PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dryden Mitchell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Frank Esposito (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dryden Mitchell has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mitchell
vs
Esposito

180 cm
31
195 lbs
28 - 10 - 1

178 cm
32
175 lbs
30 - 12 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ultra Fight Gear
Untouchable Fight Nutrition

Reaper Combatwear
Just Fight (Shirt 6$ Shorts 8$)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 10 - 1, fighting out of New York, Dryden Mitchell!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 30 - 12 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Frank Esposito!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Phil Schofield and James Ackerman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Esposito blocks a low kick nicely.
Mitchell blocks a low kick nicely.
Mitchell takes a swing at Esposito's ribcage but misses.
Mitchell 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.
An inside leg kick from Mitchell misses.
Mitchell throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Esposito connects with a solid leg kick.
Esposito misses with a leg kick
and Mitchell counters with a thumping low kick.
Esposito connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Mitchell changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Mitchell, right into the meat.
Mitchell jabs Esposito to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Esposito fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Esposito bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Mitchell's head backwards.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Esposito wants to land a leg kick but Mitchell is out of range.
Mitchell takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Good shot there by Mitchell.
Esposito looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mitchell keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Esposito.
Mitchell throws the kick towards the body but Esposito avoids it.
Mitchell just misses with a punch to the body.
Esposito lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Mitchell displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Esposito throws out the jab.
Mitchell throws a leg kick that is checked
and Esposito counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Mitchell fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Esposito is out of range.
Esposito misses with an uppercut. Mitchell saw that one coming.
Esposito looks to throw the jab but Mitchell is out of range.
Mitchell takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Esposito tried to score with a low kick but Mitchell checks it.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Esposito lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Mitchell has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Mitchell and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Esposito misses with a low kick.
Mitchell connects with a good right hand that stumbles Esposito. Esposito circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Esposito lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Esposito throws a leg kick which misses Mitchell's front leg but catches the back leg as Mitchell tries to avoid it.
Mitchell scores with a head kick. Esposito tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.

It looks like Frank Esposito has been cut.
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!
A swing and a miss from Esposito.
Esposito lands with a right hand.
Esposito cracks Mitchell with a right hand to the side of the head.
Esposito stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Mitchell.
Mitchell scoring well with a low kick there.
Esposito throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Mitchell lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Mitchell misses the jab.
Mitchell checks the leg kick nicely there.
Esposito connects with a leg kick. Mitchell looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Mitchell. Esposito does a little dance to reset his feet.
Mitchell takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Mitchell throws a hook but Esposito blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Esposito pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Mitchell back to the cage. Esposito follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Mitchell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Esposito throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Mitchell stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Esposito looks to land a body kick but Mitchell moved away.

Esposito clinches up with Mitchell and pushes him back against the cage.
Mitchell scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Esposito misses with a punch to the body.
Esposito is pushing Mitchell up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Esposito is looking to control Mitchell's arms but Mitchell gets an underhook and turns him. Now Esposito has his back to the cage.
Mitchell swings wildly with an uppercut but Esposito uses good head movement to avoid it.
Esposito working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Mitchell tries a body shot but Esposito blocks it.
A head punch on the inside from Mitchell fails to land.
Esposito letting Mitchell take a breather here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Mitchell lands a body punch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mitchell is trying to push Esposito away but Esposito has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Esposito misses with a body punch.
Esposito tries to land knees in the clinch but Mitchell avoids the damage to the body.
Mitchell misses with a hook to the ribs.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Esposito has Mitchell pushed against the cage.
Esposito is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Mitchell tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Esposito being controlled against the cage.
Mitchell misses with the head strike.
Esposito looking to slow down the pace here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frank Esposito dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Frank Esposito's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Esposito is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Esposito fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Frank Esposito seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Esposito takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Mitchell misses with a wild body shot.
Esposito slips a straight right by Mitchell.
Esposito with a nice cross.
Frank Esposito seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Esposito moves away from the strike by Mitchell.
Mitchell pivots, looking for a leg kick but Esposito is out of range and Mitchell settles back down.

Esposito closes the distance and pushes Mitchell back into the cage.
Esposito tries a body shot but Mitchell blocks it.
Mitchell will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Esposito up against the cage.
Mitchell tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Mitchell scores with a nice hook to the head.
Mitchell lands with a short head shot on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Mitchell.
Esposito misses with a body punch.
Mitchell throws a punch but it's blocked by Esposito.
Mitchell tries a body shot but Esposito blocks it.
Esposito takes a shot to the head.
Mitchell misses with a short punch on the inside.
Mitchell doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Esposito looking to stall.
Esposito misses with a hook to the ribs.
Esposito unloads a knee to the mid-section. Mitchell lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Mitchell is struggling to control the position.
Mitchell misses with a shot to the kidneys.
We are yet to see a takedown attempt from Esposito in the fight. On paper you would think he is the more dominant ground fighter so let's see if these unusual tactics pay off.
A nice right hand lands inside from Mitchell.
Mitchell lands a hook to the side of the head.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell is trying to push Esposito away but Esposito has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Mitchell struggles to land a body shot inside as Esposito controls his hands.
Esposito tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Mitchell stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Mitchell can't find room to land a body shot as Esposito controls the action.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Mitchell throws a head punch that misses.
Esposito scores with a shoulder strike.
Esposito misses with a knee to the head.
Mitchell is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Mitchell fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Mitchell is looking to break free of the clinch but Esposito has double underhooks.
Mitchell'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.
Mitchell is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Esposito is keeping busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell slowing the pace effectively.
Esposito swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Mitchell lands a right hand.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Esposito.

Mitchell escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Esposito works Mitchell's body with a nice hook.
Mitchell ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Mitchell slips a straight right by Esposito.
Mitchell throws a leg kick that misses.
Mitchell thows a left - swing and a miss!
Mitchell misses with a body shot.
Esposito tries to clinch but Mitchell is having none of it.
A big left from Mitchell misses.
Esposito looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Mitchell pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Esposito throws a hook but Mitchell avoids it easily.
Mitchell closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
A decent looking cross lands there for Mitchell.
Esposito fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Mitchell is out of range.
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!
Mitchell bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Mitchell gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Esposito.
Mitchell lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
A good leg kick by Esposito.
Nice uppercut there from Mitchell.
Mitchell will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Mitchell keeps Esposito at a distance using the push kick.

Esposito moves into the clinch successfully.
Mitchell is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Esposito blocks a punch to the side of the head.
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 Dryden Mitchell will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Frank Esposito's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Esposito attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Esposito moves away from the strike by Mitchell.
A swing and a miss from Esposito.
Mitchell misses with a low kick.
Mitchell misses with a low kick.
Mitchell looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Esposito getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Mitchell uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Esposito.
Mitchell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Esposito moves away.
Mitchell throws a lazy right hand but Esposito sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Esposito throws a body punch but Mitchell moves out of range.
Mitchell tests Esposito's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Esposito throws a body punch but Mitchell moves out of range.
Esposito misses with a kick to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Esposito connects with a leg kick. Mitchell looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Mitchell walks into a jab.
Esposito takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Mitchell has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Esposito.
Esposito takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
A swing and a miss from Esposito.
Mitchell misses with a leg kick
and Esposito counters with a straight right hand.
Esposito lands a body shot.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Esposito. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Mitchell bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Esposito's head.
Mitchell takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Esposito thows a body shot but no joy.
Esposito staying out of range there.
Mitchell connects with a solid leg kick.
Esposito scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Esposito misses with a low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell motions for Esposito to come forward. Mitchell throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Esposito moves out of range of the body kick.
Mitchell misses with a kick to the body.
Mitchell moves forwards but Esposito connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Esposito bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A big right from Esposito misses.
Esposito tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Mitchell connects with a solid leg kick.
Nice defenses there by Mitchell.
Mitchell attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Esposito lands a slapping body shot.
Esposito stuns Mitchell with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Mitchell misses with a body kick.
Esposito throws a nice looking combination but Mitchell bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell looks to land a combination. Esposito sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
A good leg kick by Mitchell.
A slow jab from Mitchell misses its intended target.

Esposito forces Mitchell back against the cage and clinches.
Esposito is pushing Mitchell up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Esposito lands a nice shot to the body.
A short left from Mitchell.
Esposito misses with a punch to the body.
Mitchell holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Mitchell tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Esposito's elbow.
Esposito tries to land knees in the clinch but Mitchell avoids the damage to the body.
Esposito with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mitchell effectively controlling the action here.
Mitchell working aggressively here.
Esposito tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Esposito misses with a hook to the ribs.
Mitchell lands a body punch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Esposito throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Mitchell tries to throw a body punch but Esposito avoids it by throwing Mitchell back against the cage.
Esposito stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Esposito is leaning against Mitchell and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Esposito connects with a knee to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Esposito fails to land.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Mitchell is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Mitchell misses with a hook to the ribs.
The referee calls for Esposito to work.
A battle for position here, against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frank Esposito comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Esposito has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 28:29
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 28:29
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frank Esposito!
A pretty intense looking Frank Esposito took the opportunity post-fight to ask for a shot at the title.