PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Dantas Barao (ranked 3132 p4p, 1370 weight class) and Lorenzo Bataglia (ranked 155 p4p, 76 weight class). Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Barao
vs
Bataglia

170 cm
20
148
6 - 2 - 0

170 cm
26
142
8 - 2 - 0

Decent wrestler
Solid Muay Thai
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Urban Fighter
Brooklyn Apothecary

Core Combat

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 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Dantas Barao!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Lorenzo Bataglia!
The judges for this bout are Emerson Jorge, Leandro Rodrigues and Edson Gomes.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Barao rushes Bataglia and presses him up against the cage.

Bataglia breaks from the clinch.
A slapping leg kick lands for Barao.
Barao definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Barao takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Bataglia connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Bataglia misses with an uppercut. Barao saw that one coming.
Barao appears to be looking for a big counter.

Barao closes the distance and clinches.
Barao misses with a knee to the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bataglia wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Barao has him pressed against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Barao.
Bataglia scores with a shot to the side of Barao's head.

Bataglia escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bataglia swings for the body but Barao moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barao dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Bataglia. That did some damage!

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Bataglia wants to break free but Barao has control.
Barao with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

Bataglia breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bataglia missing with a left hand there. Barao was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bataglia swings away with a body shot that misses
and Barao makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Barao throws a head kick that misses.
Bataglia misses with a lunging right hand
and Barao counters with a nice leg kick.
Barao takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barao turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Barao wants to clinch
and Bataglia makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Barao jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Barao tries a head kick but it misses.
Bataglia fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bataglia misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Barao.
Barao swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Bataglia connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Barao. Bataglia does a little dance to reset his feet.
Bataglia lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Bataglia rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Barao counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Barao throws a sloppy head kick and Bataglia moves out of range easily.
It seemed like Bataglia was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Bataglia misses with a lunging right hand
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Barao throws a lazy head kick
and Bataglia connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A head kick misses from Barao.
It seemed like Bataglia was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Bataglia misses with a straight right.
Barao ducks under a wild hook from Bataglia.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barao misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Bataglia throws a series of punches but Barao avoids them all with ease.
Barao tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Barao blocks a jab.
Barao seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Barao defending well as Bataglia loads up on a big left hand.
Barao ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Bataglia moves away.
Barao tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Bataglia looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Lorenzo Bataglia will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Barao keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Barao lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Bataglia has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Bataglia and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Bataglia throws out a counter right but Barao avoids it with no problem.
Bataglia fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Barao on the side of the head.
Barao connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Barao slips a jab from Bataglia.
Lorenzo Bataglia seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Barao throws a hook to the side of Bataglia's head but Bataglia sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barao swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Barao tries to land a front kick but Bataglia steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barao tries to clinch but Bataglia moves away
and Bataglia counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Bataglia stalks Barao and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Barao's face. Barao staggers backwards, shaken.
Both fighters are looking to counter, which isn't making for the most exciting fight in the world.
Bataglia lands a really nice looking cross but Barao seems unphased.
Bataglia throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Bataglia uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Barao.

Barao has managed to clinch.

Bataglia escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Barao misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Bataglia takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barao throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bataglia appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Dantas Barao is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Bataglia cracks Barao with a right hand to the side of the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Bataglia lands a nice looking body shot.
Barao throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
A little jabbing left from Bataglia on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Bataglia throws a right hand that misses
and Barao counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Bataglia lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Barao throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Barao throws a sloppy body shot
and Barao takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bataglia misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Barao.
Barao stuns Bataglia with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.

Barao closes the distance and clinches.

Bataglia breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Nice cross by Bataglia.
Barao fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bataglia thuds his right hand into Barao's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Barao drops his hands momentarily and Bataglia takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barao throws a jab but it's blocked by Bataglia.
Bataglia is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Barao with a body shot.

Barao drives through and clinches with Bataglia against the cage.

Bataglia escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bataglia bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Barao keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bataglia.
Bataglia swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bataglia is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Barao.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Barao throws a wild body kick that Bataglia sees coming a mile off.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lorenzo Bataglia showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Bataglia throws a shot from downtown. Barao moves away and avoids it.
Bataglia misses with a wild body shot.
Barao buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Barao throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Bataglia counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Bataglia lands with a hook. Barao tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

Barao closes the distance and pushes Bataglia back into the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barao keeps control of Bataglia as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Bataglia lands a shoulder strike.
Barao blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Bataglia on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Barao lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's one minute gone in the round.

Bataglia breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Bataglia jabs Barao to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Bataglia misses with a two punch combination.
Barao moves away from the strike by Bataglia.
Barao connects with an inside leg kick.
Barao lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Bataglia's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Bataglia throws a body punch but Barao moves out of range.
A solid leg kick lands there for Barao.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bataglia scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Barao doesn't seem bothered though.
Nice jab there from Bataglia.
Barao tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bataglia looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Bataglia throws a hook but Barao blocks it.
Barao appears to be looking for a big counter.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Bataglia doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Bataglia managing to block the knees to the body from Barao.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Barao breaks from the clinch.
No joy there for Barao, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barao lands a high kick!
Barao lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
A chopping leg kick lands by Barao.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Barao.
Dantas Barao has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bataglia misses with a looping right.
Bataglia rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Barao counters with a good low kick that Bataglia was not able to check.
Bataglia throws a lazy right hand but Barao sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Barao lifts his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Barao keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bataglia scores with a body shot.
Bataglia lands with an uppercut that bounces Barao off the cage and back into range.
Bataglia tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Barao was well out of range. Poor timing from Bataglia.
Barao looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Bataglia throws a hook to the side of Barao's head but Barao sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Barao is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Bataglia.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Some wild striking there from Barao.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Lorenzo Bataglia.
I've got Bataglia 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 Emerson Jorge scores the fight 28:29
Judge Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 28:30
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Lorenzo Bataglia!
Dantas Barao spoke after the fight, saying 'I luhhh you myke'.