez tries to clinch there but D Amato circles away.
Alvarez scores with a kick to the body.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Alvarez manages to break the clinch.
D Amato displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Alvarez throws out the jab.
A punch combination from D Amato misses.
A big right from Alvarez misses.
Alvarez connects with an inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Alvarez throws a quick inside leg kick.
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch but D Amato swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

D Amato bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
D Amato is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Alvarez can do to turn this around?
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Alvarez is trying to get back to his feet.
Alvarez struggling a bit here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alvarez tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but D Amato wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

D Amato has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
D Amato misses with a jab, cross combination.
Alvarez unleashes a big counter combination but D Amato bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
A bone on bone clash there as D Amato blocks the leg kick.

Alvarez closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Alvarez breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Alvarez avoids a punch combination nicely.
Alvarez looks like he wants to counter punch here.

D Amato has taken the fight to the clinch.

Alvarez pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

D Amato throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Alvarez was covering up waiting for the punch and D Amato finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
D Amato preventing the sweep.
Alvarez wants to control the position but D Amato says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Joe D Amato overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
D Amato throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Still in half guard, D Amato seems content to control.
D Amato's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Alvarez misses with some strikes from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

D Amato gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
A slapping leg kick lands for Alvarez.
D Amato blocks a head kick by Alvarez.
D Amato fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Alvarez manages to avoid it.
Alvarez throws a body shot but no joy.

Alvarez gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
D Amato slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Alvarez can't do much from the bottom here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Alvarez looking for a sweep but D Amato has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Alvarez takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
D Amato controlling from the full mount.

D Amato get's back to his feet.
D Amato tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.

D Amato clinches with his opponent.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Joe D Amato dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Ignacio Alvarez's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

D Amato moves into the clinch successfully.
Alvarez misses with a short punch on the inside.
Alvarez misses with a hook from the clinch.

Alvarez breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

D Amato drives through and clinches with Alvarez against the cage.
Alvarez can't break the clinch.
D Amato lands a body shot in the clinch.
D Amato is struggling to control the position.
D Amato just leaning against Alvarez, taking a breather.
D Amato seems to have come into the fight with the intention of avoiding any damage in the clinch, rather than actually showing any aggression.
Joe D Amato has scored more points in the clinch so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
D Amato prevents Alvarez from breaking the clinch.
A short right from D Amato on the inside.
D Amato wants to break the clinch but can't.
D Amato keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Alvarez's efforts to push away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
D Amato looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Alvarez is trying to break the clinch but D Amato has him pressed against the cage.
A bit of stalling here from D Amato.
D Amato tries to circle away but Alvarez has him pinned against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by D Amato.
A frustrated look appears on Alvarez's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Alvarez manages to break the clinch.
D Amato looks to score with a jab to the body but Alvarez is just out of range.

D Amato forces Alvarez back against the cage and clinches.
Alvarez tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Alvarez breaks the clinch.

Alvarez gets tackled into the cage by D Amato. D Amato maintains the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
D Amato is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Alvarez looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
D Amato blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Alvarez stops a takedown attempt from D Amato.
D Amato is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Alvarez is defending well for now.
Alvarez throws an elbow that misses.
Alvarez has D Amato pressed against the cage, preventing D Amato from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Alvarez misses with a punch on the inside.
D Amato lands with a left to the head.

D Amato breaks the clinch.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Alvarez checks a leg kick.
D Amato throws a right hand that Alvarez ducks under and follows up with a left that Alvarez also avoids with ease.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Alvarez tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
D Amato half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Alvarez lands a head kick. D Amato smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Joe D Amato is winning the standup battle so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from D Amato misses.
Alvarez misses with an uppercut.
Alvarez connects with a solid leg kick.
Alvarez tries to clinch but D Amato is having none of it.
Alvarez is looking to clinch.
D Amato attempts a counter takedown but Alvarez avoids it well and moves away.
D Amato keeps the fight on the outside.
D Amato swats away the attempt to clinch by Alvarez.
Left hook, right uppercut from D Amato.
D Amato throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Alvarez.
D Amato misses with a double jab
and Alvarez counters with a head kick. That will keep D Amato thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
D Amato circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alvarez tries to clinch but D Amato is having none of it.
Alvarez misses the body punch
and D Amato counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
D Amato has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Alvarez.
Alvarez tries to clinch up.
Joe D Amato is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but D Amato paws at him with a jab and circles away.
D Amato keeps the fight on the outside.

D Amato closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Alvarez tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but D Amato wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Alvarez is still trying to improve position.

D Amato decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Alvarez tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but D Amato paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Ignacio Alvarez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Joe D Amato is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Alvarez misses with a head kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe D Amato showed his dominance in that final round.
Well D Amato 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 30:27
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe D Amato!