PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Vincent Bartlett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hank Zitto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bartlett comes to the cage accompanied by Discipline (AE01). Vincent Bartlett has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Bartlett
vs
Zitto

185 cm
22
203 lbs
4 - 7 - 0

177 cm
22
207 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Experienced

Good takedowns
Counter striker
Knockout power

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 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Vincent Bartlett!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Hank Zitto!
The judges for this bout are Matheus Silva, Alexandre Firmino and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bartlett tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Zitto keeps the fight on the outside.
Zitto avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bartlett fails with an attempt to clinch.

Zitto darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Zitto takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Bartlett is looking for a sweep. Zitto is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Zitto working over Bartlett with some ground and pound. Bartlett looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Zitto connects with a nice short shot to Bartlett's temple.
Bartlett is looking to escape.
Zitto trying to control from half guard but Bartlett is working away.
Zitto landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Zitto trying to control from half guard but Bartlett is working away.
Bartlett wants to get back to his feet.
Bartlett has hold of Zitto's hands but Zitto slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

Bartlett makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zitto jabs Bartlett right on the nose. Bartlett blinks but takes it well.

Zitto scores with a takedown into Bartlett's guard.
Zitto in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Bartlett has momentary wrist control but Zitto slips an elbow through the middle.
Zitto content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Zitto trying to control the position from guard on top but Bartlett is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Zitto won't allow Bartlett to sweep him here.
Zitto with a nice head shot there.
Zitto won't allow Bartlett to sweep him here.
Zitto prevents Bartlett from getting back to his feet.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Zitto accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Zitto keeps the fight on the outside.
Zitto shoots in looking for a takedown. Bartlett tries to sprawl out of it but Zitto keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Bartlett manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Vincent Bartlett seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Zitto scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bartlett tries to buck Zitto off but Zitto is having none of it.

Bartlett bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!
Bartlett tries to clinch there but Zitto circles away.
Zitto closes the distance and clinches up with Bartlett, looking for a takedown. Zitto pushes Bartlett against the cage but Bartlett circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Bartlett tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

Bartlett closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Zitto to the mat! Zitto manages to get full guard.
Bartlett is breathing heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Zitto lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Bartlett!
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Bartlett is in a horrible position here. Zitto smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Bartlett is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zitto looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
You get the feeling that Bartlett really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Zitto lands with some strikes.
Zitto lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Zitto can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Bartlett is looking to escape.
Bartlett is looking to get to half guard.
Zitto is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Bartlett can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Bartlett 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.
Zitto working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Bartlett is trying to get back to full guard.
Zitto is keen to just control but Bartlett is a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Zitto lands a nice short elbow.
Bartlett slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Zitto won't allow Bartlett to sweep him here.
Bartlett wants to stand and escape but Zitto is having none of it.
Zitto working some strikes from top position.
Bartlett keeping moving, preventing Zitto from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Zitto working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Zitto stands up over Bartlett, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Zitto stops Bartlett from standing up.
Zitto with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Bartlett is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Bartlett shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hank Zitto dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Bartlett feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Bartlett is looking to work some ground and pound but Zitto has wrist control.
Zitto keeping full guard, as Bartlett tries to pass.
Zitto tries to land a sweep but no joy.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Zitto is trying to keep Bartlett in close.
Zitto managing to control the position.
Zitto 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.
Bartlett trying to stand up but can't free himself from Zitto's guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Zitto working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Bartlett.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Zitto looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Bartlett is fending him off so far but Zitto persists. Nope, Bartlett circles away and we're back to standing.
Bartlett tries to clinch but Zitto moves out of range.
Bartlett has his takedown stuffed

and Zitto counters with a nice double leg into side control. Bartlett won't be happy with that.
Zitto working the head with strikes.
Zitto content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Zitto is chipping away with strikes.
Zitto landing a few strikes.
Zitto working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Bartlett is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Zitto working the head with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zitto landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Bartlett striking from the bottom but nothing landed.
Bartlett manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Bartlett pushes Zitto off looking to stand but Zitto dives back in and keeps control.
Zitto wants to control but Bartlett is keeping him busy.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Zitto lands a nice short elbow.
Bartlett is looking to control Zitto's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Bartlett avoid being mounted?
Bartlett wants to get back to full guard.
Zitto should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Zitto landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Zitto scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Bartlett trying to control here.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Zitto circles away from the clinch attempt

and Zitto counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zitto lands a couple of digs.
Zitto trying to control but Bartlett is working from the bottom.
Zitto lands a couple of elbows.
Zitto pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Bartlett is keeping the position for now.
Zitto stands up over Bartlett, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Bartlett wants to stand but Zitto is controlling the position.
Bartlett trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Zitto stopping the sweep attempt from Bartlett.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.

Zitto closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bartlett is trying to get back to full guard.
Zitto is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Zitto scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Hank Zitto has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bartlett tries to roll over but Zitto keeps him under control.
Zitto looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Bartlett with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Zitto lands a nice short elbow.
Bartlett tries to get to full guard but Zitto has control of the leg.
Bartlett tries to push off, looking to stand up, but Zitto manages to move to mount!
Zitto scoring with strikes but Bartlett is staying in there.
Zitto landing punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hank Zitto showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Bartlett tries to clinch

and Zitto counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Bartlett's guard now.
Zitto is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Bartlett is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Zitto missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Zitto scoring with punches to the head and body.
Zitto passes into half guard under a barage of strikes.
Bartlett has hold of Zitto's hands but Zitto slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Bartlett tries to roll over but Zitto keeps him under control.
Bartlett tries to kick Zitto off but Zitto keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.

Zitto shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Bartlett's guard.
Zitto distracts Bartlett with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Zitto postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Bartlett wants to stand but Zitto is controlling the position.
Zitto postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Zitto is in close to Bartlett's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Zitto trying to control but Bartlett is working from the bottom.
Zitto stands up over Bartlett, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Zitto is in close to Bartlett's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Zitto lands a couple of digs.
Zitto lands a couple of digs.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Bartlett tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Zitto counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Bartlett's guard now.
Bartlett looking to hit a scissor sweep but Zitto is one step ahead there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Zitto pushing down on Bartlett's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Zitto prevents Bartlett from improving his position.
Zitto lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Zitto working Bartlett over with strikes.
Zitto scoring with strikes to the body and head.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Zitto lands a nice short elbow.
Zitto thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Bartlett's head.
Nice strikes from Zitto there.
Zitto is keen to just control but Bartlett is a slippery customer.

Bartlett kicks Zitto off and gets back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bartlett wants to clinch but Zitto slips to the side

and Zitto counters with a single leg into guard. Bartlett didn't expect that.
Zitto content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Bartlett manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Zitto manages to get himself to full guard.
Zitto tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Zitto has a closed guard, preventing Bartlett from standing up.
Bartlett being controlled here momentarily.
Let's hope that Zitto has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Vincent Bartlett has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bartlett trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zitto pulls Bartlett in close to prevent any damage.
Bartlett throwing strikes from guard but Zitto blocks nicely.
Zitto looking to hit a scissor sweep but Bartlett is one step ahead there.
Bartlett wanted to stand there but Zitto had control of the position.
Zitto lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Bartlett!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Zitto landing strikes, looking to finish!
Hank Zitto is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Bartlett is in all sorts of trouble here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hank Zitto comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Zitto winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Matheus Silva scores the fight 27:30
Judge Alexandre Firmino scores the fight 27:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hank Zitto!