PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Gianmarco Zaniboni (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pappy Boyington (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Zaniboni
vs
Boyington

175 cm
21
149 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

178 cm
26
148 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

BJJ Blue Belt
World class boxer
Heavy handed

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 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Gianmarco Zaniboni!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Pappy Boyington!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Yuuki Gou and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Zaniboni gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Boyington fails in his attempt to clinch.
Zaniboni lands with a good body shot.
Zaniboni lands with a nice body punch.

Zaniboni pushes Boyington up against the cage in a clinch.
Boyington leaning his opponent against the cage.
Zaniboni misses with a hook to the ribs.
Boyington misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Zaniboni.
Zaniboni tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Boyington's elbow.
Boyington lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Zaniboni.
Boyington misses with a knee strike.
Zaniboni scores with a shoulder strike.
Boyington connects with a knee to the head.
Boyington misses with the head strike.
Boyington misses with a knee strike.
Zaniboni stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Zaniboni misses with a hook to the ribs.
Boyington lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Boyington lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Boyington lands a damaging elbow.
Boyington with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Boyington lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Boyington holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Zaniboni is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Boyington's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Zaniboni lands a body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boyington swings wildly with an uppercut but Zaniboni uses good head movement to avoid it.
Boyington tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Zaniboni avoids it.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Boyington.
Boyington fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Zaniboni stalling in the clinch.
Zaniboni works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Boyington looks gassed!
Zaniboni lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Zaniboni fails to pull guard.
Zaniboni wants to get back to striking at distance but Boyington won't allow it.
Zaniboni is trying to drag Boyington to the mat but Boyington just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Zaniboni looking to slow down the pace here.
Zaniboni wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gianmarco Zaniboni. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Zaniboni scores with a hook to the body.
Boyington prevents a takedown attempt there.
Zaniboni swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Zaniboni on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Boyington lands a hook to the side of the head.
Boyington missing with knees to the body.
Boyington throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Zaniboni works on Boyington's body with a couple of short punches.
Zaniboni blocking some punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Boyington pushes off an throws an elbow but Zaniboni leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Zaniboni wants a takedown.
A body shot lands from Zaniboni.
Zaniboni has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Boyington is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Boyington is looking to control Zaniboni's arms but Zaniboni gets an underhook and turns him. Now Boyington has his back to the cage.
Zaniboni misses with a body punch.
Boyington doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Boyington as Zaniboni tries to tie him up.
Zaniboni tries to work over Boyington's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Zaniboni lands a left hand.
Boyington utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Zaniboni blocks the elbow strike.
Zaniboni lands a body punch.
Zaniboni is stalling here.
Boyington looking to stall.
Boyington lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Zaniboni backwards.
Boyington scores with a hook to the body.
A left hand lands to the body for Zaniboni.
Zaniboni misses with a punch to the body.
Boyington with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
A right hand to the body from Zaniboni.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Zaniboni misses with a hook to the ribs.
Zaniboni has had enough of the clinch but Boyington keeps him there for the moment.
Zaniboni pressing his opponent against the cage.
Zaniboni lands a hook that snaps the head of Boyington backwards.
Zaniboni tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Zaniboni tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Boyington connects with a knee to the head.
Zaniboni stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Boyington misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Zaniboni.
Boyington stalling.
Boyington tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Zaniboni is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Boyington pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Boyington looking to stall.
Zaniboni is leaning against Boyington and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Zaniboni tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Boyington's elbow.
Zaniboni is leaning against Boyington and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Zaniboni fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Zaniboni blocks an elbow strike from Boyington.
Zaniboni lands a body shot in the clinch.
Boyington prevents the takedown attempt.
Boyington prevents a body shot from Zaniboni.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Zaniboni lands a body punch.
Zaniboni lands a body punch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Boyington.
Zaniboni slowing the pace effectively.
Zaniboni scores with a hook to the body.
Zaniboni tries to pull guard but Boyington holds him up against the cage and eventually Zaniboni drops back down to his feet.
Zaniboni holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Boyington landing knees to the head.
Boyington keeps control of Zaniboni as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Zaniboni drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Zaniboni misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Boyington working aggressively here.
Zaniboni displaying some good clinch control by pressing Boyington up against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Zaniboni as Boyington tries to tie him up.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Zaniboni works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Boyington tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Zaniboni tries to stall but Boyington uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Zaniboni tries to work over Boyington's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gianmarco Zaniboni dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Zaniboni swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Zaniboni throws a body punch but Boyington moves out of range.
Boyington misses with a hook.

Boyington closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Zaniboni blocks an elbow strike.
Boyington is looking to control Zaniboni's arms but Zaniboni gets an underhook and turns him. Now Boyington has his back to the cage.
Zaniboni looking to slow down the pace here.
Zaniboni can't find room to land a body shot as Boyington controls the action.
Zaniboni wants a takedown.
Boyington lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Boyington pushes Zaniboni back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Boyington controlling the action here for a moment.
A frustrated look appears on Zaniboni's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Boyington lands with a short shot to the head.
Boyington stalling in the clinch.
A nice left hand lands by Boyington.
Boyington taking a breather.
Boyington is trying to slow the pace down but that's a couple of times in a row that he's tried to get underhooks and Zaniboni has denied him.
The referee is keeping an eye on Zaniboni - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Boyington swings away with an uppercut that misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boyington stalling.
Nice body punch from Zaniboni.
Zaniboni tries to score a body lock takedown but Boyington shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Boyington lands an elbow inside that Zaniboni shrugs off.
Boyington throws a knee to the head but misses.
Boyington is breathing heavily.
Zaniboni misses with a punch to the body.

Zaniboni breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Zaniboni slips a straight right by Boyington.
Zaniboni lands with a nice body punch.
Boyington scores with a one two! Zaniboni had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Zaniboni throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Zaniboni gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Boyington.
Zaniboni just misses with a punch to the body.
Boyington buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Boyington throws a jab but it's blocked by Zaniboni.
Zaniboni swings for the body but Boyington moves out of range.
Zaniboni just misses with a punch to the body.
Boyington fails with an attempt to clinch.
Boyington stuffs the takedown attempt from Zaniboni. Zaniboni gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Gianmarco Zaniboni. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Boyington throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Pappy Boyington seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Boyington wants to clinch but Zaniboni slips to the side
and Zaniboni counters with a left and a right that stings Boyington.
A looping hook to the body misses from Zaniboni. Boyington does a little dance to reset his feet.
Boyington looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Zaniboni thows a body shot but no joy.

Boyington clinches up with Zaniboni and pushes him back against the cage.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Boyington works on Zaniboni's body with a couple of short punches.
Zaniboni misses with a punch on the inside.
Zaniboni tries to pull guard but Boyington holds him up against the cage and eventually Zaniboni drops back down to his feet.
Boyington misses with a short punch on the inside.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Zaniboni.
Boyington pressing his opponent against the cage.
Boyington tries to land a knee to the head but Zaniboni blocks with his arms.
Boyington throws a punch but it's blocked by Zaniboni.
Zaniboni throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Zaniboni presses Boyington against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
A short right from Zaniboni on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The referee calls for Zaniboni to work.

Zaniboni breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Boyington slips a jab from Zaniboni.
Zaniboni connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Boyington moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Boyington tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Zaniboni was well out of range. Poor timing from Boyington.
Zaniboni tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Boyington was well out of range. Poor timing from Zaniboni.
Boyington bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Zaniboni's head backwards.
Boyington bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Zaniboni moves forwards but Boyington connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Boyington tries to clinch
and Boyington takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Zaniboni moves out of range as Boyington strikes.
Boyington is looking to chop away at Zaniboni's legs.
Boyington tries to close the distance and clinch up but Zaniboni swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Zaniboni gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Boyington dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Boyington throws a punch but it's blocked by Zaniboni.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Boyington lands a body punch in the clinch.
Boyington is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Zaniboni is keeping busy.
Boyington is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Zaniboni is defending well for now.
Zaniboni has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Boyington is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Boyington scores with a shot to the side of Zaniboni's head.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Zaniboni throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Zaniboni lands a nice shot to the body.
Boyington lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Zaniboni controlling the action here for a moment.
Zaniboni misses with a hook to the ribs.
Boyington softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Zaniboni just leaning against Boyington, taking a breather.
Zaniboni misses with a short punch on the inside.
Zaniboni tries a body shot but Boyington blocks it.

Zaniboni gets a trip takedown into half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Zaniboni has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Zaniboni thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
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 Gianmarco Zaniboni 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!

A nice leg kick lands there from Boyington.
Boyington scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Zaniboni drops his hands momentarily and Boyington takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Boyington scores with a hook to the body. Zaniboni takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Zaniboni keeps the fight on the outside.
Zaniboni walks into a straight right hand from Boyington.
Zaniboni avoids the body shot from Boyington.
Zaniboni fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Boyington manages to avoid it.
Boyington clinches but Zaniboni breaks the clinch

and Zaniboni counters by clinching up.
Gianmarco Zaniboni has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Boyington stalling in the clinch.
Zaniboni tries a body shot but Boyington blocks it.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Boyington.
Boyington lands a hook to the side of the head.
Zaniboni lands a body shot.
Zaniboni on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Boyington stalling the fight.
Zaniboni lands an uppercut.
Boyington takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Boyington doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

Zaniboni gets control of Boyington's arms and successfully pulls guard. Zaniboni will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Boyington wants to control from the top but Zaniboni keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Zaniboni is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Boyington must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

Zaniboni throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Zaniboni wants to sweep here but Boyington controlling him for the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Zaniboni has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Boyington can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Boyington controlling from the top position.

Zaniboni looking for a guillotine here but Boyington defends easily.
Pappy Boyington has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Boyington is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Zaniboni 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.
Gianmarco Zaniboni is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Boyington is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Let's hope that Boyington 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.
Zaniboni is trying to keep Boyington in close.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Boyington throws a big right hand that misses.
Boyington wants to stand but Zaniboni is controlling his posture from full guard.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Zaniboni misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Boyington.
Zaniboni fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Boyington lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Zaniboni backs up against the cage.

Zaniboni gets a clinch.
Zaniboni blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Boyington trying to stall but Zaniboni improves his position.
Boyington blocks a body shot from Zaniboni.
Boyington has Zaniboni pressed against the cage.
Zaniboni stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Boyington throws a head punch that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Boyington tries to land knees in the clinch but Zaniboni avoids the damage to the body.
Boyington lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Stalling in the clinch from Boyington.
Boyington throws a head punch that misses.
Boyington misses with the head strike.
Boyington misses with an elbow strike.
Zaniboni tries for a takedown. No joy.
Boyington goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Zaniboni on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Zaniboni avoids a wild elbow strike from Boyington.
Boyington pushes off an throws an elbow but Zaniboni leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Boyington can't find room to land a body shot as Zaniboni controls the action.
Boyington misses with an elbow strike.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Zaniboni is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Boyington is keeping busy.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Gianmarco Zaniboni.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Zaniboni, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 29:29
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:29
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a majority draw!