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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Manus Dinapoli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mark Hales (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dinapoli's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Cavo - Thick As Thieves. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 185 cm
24
200 lbs
4 - 2 - 0 |
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204 cm
23
196 lbs
8 - 3 - 0 |
Powerful takedowns
Decent elbows
Insanely flexible |
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Powerful takedowns
Counter fighter
Good gas tank |
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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
4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Manus Dinapoli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
8 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mark Hales!
The judges for this bout are Nard Betker, Daniel Blasius and Albert Achterberg.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hales shoots in looking for a takedown. Dinapoli tries to sprawl out of it but Hales keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Dinapoli manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Hales fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Hales is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Dinapoli stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Hales drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Dinapoli connects with a good right hand that stumbles Hales. Hales circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
A nice inside leg kick there by Dinapoli. That's going to slow Hales down.
Manus Dinapoli seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Dinapoli lands with a nice body punch.
Hales tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Dinapoli swivels and escapes.
Manus Dinapoli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mark Hales.
Dinapoli moves into the clinch successfully.
Dinapoli is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Hales wants to take the fight to the mat but Dinapoli manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Dinapoli stalling.
Dinapoli manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Nice body punch from Dinapoli.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Dinapoli trying to control the position but instead, Hales has worked for underhooks and has pushed Dinapoli into the cage.
Hales goes for a takedown in the clinch but Dinapoli prevents it.
I was talking to Dinapoli's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hales is looking for a takedown.
Dinapoli prevents a takedown attempt there.
Hales is looking to take this one to the mat.
A bit of stalling here from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Dinapoli is pressed up against the cage. Hales has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Dinapoli down to the mat. Dinapoli avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Dinapoli misses with a double jab.
Hales with the counter takedown but Dinapoli avoids it easily.
Dinapoli slaps away a takedown attempt from Hales, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Dinapoli swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Dinapoli throws a nice inside leg kick.
Hales goes for a double leg but Dinapoli avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Dinapoli continues to drive forward.
Dinapoli plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli lands with an overhand left.
Dinapoli rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hales moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Hales has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hales closes this distance looking for a takedown but Dinapoli circles away.
Hales closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Hales lands in his opponent's guard.
Hales trying to control the position from guard on top but Dinapoli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hales won't allow Dinapoli to sweep him here.
Dinapoli has Hales pulled in close to control his posture.
Hales looking to pass the guard.
Dinapoli lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.
Hales told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.
Hales is trying to keep Dinapoli in close.
Hales has his hands on Dinapoli's head, controlling the position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Dinapoli continues to stall.
Dinapoli has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Hales is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Dinapoli is aware though and is defending well.
Dinapoli sitting in guard here, content to control.
Hales looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Dinapoli stays in close to Hales's body and controls the position.
Hales seems keen to control Dinapoli's posture.
Dinapoli slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hales tries to bench press Dinapoli off him but Dinapoli keeps the position.
Hales is being controlled here.
Hales is trying to control Dinapoli's posture but Dinapoli avoids it.
Dinapoli controls the position from side control.
Hales can't do much from the bottom here.
Dinapoli stands up and beckons Hales to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Manus Dinapoli dominated that round.
That's time! Dinapoli's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Hales fails to land the takedown.
A momentary lapse in concentration from Dinapoli enables Hales to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Dinapoli manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Dinapoli bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Hales's guard.
Dinapoli seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Dinapoli looking to pass the guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dinapoli won't allow Hales to sweep him here.
Dinapoli has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Dinapoli trying to control but Hales is working from the bottom.
Hales tries to land a sweep but no joy.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hales is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Hales is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Dinapoli sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Dinapoli's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Further stalling from Dinapoli.
Hales looking for a guillotine here but Dinapoli defends easily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Dinapoli looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Hales bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Dinapoli's guard.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli wants to sweep here but Hales controlling him for the moment.
Dinapoli looking to control.
Hales stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Dinapoli swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Hales stopping the sweep attempt from Dinapoli.
Hales works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Dinapoli is concentrating on defense, preventing Hales from advancing position.
Mark Hales has got the better of the ground game so far.
Hales is looking to take a break and control but Dinapoli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Dinapoli might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Dinapoli wants to get back to full guard but Hales has passed into side control.
Hales trying to control the position but Dinapoli is working away.
Dinapoli tries to improve position but can't.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Hales throwing shots but Dinapoli is blocking nicely.
Dinapoli is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Hales's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Hales's back!
You know, I was talking to some of our celebrities at ringside tonight and they were split right down the middle on who was going to win this fight.
Dinapoli avoiding Hales 's attempts to control his hands.
Dinapoli has the hooks sunk in and you can see the will to fight slowly draining out of Hales's body.
A lull in the action here.
Hales is trying to get back to his feet but Dinapoli has full control of the position and if anything, Hales has just worked his way into a worse spot.
Dinapoli is riding his opponent, not letting Hales buck him off.
Dinapoli keeps control of the position as Hales tries to break free.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli cracks Hales with a big shot to body and one to the head - really punishing Hales from the back mount here, looking to soften him up.
Hales is trying to break free.
Dinapoli slows the pace down here. Having a little breather whilst he's in a dominant position, looking to rest and regain some energy, ready to go for the finish.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Dinapoli.
More hug and hope from Dinapoli.
Hales wants to control his opponent's hands but Dinapoli gets his hands free.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Dinapoli doesn't have the hooks in and Hales manages to turn into his guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hales trying to control the position from guard on top but Dinapoli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
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 Manus Dinapoli will probably get the nod.
That's time! Dinapoli's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. And we move into the final round!
Hales takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Hales will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Hales looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Dinapoli is fending him off so far but Hales persists. Nope, Dinapoli circles away and we're back to standing.
Dinapoli misses with a wild combination.
Dinapoli tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Dinapoli jabs at Hales's body.
Dinapoli throws a body shot but no joy.
Hales tries to keep at a distance but Dinapoli has taken the fight into the clinch.
Hales is trying to trip Dinapoli. He has hold of a leg but Dinapoli is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Hales persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Hales takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Dinapoli tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Hales trying to control the position from guard on top but Dinapoli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Dinapoli seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Dinapoli working a defensive guard but Hales passes into half guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Dinapoli moves into full guard.
Dinapoli tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Dinapoli keeping full guard, as Hales tries to pass.
Hales wants to control from the top but Dinapoli keeps moving.
Dinapoli is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Hales can do to turn this around?
Dinapoli managing to control the position.
Dinapoli keeping full guard, as Hales tries to pass.
Hales is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Dinapoli is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Manus Dinapoli is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Hales wants to control from the top but Dinapoli keeps moving.
Dinapoli keeping full guard, as Hales tries to pass.
Hales not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Hales wants to control from the top but Dinapoli keeps moving.
The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Hales avoids the body shot from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli is looking to wear down Hales with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Dinapoli throws a head kick that misses.
Hales tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Hales tries for a takedown but Dinapoli sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Manus Dinapoli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Mark Hales.
Hales darts in looking for a takedown but Dinapoli gets double underhooks and turns Hales into the cage.
Hales is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Dinapoli's half guard.
Dinapoli is positioning himself well to prevent Hales advancing to mount.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli regains full guard. Nicely done.
Dinapoli looking to hit a scissor sweep but Hales is one step ahead there.
Hales wants to control from the top but Dinapoli keeps moving.
Dinapoli is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Dinapoli manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Hales manages to get himself to full guard.
Dinapoli controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hales trying to control the position.
Dinapoli content to stall in guard here.
Hales looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Dinapoli is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Dinapoli looking to pass the guard.
And that's the end of the fight!
Manus Dinapoli showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Dinapoli, 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 Nard Betker scores the fight 30:27
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 30:27
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 29:28
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Manus Dinapoli!
In his post fight interview, Manus Dinapoli started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
37% |
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