PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Giorgio Conte (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Craig Hanks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Craig Hanks has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Conte
vs
Hanks

180 cm
30
179 lbs
19 - 7 - 0

179 cm
39
175 lbs
38 - 24 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Hellbent

Conviction

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 19 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Giorgio Conte!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 38 - 24 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Craig Hanks!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Timothy Bukovac and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Conte walks into a straight right hand from Hanks.
Conte pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Hanks looks to land a right hand but Conte moved out of range.
Hanks looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Hanks tests Conte's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Hanks throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Conte makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Conte moves in looking to clinch but Hanks pushes him off.
Hanks throws a big shot that misses.
Hanks jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Hanks with a jab.
Conte connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

It looks like Craig Hanks has been cut.
Sloppy strikes from Hanks. Those never looked like landing.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Conte feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Hanks's calf.
Conte misses with a straight right.

Conte gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Hanks blocks an uppercut.
Conte lands a shoulder strike.
Come on Conte - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Conte controlling the action here for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head punch on the inside from Conte fails to land.
Hanks misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A nice right hand lands inside from Hanks.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Conte.
The referee is keeping an eye on Conte - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Hanks tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Conte cracks Hanks with a nice body shot.
A shot in the inside from Conte.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hanks.
Conte working aggressively here.
Hanks throws a head punch that misses.
Conte takes a shot to the head.
Hanks misses with a hook from the clinch.
Conte blocks an uppercut.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Conte pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Hanks chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Conte can pounce on him.
Hanks takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Conte slips under a jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hanks lunges at Conte with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Conte's hand.
Giorgio Conte seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Conte misses with a leg kick
enabling Hanks to counter with a crisp jab.
Conte connects with a jab.
Hanks throws a shot from downtown. Conte moves away and avoids it.
Hanks keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Conte.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Conte!
Conte with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Hanks ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Conte scores with a jab to the body.
Hanks takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Hanks might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Hanks moves out of range of the strikes.
Conte misses with a looping right.
Conte ducks under a wild hook from Hanks.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Conte lands a nice shot to the body.
Hanks scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Conte walks into a straight right hand from Hanks.
Hanks wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Conte connects with a high kick.
Conte lands with a nice combination. Hanks backs away looking to recover.
Conte throws a big shot that misses.
Hanks is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Conte throws a nice inside leg kick.
Conte keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Hanks.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Conte's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Conte duly obliges.
Hanks looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Conte looking to land some kicks to the body here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Conte throws a nice outside leg kick.
Hanks misses with a looping right.
Hanks pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Hanks throws a wild body kick that Conte sees coming a mile off.
Hanks misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Conte gets a clinch.
Conte lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Hanks.
Conte misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Hanks.
Conte misses with a hook to the ribs.
Our sources have told us that Conte has been working on his knees in the buildup to the fight.
Conte lands a hook that snaps the head of Hanks backwards.
Conte blocks an uppercut.
Hanks blocks an uppercut.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Conte.
Conte tries to land knees in the clinch but Hanks avoids the damage to the body.
Conte gets through Hanks's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Conte will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Hanks up against the cage.
Conte can't find room to land a body shot as Hanks controls the action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Giorgio Conte dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Craig Hanks's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Hanks feints a jab promting Conte to slip. Hanks then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Conte slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
That kick from Conte tenderised Hanks's leg. Hanks is trying to keep his angry face on.
Conte scores with a leg kick.
Giorgio Conte is winning the standup battle so far.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Conte.
Conte with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Hanks gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Hanks misses with a body kick.
Conte scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Conte throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Conte is looking to clinch.
Hanks tried to score with a low kick but Conte checks it.
Hanks's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Conte tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hanks paws at him with a jab and circles away.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hanks takes a swing at Conte's ribcage but misses.
A counter left hand to the body from Conte misses its target.
A head kick from Conte lands but Hanks takes it in his stride.
A jab from Conte finds it's way through Hanks's defenses.

That has opened up Craig Hanks's cut even more.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hanks jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Hanks swings for the body but Conte moves out of range.
Hanks on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Conte tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Hanks throws a big shot that misses.

Conte closes the distance and clinches.
A short uppercut from Conte.

Conte breaks from the clinch.
Hanks blocks a leg kick.
Conte's jab looks to have found its range, popping Hanks under the eye.
Conte lands a front kick.

Conte closes the distance and clinches.
Hanks on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Conte misses with a knee strike.
Hanks doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hanks misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Conte misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Conte manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Hanks has a couple of punches blocked by Conte.
A hook to the body from Conte.
Hanks lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Hanks prevents a body shot from Conte.
Hanks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Hanks throws a punch but it's blocked by Conte.
Conte blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Giorgio Conte has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Conte utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hanks.
Conte blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Conte lands a nice uppercut.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Conte obliges.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Conte digs a right hand underneath Hanks's ribcage. Hanks let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Hanks is breathing heavily.
Hanks misses with a hook to the ribs.
Hanks tries to throw a body punch but Conte avoids it by throwing Hanks back against the cage.
A short right from Hanks on the inside.
A short right from Conte on the inside.
Conte softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Conte lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Hanks misses with the head strike.
Conte tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Conte lands a nice shot to the body.
Conte lands a hook to the side of the head.
Conte scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A body shot lands from Conte.
Conte lands a body punch in the clinch.
Conte softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Conte scores with an uppercut up the middle.

The cut above Craig Hanks's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Conte connects with a knee to the head.

Hanks is rocked!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Conte scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Hanks is still on wobbly legs! Can Conte finish him?
Conte landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Conte obliges.
Hanks seems to have recovered his senses.
Conte lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A right handed body shot lands from Conte.
Conte working Hanks over with knees to the body.
Conte misses with a knee to the head.
Conte throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Conte lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Conte scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Conte connects with a nasty looking knee right to Hanks's face.
Conte working the clinch nicely. Hanks is working for position but Conte cracks him with a big knee to the head! Hanks crumples up against the cage and Conte lands two more shots before the ref can save Hanks! This one is all over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:48 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Knee & Punches). Giorgio Conte!