PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Lionel Messi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Poe Winnie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Lionel Messi has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Messi
vs
Winnie

195 cm
24
250 lbs
9 - 6 - 0

178 cm
27
185 lbs
5 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Powerful takedowns
Counter striker
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Lionel Messi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Poe Winnie!
The judges for this bout are Jeff Smith, Chris Saunders and Roger Salmon.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Messi misses with a two punch combination.
Messi swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Winnie swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Nice combo by Messi! Oh, that's hurt him - Winnie falls to the canvas and Messi follows him into side control.

It looks like Poe Winnie has been cut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Messi trying to control the action but Winnie is working from the bottom.
Messi wants to stand but Winnie has his arm trapped.

Messi decides to stand back up.
Winnie throws a hook but Messi avoids it easily.
Messi throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Messi misses with a wild combination.
Messi throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Winnie.
Messi wants to slow Winnie down by chopping away at his legs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Winnie tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Messi manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Jab, jab by Winnie - just one landing.
Messi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Messi throws a series of punches but Winnie avoids them all with ease.
Winnie fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Messi manages to avoid it.
Messi swinging wildly here.
Messi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Messi throws a right and a left that both miss.
Sloppy strikes from Messi. Those never looked like landing.
Messi misses with a jab, cross combination.
Messi misses with a jab, cross combination.
Messi misses with the combination.
Messi is breathing heavily.
Danga de danga de dang - Messi scores with a four punch combination!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Messi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Winnie.
Winnie throws a hook but Messi avoids it easily.
Winnie scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Messi doesn't seem bothered though.
Winnie misses the shot to the body.
Winnie takes a swing at Messi's ribcage but misses.
Messi fails to land with a series of punches.
Messi looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Messi swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Winnie counters with a single leg into guard. Messi didn't expect that.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Winnie working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Winnie trying to control the position from guard on top but Messi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Winnie throwing strikes but missing.
Winnie trying to control the position from guard on top but Messi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Winnie chips away with some ground and pound.
Messi trying to control the position.
Winnie is looking to work some ground and pound but Messi has wrist control.
Winnie throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Messi will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Winnie wants to control from the top but Messi keeps moving.
Winnie throws a big right hand that misses.
Winnie is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Winnie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Winnie chips away with some ground and pound.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Messi utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Winnie lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Winnie lands a couple of digs.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Winnie keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Messi's head.
Messi working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Winnie.
Winnie working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Messi tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Messi on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Messi tries to get out of the position.
Messi is controlling Winnie's posture.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Messi keeping moving, preventing Winnie from controlling successfully.
Winnie makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in 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 Lionel Messi will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Poe Winnie's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Messi looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Lionel Messi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Winnie throws a hook but Messi avoids it easily.
Messi moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Messi misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Messi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Messi throws a right and a left that both miss.
Winnie swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Messi throws a right hand that Winnie ducks under and follows up with a left that Winnie also avoids with ease.
Winnie looks to score with a jab to the body but Messi is just out of range.
Winnie dodges the punch combination from Messi.
Messi throws a right and a left that both miss.
Messi lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Winnie circles away quickly and effectively.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sloppy strikes from Messi. Those never looked like landing.
Messi avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Messi scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.

That has opened up Poe Winnie's cut even more.
Messi falls off balance throwing a combination
and Winnie counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Messi throws a series of punches but Winnie moves out of range.
Messi throws a right and a left that Winnie avoids nicely.
Winnie swings for the body but Messi moves out of range.
Messi slips a jab from Winnie.
Messi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Winnie.
Messi scores with a three punch combo!
Winnie misses with a wild body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Messi throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Winnie ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Messi moves away.
Messi misses with the combination.
Winnie misses with the combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A combination from Messi does no damage.
Winnie misses the shot to the body.
Lionel Messi is winning the standup battle so far.
Winnie swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Winnie misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Messi.
Messi misses with a few strikes there.
Messi fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Winnie thows a body shot but no joy.
Messi misses with a series of wild punches.
Messi swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Winnie counters with a right hand to the body.
Messi takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Winnie closes this distance looking for a takedown but Messi circles away.
Winnie throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Messi gets caught flat footed, as Winnie shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Messi has momentary wrist control but Winnie slips an elbow through the middle.
Winnie passes into half guard.
Winnie not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Winnie sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Messi defending well though.
Poe Winnie has got the better of the ground game so far.

Winnie is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Winnie lands strikes from half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Messi taking some punishment here, with Winnie in his half guard.
Messi won't allow Winnie to pass to mount.
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!
Nice strikes from Winnie there.
Winnie with the ground and pound but Messi uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Messi not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Messi keeping full guard, as Winnie tries to pass.
Winnie trying to control the position from guard on top but Messi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Winnie with a flurry of punches that miss.
Winnie postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Poe Winnie will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Poe Winnie's cut.
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!

Messi lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Winnie circles away quickly and effectively.

Winnie pushes Messi up against the cage in a clinch.
Messi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Messi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Messi misses with a punch on the inside.
The referee calls for Messi to work.
Messi misses with a short punch on the inside.
Messi misses with a body punch.
Messi lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Winnie or not.
Winnie pushes Messi back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Winnie takes a shot to the head.
Messi looking to slow down the pace here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Winnie has a couple of punches blocked by Messi.
Messi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Winnie blocks an uppercut.
Messi tries to work over Winnie's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Winnie is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Messi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Messi is struggling to control the position.
Messi scores with a nice hook to the head.
Messi doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Winnie's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Messi is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Messi tries to throw a body punch but Winnie avoids it by throwing Messi back against the cage.
Messi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Messi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Winnie is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Messi gets underhooks to prevent Winnie's takedown attempt.
Messi misses with a punch on the inside.
Winnie is stalling here.
Messi misses with some punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Winnie.
Winnie misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Messi lands with a short shot to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Messi fails to land.
Messi misses with a hook from the clinch.
Messi lands with a left to the head.
Messi tries to work over Winnie's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Messi working aggressively here.
Messi can't find room to land a body shot as Winnie controls the action.
Winnie blocks an uppercut.
Winnie blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Winnie taking a breather.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Messi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Winnie wants a takedown.
Messi gets underhooks to prevent Winnie's takedown attempt.
Lionel Messi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Poe Winnie.
Winnie effectively controlling the action here.
Messi misses with a punch to the body.
Winnie wants to stall.
Messi misses with the head strike.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Messi misses with some punches.
Winnie trying to control the position but instead, Messi has worked for underhooks and has pushed Winnie into the cage.
Messi tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Winnie's elbow.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lionel Messi showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Messi 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 Jeff Smith scores the fight for Lionel Messi!
Judge Chris Saunders scores the fight for Lionel Messi!
Judge Roger Salmon scores the fight for Lionel Messi!

Lionel Messi wins by unanimous decision!