PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Matt Mitrione (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Josh Gardner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Matt Mitrione has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mitrione
vs
Gardner

191 cm
22
261 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

188 cm
23
230 lbs
8 - 6 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Matt Mitrione!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Josh Gardner!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Aleksandr Martynov and Dmitry Maklakov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gardner throws a jab but it's blocked by Mitrione.
Gardner lands a jab.
Gardner connects with a nice looking jab.
Gardner misses with a body shot.
Gardner throws a push kick but Mitrione slaps the foot to one side.
Gardner misses with an attempted mid kick.
Gardner swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Josh Gardner seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Gardner. Mitrione shrugs it off though.
Mitrione ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gardner moves away.
Gardner missing with a left hand there. Mitrione was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gardner thuds his right hand into Mitrione's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Gardner misses with a looping right.
Gardner misses with a hook. Mitrione ducked under it nicely.
Gardner scores with a sloppy right hand. Mitrione should have avoided that one.
Gardner throws a poor cross that misses
and Mitrione counters with a lovely straight right hand!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A big left from Gardner misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gardner does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Gardner connects with a jab.
Gardner throws a series of punches but Mitrione moves out of range.
A good leg kick by Gardner.
Gardner throws a lazy right hand but Mitrione sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Gardner lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Mitrione feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Gardners jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Mitrione throws a right and a left that both miss.
Gardner pushes Mitrione away with a front kick.
Gardner throws a body punch but Mitrione moves out of range.
Gardner misses with a wild body shot.
Gardner lets loose with a powerful body kick. Mitrione will feel that in the morning.
Gardner turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Gardner keeps Mitrione at a distance using the push kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Mitrione is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mitrione takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Mitrione takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Mitrione takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Gardner pushes Mitrione away with a front kick.
Gardner slips under a jab from Mitrione.
Gardner throws out a powerful jab.
Gardner missing with a left hand there. Mitrione was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gardner misses with a wild body shot.
Gardner lands an overhand right.
Gardner jabs Mitrione to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Gardner throws a wild body kick that Mitrione sees coming a mile off.
Gardner throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Gardner keeps Mitrione at a distance using the push kick.
Gardner throws a push kick but Mitrione slaps the foot to one side.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gardner throws a sloppy body shot
letting Mitrione counter with a right hand.
Gardner scores with a decent looking hook.
Gardner lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Mitrione ducks under a wild hook from Gardner.
Gardner tries to land a front kick but Mitrione steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Mitrione looks to land a left hand but Gardner moved out of range nicely.
Mitrione lands with a thumping leg kick.
Gardner throws a hook to the side of Mitrione's head but Mitrione sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
A leg kick checked by Mitrione.
Mitrione misses with a two punch combination.
Mitrione throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gardner throws a shot to the body.
Gardner thows a left - swing and a miss!
Gardner digs a good hook to Mitrione's body.
Mitrione will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gardner thows a body shot but no joy.
A shot to the body from Gardner misses
and Mitrione counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
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!
Mitrione walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Gardner checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Gardner changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Mitrione throws a solid leg kick but Gardner takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Mitrione.
Mitrione throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Gardner just misses with a punch to the body.
Gardner connects with a crisp jab.
A telegraphed right hand from Gardner misses the target.
Gardner tries to land a leg kick but Mitrione saw it coming and moves away.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Mitrione throws a leg kick but Gardner moved away.
Mitrione displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gardner throws out the jab.
Mitrione rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Gardner moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Mitrione slips a jab from Gardner.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Josh Gardner dominated that round.
That's time! Mitrione's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Mitrione scores with a one two! Gardner had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

It looks like Josh Gardner has been cut.
Mitrione takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Gardner throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Mitrione takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Gardner throws a low kick but it's checked well by Mitrione.
Gardner scores with a nice right hand.
Josh Gardner seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Gardner digs a good hook to Mitrione's body.
Mitrione dodges the punch combination from Gardner.
A solid body kick from Gardner.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Both fighters circling a little - Gardner finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Gardner goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Mitrione throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Gardner misses the shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mitrione blocks a head kick by Gardner.
Gardner misses with a straight right.
Gardner misses with a wild body shot.
Gardner scores with a leg kick.
Mitrione throws a hook to the side of Gardner's head but Gardner sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Gardner lets loose with a powerful body kick. Mitrione will feel that in the morning.
Mitrione slips a jab from Gardner.
Mitrione tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
A slapping leg kick lands for Gardner.
Mitrione missing with a left hand there. Gardner was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gardner misses with a hook.
Gardner scores with a body shot.
Gardner looks for the body kick but Mitrione saw that one coming.
Gardner thows a leg kick but Mitrione checks it
and Mitrione counters with a nice uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gardner gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Mitrione counters with a straight right hand.
Mitrione misses with a body shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gardner keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Mitrione.
Gardner throws a low kick, looking for Mitrione's leg but Mitrione calmly moves out of range.
Mitrione looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Gardner lands a head kick. Mitrione smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Gardner is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Gardner.
Mitrione misses with an uppercut.
Gardner waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Mitrione.
A combination from Gardner does no damage.
Gardner misses with a left hand
and Mitrione makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Gardner.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mitrione takes one on the button.
Gardner dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Mitrione. That did some damage!
Gardner lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Gardner works Mitrione's body with a nice hook.
Gardner tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Mitrione was well out of range. Poor timing from Gardner.
Matt Mitrione is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Gardner dodges the punch combination from Mitrione.
Gardner tries a head kick but it misses.
Mitrione swings for the body but Gardner moves out of range.
Gardner misses with an uppercut
and Mitrione counters with a nice uppercut.
Mitrione scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Mitrione moves away from the strike by Gardner.
Mitrione ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Gardner avoids the body shot from Mitrione.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gardner slips under a jab from Mitrione.
Mitrione checks the leg kick.
Mitrione ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Gardner misses with a shot to the body
and Gardner takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mitrione throws a head kick but Gardner moves out of range.
Gardner misses with an uppercut. Mitrione saw that one coming.
Mitrione takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Good standup being displayed there by Gardner as he connects with a hook.
Gardner throws a body punch but Mitrione moves out of range.
A shot to the liver by Gardner. Beautiful body shot.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gardner rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Mitrione counters with a nice uppercut.
Gardner lands with a good body shot.
Gardner scores with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Josh Gardner showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Josh Gardner's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Gardner scores with a nice body kick.
Mitrione takes one to the side of the head.
Mitrione misses with a jab, cross combination.
Gardner throws the left hand but Mitrione avoids the punch easily.
A left lands for Mitrione.
Gardner throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gardner lands with a right hand.
Gardner walks into a straight right hand from Mitrione.
Gardner lands a leg kick that knocks Mitrione off balance momentarily.
Mitrione bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Gardner's head.
Gardner tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Mitrione was well out of range. Poor timing from Gardner.
Gardner throws a one two combo.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Gardner chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Mitrione can pounce on him.
Mitrione takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mitrione looks for the body kick but Gardner saw that one coming.
Mitrione uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gardner.
A big right from Gardner misses.
Mitrione looks to throw the jab but Gardner is out of range.
Gardner throws a leg kick
and Mitrione makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Gardner works Mitrione's body with a nice hook.
Gardner looks to land a left hand but Mitrione moved out of range nicely.
Gardner missing with a left hand there. Mitrione was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gardner moves into range and connects with a jab.
Mitrione moves out of range of the body kick from Gardner.
Mitrione lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Mitrione moves out of range of the strikes.
Gardner throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gardner connects with a solid leg kick.
Mitrione is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Mitrione feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Gardners jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Mitrione cracks Gardner with a good jab.
Gardner shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Gardner dodges the punch combination from Mitrione.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mitrione moves out of range as Gardner throws a body kick.
Gardner throws a push kick but Mitrione slaps the foot to one side.
Gardner misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Mitrione.
Mitrione checks a low kick from Gardner.
Gardner throws a looping overhand right but Mitrione ducks down to avoid it.
Gardner lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Mitrione moves out of range as Gardner strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gardner thuds his right hand into Mitrione's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Mitrione has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Mitrione there as he acknowledges the shot.
Mitrione misses with a wild body shot.
Gardner throws an off balance right hand
and Mitrione counters with a series of strikes. Gardner will be more careful next time no doubt.
Good work by Gardner as he checks the leg kick.
Mitrione moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Gardner thuds a left hand into Mitrione's body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Gardner. Mitrione does a little dance to reset his feet.
Gardner looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Gardner thumps Mitrione with a low kick.
Gardner throws out a leg kick but Mitrione moves out of range and Gardner only half commits.
Mitrione moves out of range of the body kick from Gardner.
Mitrione connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gardner looks for the body kick but Mitrione saw that one coming.
Mitrione throws a body punch but Gardner moves out of range.
Gardner throws a hook but Mitrione avoids it easily.
Gardner fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mitrione manages to avoid it.
Gardner lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Gardner misses with a lunging right hand
and Mitrione counters with a nice uppercut.
Josh Gardner is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Gardner fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mitrione manages to avoid it.
Matt Mitrione has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Mitrione dips to his left and cracks Gardner with an uppercut!
Mitrione connects with a single shot there.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Mitrione throws out a loose jab but Gardner uses good head movement to avoid it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Gardner. Mitrione does a little dance to reset his feet.
Gardner throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Gardner thows a body kick. Mitrione tries to catch it but that hurt him.

And that's the end of the fight!
Josh Gardner comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Gardner has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Dmitry Maklakov scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Josh Gardner!