PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Iii (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Francesco Luongo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Iii comes to the cage accompanied by IRON MAIDEN : Alexander the Great . Luongo has chosen Alexisonfire - The Northern as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Iii
vs
Luongo

180 cm
29
185 lbs
17 - 11 - 0

185 cm
29
171 lbs
23 - 12 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

SPARTA FIGHTWARE-GTI
[GTI] Divine Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 11 - 0, fighting out of New York, Alexander Iii!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 23 - 12 - 0, fighting out of New York, Francesco Luongo!
The judges for this bout are David Schapiro, Eddie Farnsworth and Bruno Lombardi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Iii fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Luongo manages to avoid it.
Iii displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Luongo.
Luongo shoots for a takedown but Iii saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Luongo slips a jab from Iii.
Luongo shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Iii as he jumps to the side.
Alexander Iii has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Francesco Luongo.
Iii throws out a loose jab but Luongo uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Iii lands with an uppercut that bounces Luongo off the cage and back into range.
Iii looks to land a right hand but Luongo moved out of range.
A slow jab from Iii misses its intended target.
Alexander Iii is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Iii throws a poor cross that misses

and Luongo counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Iii!
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Iii is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Iii is squirming around, avoiding Luongo's attempts to control the action.
Iii is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Iii somehow manages to escape the mount and get back to his feet!
Luongo shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Iii as he avoids it easily.
Luongo is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Luongo dives in and grabs Iii's left leg, looking for a takedown. Iii pushes down on Luongo's head and hops out.
Luongo will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Iii takes a swing at Luongo's ribcage but misses.
Luongo ducks under a wild hook from Iii.
The fighters circling - Iii throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Luongo bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Luongo misses with a body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Luongo looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Iii is fending him off so far but Luongo persists. Nope, Iii circles away and we're back to standing.
Luongo ducks under a wild hook from Iii.
Luongo tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Iii swivels and escapes.
A shot to the body from Iii misses

and Luongo counters with a single leg into guard. Iii didn't expect that.
Luongo stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Iii swivels though and keeps the full guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Iii is looking to stand up but Luongo isn't so interested in that idea.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
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 Alexander Iii will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Iii rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Luongo counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Iii kicks off Luongo and gets to his feet.
Luongo shoots in for a takedown but Iii shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Iii ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Luongo shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Iii counters with a left to the body.
Francesco Luongo is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Luongo moves out of range as Iii strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Iii jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Luongo is trying hard to land a takedown here. Iii sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Alexander Iii has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Francesco Luongo.
Iii misses with a straight left.
Iii missing with a left hand there. Luongo was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Luongo shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Luongo misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Luongo fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Iii throws an off balance right hand

and Luongo counters with a shoot takedown. Iii fights it but they end up in guard.
Iii is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Luongo controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Luongo stops Iii from standing up.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Luongo trying to control but Iii is working from the bottom.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

Luongo drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Luongo jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Luongo prevents Iii from getting back to his feet.

Iii scrambles and gets back to his feet.
Jab from Iii.
Luongo shoots in for a takedown but Iii shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Luongo will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Iii lands a jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Iii throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Iii fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Luongo manages to avoid it.
Luongo fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Iii stuffs the takedown attempt from Luongo. Luongo gets slowly back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alexander Iii dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Iii swings for the body but Luongo moves out of range.
Alexander Iii is winning the standup battle so far.
Iii dodges the punch combination from Luongo.
Iii scores with a jab. Luongo acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Luongo shoots in for a takedown but Iii shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Iii swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Luongo.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Iii throws a hook but Luongo avoids it easily.
A jab from Luongo misses.
A jab from Iii misses.
Luongo fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Iii connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Luongo's hands.
Luongo defending well as Iii loads up on a big left hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Luongo scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Iii wants to get back to his feet.

Luongo is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Iii is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Iii is trying to escape and get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Iii is trying to escape the position but Luongo is controlling the position.
Iii wants to get back to his feet.

Luongo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Luongo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Iii tries to escape but Luongo is in control.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Luongo wants to control but Iii is keeping him busy.
Iii is trying to buck Luongo off.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Iii is not content to let Luongo control the position.

Luongo looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Iii is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Iii is being controlled here.

Luongo is trying to get an arm triangle but Iii is defending well.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Iii is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Luongo has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Francesco Luongo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Luongo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Luongo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

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 Alexander Iii.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Iii, 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 David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 30:27
Judge Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 30:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alexander Iii!
After the big win, Alexander Iii made sure to do all the important stuff like thanking his sponsors SPARTA FIGHTWARE-GTI and telling the interviewer how much he loves him.