PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Anthony Pettis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Frank Rizzo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). I'm sure you'll be fascinated to know that I was talking to some pointless Z list celebrity before the fight and he thought that Frank Rizzo was going to win. Let's see if he was right.

Pettis
vs
Rizzo

167 cm
23
144 lbs
10 - 4 - 0

162 cm
22
143 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Good chin

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Granite chin

Machine Fight Gear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Anthony Pettis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Frank Rizzo!
The judges for this bout are Paul Gruel, Micheangelo Fripello and Roger Salmon.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pettis defending well as Rizzo loads up on a big left hand.
Pettis throwing a counter right hand but Rizzo manages to avoid it.
Pettis scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Rizzo gets a clinch.
Pettis is looking to break free of the clinch but Rizzo has double underhooks.

Pettis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rizzo shoots in but Pettis avoids the takedown attempt easily.

Rizzo moves into range and clinches up with Pettis.
Pettis wants to break free but Rizzo has control.
Pettis wants to break the clinch but can't.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rizzo slows down the pace here.
Pettis wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Pettis wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Rizzo is pushing Pettis up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rizzo tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Pettis avoids it.
Rizzo swings wildly with an uppercut but Pettis uses good head movement to avoid it.
Pettis working hard to break the clinch.
Rizzo pressing his opponent against the cage.

Rizzo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Some wild striking there from Pettis.
Pettis lands a leg kick that knocks Rizzo off balance momentarily.
Rizzo tries to clinch up but Pettis circles away and keeps his distance.
Pettis throwing a counter right hand but Rizzo manages to avoid it.
Rizzo has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pettis's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Pettis duly obliges.

Rizzo rushes Pettis and presses him up against the cage.
Rizzo leaning his opponent against the cage.
Rizzo jumps guard but Pettis turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Pettis can't break the clinch.
Pettis blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Pettis blocks a body shot from Rizzo.
Rizzo content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Rizzo.
Rizzo tries to work over Pettis's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Pettis breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Rizzo moves into the clinch successfully.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Pettis.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rizzo struggles to land a body shot inside as Pettis controls his hands.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pettis blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Rizzo controlling the action here for a moment.
Rizzo lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Pettis or not.
Rizzo tries to throw a body punch but Pettis avoids it by throwing Rizzo back against the cage.
Pettis is trying to break free.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Rizzo obliges.
Rizzo keeps control of Pettis as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Pettis is looking to break free of the clinch but Rizzo has double underhooks.

Rizzo escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Rizzo on the wrong end of a nice hook.

Rizzo has taken the fight to the clinch.

Rizzo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Pettis looks to land a combination but Rizzo avoids it well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pettis misses with a double jab
and Rizzo counters with a nice kick to the body.
Frank Rizzo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rizzo throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Pettis is breathing heavily.
Rizzo shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Pettis but Pettis pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Anthony Pettis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Frank Rizzo.

Rizzo gets in close and instigates a clinch.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Rizzo pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Rizzo takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Rizzo on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Pettis circles away from the clinch attempt.

Rizzo lands a head kick that stumbles Pettis and the fighters go to the mat.

It looks like Anthony Pettis has been cut.
Rizzo postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Rizzo scoring with some ground and pound.

Rizzo avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frank Rizzo dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Anthony Pettis's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Pettis digs a good body shot into Rizzo's ribs.
Pettis tries to land a front kick but Rizzo steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Rizzo tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Pettis is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Rizzo displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Pettis throws out the jab.
Rizzo wants to counter the offense by Pettis and move into the clinch position.

Pettis gets tackled into the cage by Rizzo. Rizzo maintains the clinch.
Rizzo works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Rizzo tries a body shot but Pettis blocks it.
Rizzo prevents Pettis from breaking the clinch.
Rizzo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rizzo has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Pettis is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Pettis looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Rizzo has Pettis pushed against the cage.
Pettis wants to break the clinch but can't.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rizzo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Rizzo will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

Rizzo manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Pettis on his heels. He'll look to pass Pettis's guard now, I'm sure.
Rizzo looking to pass the guard.
Rizzo not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

Pettis is looking for a triangle but Rizzo pushes his legs off easily.
Rizzo postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.

Pettis is looking for a triangle here but Rizzo uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Pettis is looking for a sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pettis struggling a bit here.
Rizzo in side control lands a decent elbow.
Rizzo connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Pettis some visible discomfort.
Pettis is trying to improve his position.
Rizzo scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Pettis to see if he's OK.
Pettis is looking to reverse the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Rizzo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Rizzo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Rizzo wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Pettis, who protects the arm well.
Rizzo tries to advance to mount but Pettis denies him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Rizzo has knee on belly and moves into mount.

Rizzo jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Pettis is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Pettis and Rizzo has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
Rizzo lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Rizzo controls the position.
Pettis is working to avoid the ground and pound but Rizzo connects with a decent elbow.
Rizzo scores with a couple of short elbows.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pettis is pushing Rizzo's head away, looking to escape. Rizzo manages to hold on to the position though.

Rizzo tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Rizzo has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Pettis wants to control but Rizzo postures up.
Pettis manages to work his way to half guard, despite Rizzo's best efforts.
Pettis is trying to stand.
Frank Rizzo has got the better of the ground game so far.
Pettis trying to control but Rizzo postures up.
Pettis is not content to let Rizzo control the position.
Rizzo has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pettis wants to get back to full guard.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Rizzo connects with a nice short shot to Pettis's temple.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Frank Rizzo showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Anthony Pettis's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!

Rizzo closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Rizzo is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Pettis pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Rizzo lands with a short shot to the head.

Pettis breaks the clinch.

Rizzo darts in and clinches Pettis up against the cage.
Rizzo misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Rizzo lands a left hand.
Rizzo is trying to drag Pettis to the mat but Pettis just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.

Rizzo pulls guard successfully.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pettis trying to control the position from guard on top but Rizzo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Rizzo has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Pettis can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pettis is working Rizzo over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Rizzo pulls Pettis in close to his closed guard and prevents Pettis from doing any damage or advancing position.
Rizzo keeping full guard, as Pettis tries to pass.
Rizzo has a closed guard, preventing Pettis from standing up.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Rizzo throws some sloppy strikes off his back.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Rizzo blocks a leg kick.

Rizzo rushes Pettis and presses him up against the cage.
Pettis is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Rizzo is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Pettis pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Anthony Pettis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Frank Rizzo.
Pettis blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Rizzo looking for a takedown.
Rizzo keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Pettis's efforts to push away.
Pettis tries to break the clinch but Rizzo is controlling the position.

Pettis is fighting off a takedown attempt but Rizzo is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Pettis to the mat. Pettis regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.

Pettis scrambles and gets back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo is looking to clinch but Pettis is avoiding it.
Pettis throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Anthony Pettis is winning the standup battle so far.
Rizzo moves to clinch but Pettis breaks away
and Pettis counters with a straight right hand.

Rizzo gets a clinch.
Pettis wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Rizzo lands with a right to the head.
Rizzo misses with a hook to the ribs.
Still in the clinch, Rizzo scores with a nice short uppercut.
Pettis has had enough of the clinch but Rizzo keeps him there for the moment.
Rizzo using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Pettis has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Rizzo tries to throw a body punch but Pettis avoids it by throwing Rizzo back against the cage.
Rizzo doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pettis is trying to force a seperation but Rizzo has the dominant position.
Pettis blocks an uppercut.
A frustrated look appears on Pettis's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Rizzo throws an elbow that misses.
Pettis is trying to break free.
Rizzo is pushing Pettis up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Pettis prevents a body shot from Rizzo.
Rizzo tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Pettis has had enough of the clinch but Rizzo keeps him there for the moment.
Frank Rizzo is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Rizzo lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Pettis or not.
Anthony Pettis has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rizzo can't find room to land a body shot as Pettis controls the action.
Rizzo makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frank Rizzo comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Rizzo winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Paul Gruel scores the fight 27:30
Judge Micheangelo Fripello scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roger Salmon scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frank Rizzo!
Jumping up and down and very excited, Frank Rizzo waved his t-shirt featuring Machine Fight Gear's logo in front of the cameras.