PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Dante Esposito (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tyler Durden (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Durden has chosen Where Is My Mind as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Esposito
vs
Durden

178 cm
24
161 lbs
7 - 3 - 0

180 cm
24
157 lbs
8 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Dante Esposito !
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, Tyler Durden!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Fujiwara, Ren Mimura and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Durden looks to throw the jab but Esposito is out of range.
Durden lands with a thumping leg kick.
Durden moves out of range as Esposito throws a body kick.
Durden uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Esposito .
Esposito lets loose with a powerful body kick. Durden will feel that in the morning.
Esposito has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Durden.
Durden lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Durden.
A looping hook to the body misses from Esposito . Durden does a little dance to reset his feet.
Esposito throws an off balance right hand
and Durden cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Durden scores with a hook to the body. Esposito takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Durden swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Esposito gets cracked there but stands up to it.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Durden tries to work over Esposito 's front leg with a kick but Esposito checks it.
Esposito misses with a wild body shot.
Esposito pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Durden connects with a right hand. Esposito shakes it off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Durden is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Esposito .
The fighters circling - Esposito throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Esposito moves out of range as Durden strikes.
Esposito ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Durden lands with a cross.
Durden jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Esposito scores with a head kick. Durden tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Esposito 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.
Durden throws a left and a right that both miss
and Esposito counters with an inside leg kick.
Esposito finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
That kick from Durden tenderised Esposito 's leg. Esposito is trying to keep his angry face on.
Durden throws a poor cross that misses
and Esposito counters with a left to the body.
Durden is looking to chop away at Esposito 's legs.
A telegraphed right hand from Esposito misses the target.
Esposito throws a lazy head kick
and Durden counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Durden with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Durden scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Durden misses with a body kick.
Esposito appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Esposito throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Durden counters with a slapping leg kick.
Durden loads up on a big right hand but Esposito slips the punch.
Durden is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Esposito .
Esposito misses with a body kick.
Durden's coach down at Globo Gym was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Durden's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Durden misses with a looping right.
An attempted straight right counter from Esposito misses the target.
A looping hook to the body misses from Esposito . Durden does a little dance to reset his feet.
Durden throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Esposito throws a leg kick
and Durden counters with an inside leg kick.
Durden scores with a nice right hand.
Esposito looks to land a left hand but Durden moved out of range nicely.
Durden is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Esposito .
Durden jabs at Esposito 's body.
Durden stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Esposito .

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Durden swings widly with a right hand
and Esposito counters with a solid body kick.
Durden takes a swing at Esposito 's ribcage but misses.
A slow jab from Durden misses its intended target.
Esposito takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Esposito is pinned up against the ropes taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Durden jabs at Esposito 's body.
Durden takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Durden throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Esposito cracks the inside of Durden's front leg.
Durden clobbers Esposito with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Durden throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Esposito staying out of range there.
Durden pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Durden throws a body shot but no joy.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Esposito lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Esposito tries to land a body kick
and Durden cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Durden scores with a nice strike.
Esposito ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Durden moves away.
Esposito ducks under a wild hook from Durden.
Durden misses with an uppercut
and Esposito counters with a nice body kick.
Durden takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Durden ducks under a wild hook from Esposito .
Durden only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Durden takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Durden cracks Esposito with a good jab.
Durden throws a right hand that misses
and Esposito counters with a nice low kick that buckles Durden's knee momentarily.
Esposito scores with a jab to the body.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Esposito takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Durden bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Esposito 's head backwards.
Durden is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Esposito had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Esposito walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Esposito jabs at Durden's body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tyler Durden dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Esposito moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
An inside leg kick lands from Esposito .
A chopping leg kick lands by Durden.
Durden connects with the punch.
A clash of legs there as Esposito blocks the low kick.
Durden has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Durden missing with a left hand there. Esposito was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Esposito throws a half hearted mid kick.
Durden misses with a looping right.
Esposito throws a body kick that misses
and Durden counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Esposito misses with a head kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Durden takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Esposito throws a leg kick which misses Durden's front leg but catches the back leg as Durden tries to avoid it.
Esposito pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Durden dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Durden with a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Durden misses with a right hand
and Esposito counters with a nice uppercut.
Esposito connects with an inside leg kick.
Durden misses with a low kick.
Esposito throws a sloppy body shot
letting Durden counter with a right hand.
Esposito looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Esposito throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Durden sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Esposito takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Esposito throws a one two combo.
Esposito misses with a looping right.
Durden missing with a left hand there. Esposito was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
It appears Esposito was looking to counter with a kick there.
An inside leg kick from Durden misses.
Esposito is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Durden looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Esposito steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Durden.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Durden tests Esposito 's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Esposito lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Donk. Durden catches Esposito right on the button with a cross.
Durden connects with a jab.
Esposito uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Durden.
Esposito feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Durden misses with an uppercut
and Esposito makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Esposito looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Durden throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Esposito shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
A swing and a miss from Esposito .
Esposito 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.
Durden moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Esposito checks a leg kick nicely.
Durden ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Esposito moves away.
Durden connects with a crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Esposito shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Durden was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Esposito has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Durden finds it's way round the side to connect with Esposito 's head.
Esposito looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Esposito misses with a looping right.
Durden looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Durden throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Esposito connects with a jab.
Durden jabs at Esposito 's body.
Durden misses the jab.
Durden fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Esposito looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Esposito connects with the punch.
Durden misses with an uppercut. Esposito saw that one coming.
Durden's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Esposito uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Durden.
Esposito misses with a lunging right hand
and Esposito takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Esposito just misses with a punch to the body.
Durden moves out of range of the body kick from Esposito .

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Esposito moves away from the strike by Durden.
Tyler Durden seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Durden wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Durden takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Durden avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Esposito lands with a straight right. Durden didn't see that one coming.
Durden throws a front kick that sends Esposito stumbling back into the ropes.
Esposito swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Durden counters with a slapping leg kick.
A nice inside leg kick there by Durden. That's going to slow Esposito down.
Esposito misses with a low kick as Durden jumps back.
Durden throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Esposito sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Durden throws a big shot that misses.
A quick step to the side and Esposito tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Durden throws a leg kick
and Esposito counters with a low kick, right behind Durden 's knee.
Durden lands a nice looking body shot.
A decent looking cross lands there for Esposito .
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tyler Durden showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Esposito thumps Durden with a low kick.
Durden misses with a wild body shot.
Durden works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Esposito moves out of range of the strikes.
Esposito gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Esposito throws a head kick that half lands.
Esposito slips under a jab from Durden.
Esposito tries to land a leg kick but Durden saw it coming and moves away.
Esposito thuds his shin into the meat of Durden's side.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Esposito takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Esposito fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Durden manages to avoid it.
Durden gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Esposito chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Durden can pounce on him.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Esposito slips under a jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Esposito throws a low kick but Durden avoids it.
Durden lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Durden ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Esposito connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Esposito scores with a nice head shot.
Durden lands a nice leg kick that just misses Esposito 's sensitive parts.
Esposito bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Durden's head.
Durden takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Esposito misses the jab.
Esposito avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Esposito looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Esposito takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Durden has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Esposito .
Dante Esposito has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Durden throws a hook but Esposito blocks it.
Esposito tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Durden throws a hook but Esposito avoids it easily.
Esposito is looking for a counter combo.
Tyler Durden seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A jab lands there for Durden.
Durden connects with a leg kick. Esposito looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Esposito throws a wild body kick that Durden sees coming a mile off.
Durden is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Esposito with a body shot.
Esposito lands with a nice body kick.
Esposito connects with a body shot that sends Durden's belly button to the back.
Esposito gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Durden.
Esposito blocks a jab.
Esposito swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A slapping body kick lands there for Esposito .
Durden throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Esposito sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Esposito wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Durden listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Esposito slips a jab from Durden.
Esposito quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.
Durden throws a sloppy body shot
and Esposito counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Durden keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Durden throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Durden scores with a sloppy right hand. Esposito should have avoided that one.
Esposito misses the body punch
and Durden counters with a nice uppercut.
Durden throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A looping hook to the body misses from Durden. Esposito does a little dance to reset his feet.
Esposito tries a head kick but it misses.
Durden looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Durden throws a right hand that misses
and Esposito counters with a low kick, right behind Durden 's knee.
Esposito looks for the body kick but Durden saw that one coming.
Durden throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Esposito counters with an inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Durden misses with an uppercut.
Durden ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Durden avoids the body shot from Esposito .
Durden loads up on a big right hand but Esposito slips the punch.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Esposito throws a body shot but no joy.
Durden throws a hook but Esposito avoids it easily.
A good leg kick by Esposito .
Durden connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Esposito throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Durden sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Esposito throws a looping overhand right but Durden ducks down to avoid it.
Durden throws a lazy uppercut
and Esposito counters with a right hand to the body.
Durden moves away from the strike by Esposito .
Durden throws a shot from downtown. Esposito moves away and avoids it.
Durden has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Esposito .
Durden lands a right hook to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Dante Esposito .
Well Durden has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight for Tyler Durden!
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight for Tyler Durden!
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight for Tyler Durden!

Tyler Durden wins by unanimous decision!
In his post fight interview, Tyler Durden started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.