PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dom DeNardo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mark Riccuito (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Riccuito comes into a darkened arena with his song building. walk hard kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

DeNardo
vs
Riccuito

190 cm
36
243 lbs
20 - 6 - 0

193 cm
33
233 lbs
20 - 14 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Arcticus University: London

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dom DeNardo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 14 - 1, fighting out of New York, Mark Riccuito!
The judges for this bout are Franklyn Lucas, John Kavanagh and Lou da Vinci.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Riccuito throws a lazy right hand but DeNardo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
DeNardo looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Riccuito is fending him off so far but DeNardo persists. Nope, Riccuito circles away and we're back to standing.
Riccuito wants to slow DeNardo down by chopping away at his legs.
DeNardo lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Riccuito throws a front kick that sends DeNardo stumbling back into the cage.
Mark Riccuito seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
DeNardo cracks Riccuito with a right hand to the side of the head.
Riccuito misses with a kick to the body.
Riccuito lands with an overhand left.
A solid leg kick lands there for DeNardo.
DeNardo lands with an uppercut that bounces Riccuito off the cage and back into range.
DeNardo throws a right and a left that Riccuito avoids nicely.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
DeNardo tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Riccuito is looking to land body kicks.
A swing and a miss from DeNardo.
Riccuito misses with a wild combination.
DeNardo is looking to counter punch.
DeNardo has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
DeNardo blocks a jab.
DeNardo goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Some bone on bone action there as Riccuito checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Riccuito throws a low kick, looking for DeNardo's leg but DeNardo calmly moves out of range.
DeNardo throws a lazy right hand but Riccuito sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
DeNardo tests Riccuito's chin there with a solid looking shot.
DeNardo misses the shot to the body.
DeNardo misses with a low kick as Riccuito jumps back.
DeNardo keeps the fight on the outside.
DeNardo misses with a body shot.
DeNardo throws a head kick that misses.
DeNardo thuds his shin into the meat of Riccuito's side.
Riccuito throws a hook but DeNardo avoids it easily.
DeNardo is looking to land body kicks.
Riccuito scores with a jab to the body.

DeNardo feints and as Riccuito raises his hands in defense, DeNardo changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Riccuito wants to stand and escape but DeNardo is having none of it.
DeNardo makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
DeNardo looking to pass the guard.
DeNardo with a nice head shot there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
DeNardo won't allow Riccuito to get back to his feet.
DeNardo works over Riccuito with some ground and pound from guard.
DeNardo loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
DeNardo prevents Riccuito from getting back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Riccuito keeping moving, preventing DeNardo from controlling successfully.

Riccuito is scooting his butt against the cage and has managed to get back to his feet. DeNardo presses him back against the cage, presumably looking to take the fight back to the mat.
Riccuito blocks a body shot from DeNardo.
Riccuito misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from DeNardo.
A short uppercut from Riccuito.
Riccuito makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
DeNardo scores with a hook to the body.
DeNardo tries to throw a body punch but Riccuito avoids it by throwing DeNardo back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
DeNardo tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
DeNardo misses with a punch to the body.
DeNardo wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
DeNardo tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Riccuito's elbow.
Riccuito lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Riccuito scores with a shoulder strike.
Riccuito using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Riccuito lands an uppercut.
DeNardo swings wildly with an uppercut but Riccuito uses good head movement to avoid it.
Riccuito tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Riccuito lands with a short punch from the clinch.
DeNardo lands with a short head shot on the inside.
DeNardo tries to pull guard but Riccuito holds him up against the cage and eventually DeNardo drops back down to his feet.
DeNardo has a couple of punches blocked by Riccuito.
A short right from DeNardo on the inside.
Still in the clinch, DeNardo scores with a nice short uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Riccuito tries to throw a body punch but DeNardo avoids it by throwing Riccuito back against the cage.
Riccuito stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
DeNardo throws a punch but it's blocked by Riccuito.
A body shot lands from Riccuito.
DeNardo is breathing heavily.
Riccuito scores with a shot to the side of DeNardo's head.
DeNardo takes an elbow to the temple.
Riccuito throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Riccuito comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

It looks like Dom DeNardo has been cut.
Riccuito lands a body punch.
Riccuito lands an elbow that stopped DeNardo in his tracks for a moment.
Riccuito lands a shoulder strike.
Riccuito lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Riccuito lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Riccuito lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down DeNardo.
Riccuito lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Riccuito pushes DeNardo back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Riccuito lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Riccuito landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Riccuito tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and DeNardo avoids it.
Riccuito tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Riccuito lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Riccuito blocks a body shot from DeNardo.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mark Riccuito dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dom DeNardo'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.

Riccuito lands a leg kick that knocks DeNardo off balance momentarily.
Riccuito lands a jab to the nose.
Riccuito checks a leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from DeNardo. Riccuito does a little dance to reset his feet.
Riccuito let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Riccuito tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but DeNardo was well out of range. Poor timing from Riccuito.
DeNardo uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Riccuito.
Riccuito moves out of range of the strikes.
DeNardo shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Riccuito pinned against the cage. Riccuito gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Riccuito ducks down and throws a hook to the body but DeNardo moves away.
Riccuito misses with a straight right.
Riccuito tries to clinch but DeNardo moves out of range.
Dom DeNardo is winning the standup battle so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
DeNardo throws a lazy right hand but Riccuito sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
DeNardo moves out of range of the body kick.
Riccuito slips a straight right by DeNardo.
Riccuito throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Riccuito tried to score with a low kick but DeNardo checks it.
And DeNardo counters with a quick kick to the body but Riccuito blocks it.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Riccuito. DeNardo shrugs it off though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Riccuito moves out of range as DeNardo throws a body kick.
That kick from DeNardo tenderised Riccuito's leg. Riccuito is trying to keep his angry face on.
DeNardo on the wrong end of a nice hook.
DeNardo moves out of range of the body kick.
Some wild striking there from Riccuito.
Riccuito ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
DeNardo throws a push kick but Riccuito slaps the foot to one side.
DeNardo cracks Riccuito with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
DeNardo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Riccuito.
It seemed like Riccuito was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
DeNardo listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
DeNardo throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Riccuito replies with a solid counter kick to the body but DeNardo blocks it well.
Riccuito misses with an uppercut. DeNardo saw that one coming.
Riccuito misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Riccuito slips under a jab from DeNardo.
Riccuito wants to slow DeNardo down by chopping away at his legs.
Riccuito blocks a low kick nicely.
DeNardo shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Riccuito pinned against the cage. Riccuito gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Riccuito feints a counter leg kick.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Riccuito turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Riccuito shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Riccuito throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Riccuito throws a head kick that misses
and DeNardo counters with a straight right hand.
Riccuito moves out of range as DeNardo strikes.
Riccuito throws a good cross that connects.
DeNardo ducks under a wild hook from Riccuito.
DeNardo was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
DeNardo cracks Riccuito with a good jab.
DeNardo connects with a crisp jab.
DeNardo misses with a hook
and Riccuito counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Riccuito lands a front kick.
A decent looking cross lands there for Riccuito.
Riccuito has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
DeNardo walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Riccuito checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Riccuito scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

Riccuito rushes DeNardo and presses him up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A short right from DeNardo.
DeNardo fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Riccuito misses with an elbow strike.

DeNardo breaks from the clinch.
Riccuito blocks a head kick by DeNardo.
Riccuito wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Riccuito connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Riccuito lands a jab.
Riccuito tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. DeNardo manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
DeNardo is looking to counter punch.
An inside leg kick from DeNardo misses.
Riccuito tries to counter with a clinch but DeNardo shakes him off and moves away.
Riccuito throws a body punch but DeNardo moves out of range.
Riccuito misses with an uppercut.
A nice inside leg kick there by Riccuito. That's going to slow DeNardo down.
Riccuito 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.
DeNardo throws a looping overhand right but Riccuito ducks down to avoid it.
Riccuito wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Riccuito is looking to land body kicks.
Nice defenses there by Riccuito.
Riccuito throws a body punch but DeNardo moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
DeNardo misses with a leg kick.
Riccuito throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Mark Riccuito is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Riccuito lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
DeNardo throws a low kick but it's checked well by Riccuito.
DeNardo slips under a jab.
Riccuito scores with a nice strike.
DeNardo throws a shot from downtown. Riccuito moves away and avoids it.
Riccuito avoids a punch combination nicely.
Riccuito swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Riccuito displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
A leg kick checked by Riccuito.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Riccuito! But no joy.
DeNardo looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Riccuito misses with an uppercut.
DeNardo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Riccuito.
Riccuito uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by DeNardo.
DeNardo throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Riccuito sees it coming and avoids it easily.
The fighters circle momentarily. DeNardo darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mark Riccuito showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Dom DeNardo's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Riccuito throws a nice outside leg kick.
Riccuito misses with a series of wild punches.
Riccuito rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but DeNardo moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
DeNardo misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
DeNardo bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
DeNardo attempts a counter takedown but Riccuito avoids it well and moves away.
Riccuito misses with an uppercut. DeNardo saw that one coming.
Riccuito ducks under a wild hook from DeNardo.
Riccuito leaves DeNardo with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
DeNardo scores with a nice strike.
DeNardo misses with a looping left.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
DeNardo fails with the takedown
and Riccuito counters with a low kick, right behind DeNardo 's knee.
Riccuito steps to the side to avoid the strikes from DeNardo.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
DeNardo closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.

Riccuito instigates a clinch.
DeNardo managing to block the knees to the body from Riccuito.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Riccuito.
DeNardo is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Riccuito to keep the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Dom DeNardo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
DeNardo tries to pull guard but Riccuito holds him up against the cage and eventually DeNardo drops back down to his feet.
Riccuito scores a nice knee to the body.
Riccuito lands a knee to the body.
A short left from Riccuito.
Riccuito works on DeNardo's body with a couple of short punches.
Riccuito creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through DeNardo's defenses.
Riccuito working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A right hand to the body from Riccuito.
Riccuito lands a good knee to the midsection. DeNardo won't want to take too many of those.
Riccuito lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Riccuito lands a damaging elbow.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Riccuito tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
A right handed body shot lands from Riccuito.
Good body shot from Riccuito.
Mark Riccuito seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Riccuito lands with a left to the head.
Riccuito creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through DeNardo's defenses.
Mark Riccuito is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Riccuito working some nice short punches in the clinch.

DeNardo is rocked!
Riccuito holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Oh DeNardo is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
DeNardo being controlled against the cage.
DeNardo seems to have got his legs back now.
Riccuito comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Riccuito throws a big uppercut that drops DeNardo! More strikes from Riccuito and the referee jumps in to stop the fight! DeNardo lies dazed against the cage as Riccuito celebrates with his cornermen!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:31 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Mark Riccuito!
Mark Riccuito tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.