PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Joe Dinapoli (ranked 314 p4p, 339 weight class) and Dempsey ONeill (ranked 48 p4p, 52 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Dinapoli
vs
ONeill

195 cm
27
207
22 - 5 - 0

189 cm
27
205
16 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

SynCity Fightwear
Voodoo Nutrition

Urban Fighter
Paddy's Enhancing Drugs (160Q)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 22 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Joe Dinapoli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dempsey ONeill!
The judges for this bout are Percy O'Donnell, Timothy Bukovac and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dinapoli misses with a body shot
and ONeill counters with a nice uppercut.
Dinapoli looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Dinapoli lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Dinapoli throws a poor cross that misses
and ONeill counters with a straight right hand.
Dinapoli swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Dinapoli takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Nice uppercut lands for Dinapoli. That snapped ONeill's head back.
ONeill walks forward, straight into a front kick from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli with the inside leg kick.
Dinapoli throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Dinapoli lands with a hook. ONeill tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
ONeill has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Dinapoli checks a leg kick.
Dinapoli just misses with a punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
ONeill doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
ONeill stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Dinapoli throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent ONeill stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Dinapoli keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Dinapoli works the jab nicely.
Jab, jab by Dinapoli - just one landing.
ONeill takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Dinapoli misses with an uppercut.
ONeill looks like he wants to counter punch here.
ONeill throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A big left from ONeill misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dinapoli throws a nice outside leg kick.
ONeill lands with a nice body punch.
Dinapoli throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from ONeill! But no joy.
Dinapoli misses with a straight left.
Dinapoli scores with a jab to the body.
Dinapoli misses with a left hand
and Dinapoli takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Dinapoli looks to land a right hand but ONeill moved out of range.
ONeill looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Dinapoli throws a hook to the side of ONeill's head but ONeill sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
ONeill throws a big counter head kick but Dinapoli avoids it with no problem.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Dinapoli throws a lazy right hand but ONeill sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Dinapoli misses with a straight right.
Dinapoli lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Dinapoli connects with a good right hand that stumbles ONeill. ONeill circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
ONeill misses with a right hand
and Dinapoli counters with a straight right hand.
Dinapoli lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
ONeill takes one to the chin there.
A jab from Dinapoli does it's job there.

It looks like Dempsey ONeill has been cut.
Dinapoli lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
ONeill uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Dinapoli.
Dinapoli shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
ONeill looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Dinapoli throws an off balance right hand
and ONeill counters with a lovely straight right hand!
ONeill blocks a low kick nicely.
Dinapoli misses the jab.
It seemed like ONeill was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Nice straight punches there by Dinapoli. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Dinapoli.
Dinapoli throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
ONeill throws a fast counter high kick but Dinapoli manages to duck under it in time.
ONeill lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Dinapoli circles away quickly and effectively.
Nice defenses there by ONeill.
ONeill on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Dinapoli dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dempsey ONeill's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

ONeill has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Dinapoli.
ONeill bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from ONeill! But no joy.
Dinapoli scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Dinapoli lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Dinapoli misses with a wild body shot.
Dinapoli blocks a head kick by ONeill.
Joe Dinapoli seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Dinapoli lands a jab to the nose.
Dinapoli is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that ONeill can do to turn this around?
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
ONeill takes one on the chin but seems OK.
ONeill slips a straight right by Dinapoli.
Dinapoli swings widly with a right hand
and ONeill counters with a stiff right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dinapoli fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and ONeill has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
ONeill takes one to the side of the head.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with each other but ONeill might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Dinapoli has got the better of the exchanges.
ONeill ducks under a wild hook from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli swings for the body but ONeill moves out of range.
ONeill appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Dinapoli swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Dinapoli defending well as ONeill loads up on a big left hand.
Dinapoli throws a shot to the body.
Dinapoli jabs at ONeill's body.
ONeill swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Dinapoli chopping away at his opponent's legs.
ONeill 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.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
ONeill jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Dinapoli seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Dinapoli tries a low kick but ONeill avoids it.
ONeill takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Dinapoli tries a low kick but ONeill avoids it.
ONeill moves into range and connects with a jab.
This has been an exciting period of action!
ONeill misses with a left hand
and Dinapoli counters with a leg kick.
Dinapoli fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and ONeill has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Dinapoli looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Dinapoli lands a straight punch to the body, keeping ONeill at a distance.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from ONeill.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from ONeill! But no joy.
Dinapoli fails with an attempt to clinch.
ONeill takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
ONeill's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Dinapoli misses with an uppercut. ONeill saw that one coming.
Jab by Dinapoli.
Dinapoli just misses with a punch to the body.
Dinapoli pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Dinapoli throws a leg kick
and ONeill counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
ONeill has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Dinapoli misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from ONeill.
It seemed like ONeill was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Dinapoli throws out a loose jab but ONeill uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli misses with a right hand
and ONeill counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
ONeill defending well as Dinapoli loads up on a big left hand.
ONeill only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Dinapoli, as that shot connected.
Dinapoli throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
ONeill feints a counter leg kick.
Dinapoli chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before ONeill can pounce on him.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Dinapoli chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Dinapoli throws a good cross that connects.
Dinapoli wants to slow ONeill down by chopping away at his legs.
ONeill looks like he wants to counter punch here.
A swing and a miss from ONeill.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Dinapoli dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Dempsey ONeill's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Dinapoli lands a body shot.
ONeill ducks under a wild hook from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Dinapoli jabs ONeill right on the nose. ONeill blinks but takes it well.
ONeill checks a low kick from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli scores with a leg kick.
Dinapoli lands with a thumping leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dinapoli throws a lazy uppercut
letting ONeill counter with a right hand.
Dinapoli wants to slow ONeill down by chopping away at his legs.
ONeill throws a fast counter high kick but Dinapoli manages to duck under it in time.
Dinapoli throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dinapoli throws a jab but it's blocked by ONeill.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from ONeill! But no joy.
A cross from Dinapoli lands.
Dinapoli throws an overhand right that lands on ONeill's shoulder, as ONeill tries to avoid the shot.
Dinapoli with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Dinapoli lunges at ONeill with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by ONeill's hand.
Dinapoli has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
ONeill takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Dinapoli connects with a jab.
ONeill throws a sloppy head kick
and Dinapoli counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
ONeill closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Dempsey ONeill has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Joe Dinapoli is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dinapoli jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
ONeill moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Dinapoli throws a leg kick that misses.
ONeill now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
ONeill looks to land a left hand but Dinapoli moved out of range nicely.
Dinapoli scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
ONeill throws a right hand that misses
and Dinapoli counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Dinapoli bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps ONeill's head backwards.
Dinapoli slips under a jab.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as ONeill checks a leg kick.
ONeill feints a counter leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Dinapoli. ONeill does a little dance to reset his feet.
Dinapoli throws a combination that misses
and Dinapoli takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Dinapoli rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and ONeill counters with a nice uppercut.
ONeill avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
ONeill uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Dinapoli.
ONeill looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Dinapoli throws out a powerful jab.
ONeill swings widly with a right hand
and Dinapoli counters with a nice low kick that buckles ONeill's knee momentarily.
Dinapoli throws a nice inside leg kick.
ONeill rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Dinapoli counters with a straight right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
ONeill blocks a low kick nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from ONeill! But no joy.
Dinapoli lands a leg kick that knocks ONeill off balance momentarily.
Dinapoli takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Dinapoli lands with a shot to the body.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
ONeill throws a hook but Dinapoli blocks it.
Dinapoli scores with a hook.
Dinapoli misses the jab.
A little jabbing left from ONeill on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
ONeill avoids the body shot from Dinapoli.
Dinapoli slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe Dinapoli showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Dinapoli has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe Dinapoli!
Joe Dinapoli thanked the fans post fight for their support.