PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Giuseppe De Rossi (ranked 1895 p4p, 2599 weight class) and Uestus Johnston (ranked 235 p4p, 303 weight class). De Rossi comes to the cage accompanied by Paky - Vita sbagliata. Johnston has chosen Clint Eastwood- Gorillaz as his entrance music. 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?

De Rossi
vs
Johnston

182 cm
22
165
9 - 2 - 0

180 cm
27
157
17 - 10 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

Decent wrestler
Decent boxing
Granite chin

Katman Drip Inc.

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 9 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Giuseppe De Rossi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 10 - 0, fighting out of London, Uestus Johnston!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, Ian Loll and Elvis Blanc.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Johnston misses with a straight right.
Nice body punch from Johnston.
De Rossi walks into a stiff left hand from Johnston.
De Rossi tries to clinch but Johnston moves out of range.
We've been told by De Rossi's head coaches at The Italian Job that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
De Rossi is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Johnston.
Johnston cracks De Rossi with an open hand slap.
Uestus Johnston seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
De Rossi scores with a jab. Johnston acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Johnston ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
De Rossi takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
De Rossi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Johnston.
De Rossi with a body punch. A glancing blow.
De Rossi swinging wildly here.
De Rossi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Johnston manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Johnston looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Johnston looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
De Rossi throws a body punch but Johnston moves out of range.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnston is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by De Rossi.
Johnston avoids the body shot from De Rossi.
Johnston throws out a counter right but De Rossi avoids it with no problem.
Johnston uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by De Rossi.
De Rossi swings widly with a right hand
and Johnston counters with a three punch combo that has De Rossi backing up. De Rossi nods at Johnston to acknowledge the strikes.
De Rossi moves in looking to clinch but Johnston pushes him off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnston lands a jab-cross combination.
Johnston keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Johnston is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A jab from Johnston misses.
De Rossi swings for the body but Johnston moves out of range.

De Rossi clinches up against the cage.
Johnston working hard to break the clinch.
Johnston takes a shot to the head.
A frustrated look appears on Johnston's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Johnston prevents a body shot from De Rossi.
De Rossi lands a shot to the body.
De Rossi keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Johnston's efforts to push away.
De Rossi misses with a hook to the ribs.
De Rossi has a couple of punches blocked by Johnston.
De Rossi doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
De Rossi lands a nice uppercut.
Johnston tries to circle away but De Rossi has him pinned against the cage.
Johnston can't break the clinch.
Still in the clinch, De Rossi scores with a nice short uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
De Rossi misses with a punch to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Johnston breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Johnston scores with a punch to the head.
Johnston moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Johnston closes the distance and lands a one-two.
De Rossi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Johnston was well out of range. Poor timing from De Rossi.

De Rossi closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Johnston has had enough of the clinch but De Rossi keeps him there for the moment.
De Rossi working aggressively here.

Johnston escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Johnston scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Johnston lands a really nice looking cross but De Rossi seems unphased.
De Rossi misses with a lunging right hand
enabling Johnston to counter with a crisp jab.
De Rossi looks to throw the jab but Johnston is out of range.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Johnston swats him away and circles back towards the center.
De Rossi tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Johnston manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Johnston throws an uppercut from half a mile away. De Rossi sees it coming and avoids it easily.
De Rossi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Good exchange - Johnston coming out on top.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnston uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by De Rossi.
Johnston scores with a hook to the body. De Rossi takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Johnston misses with a straight right.
De Rossi is looking to wear down Johnston with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Johnston misses with a looping right.
Johnston scores with a decent looking hook.
Johnston throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Johnston thuds a left hand into De Rossi's body.
Johnston moves into range and connects with a jab.
De Rossi keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Johnston.
Johnston scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Johnston throws out a loose jab but De Rossi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Johnston throws a combination. De Rossi tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The fighters circling - De Rossi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Johnston looks to land a combination. De Rossi sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
De Rossi tries to clinch up but Johnston circles away and keeps his distance.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch but Johnston swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Johnston loads up on a big right hand but De Rossi slips the punch.
Johnston bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps De Rossi's head backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnston works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
The fight stays on the outside here - De Rossi looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
De Rossi wants to clinch up but Johnston keeps it at a distance.
Johnston lands a nice shot that snaps De Rossi's head back.
De Rossi throws a looping overhand right but Johnston ducks down to avoid it.
De Rossi cracks Johnston with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
De Rossi takes one to the chin there.
Johnston is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! De Rossi had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
De Rossi walks into a jab.
De Rossi misses with a body shot.
De Rossi defending well as Johnston loads up on a big left hand.
De Rossi fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Johnston manages to avoid it.
A little jabbing left from Johnston on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Johnston cracks De Rossi with a right hand to the side of the head.
Johnston avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
De Rossi getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
De Rossi tries to clinch up.
Johnston is working the combinations to good effect here.
De Rossi ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
De Rossi is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Johnston lands with a shot to the body.
De Rossi tries to clinch up but Johnston circles away and keeps his distance.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Uestus Johnston dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action.

De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Johnston swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Johnston looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Johnston has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from De Rossi finds it's way round the side to connect with Johnston's head.
De Rossi wants to clinch.
De Rossi moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
De Rossi lands a nice looking body shot.
De Rossi avoids the body shot from Johnston.
De Rossi was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
De Rossi takes one to the side of the head.
De Rossi takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
De Rossi doesn't manage to clinch there - Johnston circles away.
Johnston has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Johnston swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Johnston lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Johnston scores with a jab to the jaw.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Johnston looks to throw the jab but De Rossi is out of range.
De Rossi is looking for a counter combo.
De Rossi doesn't manage to clinch there - Johnston circles away.
Johnston digs a good hook to De Rossi's body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters circling - De Rossi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Johnston fakes high and swings low for a body shot but De Rossi manages to avoid it.
Johnston swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
De Rossi tries to clinch up.
Johnston circles away from the clinch attempt.
Johnston connects with a nice looking jab.
Nice body punch from Johnston.
Johnston lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Johnston paws at him with a jab and circles away.
De Rossi fails in his attempt to clinch.
Johnston lands a right hook to the body.
De Rossi throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Johnston counters with a one-two to the body.
De Rossi looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Johnston lands a straight punch to the body, keeping De Rossi at a distance.
Johnston jabbing away but nothing is landing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Good standup being displayed there by Johnston as he connects with a hook.
Johnston throws a nice looking combination but De Rossi bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Uestus Johnston seems to be getting the better of the standup.
De Rossi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Johnston swats him away and circles back towards the center.
De Rossi lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Johnston backs up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A jab from De Rossi misses.
A little jabbing left from Johnston on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
De Rossi on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
De Rossi tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Johnston clobbers De Rossi with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Johnston catches De Rossi with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!

De Rossi gets in close and instigates a clinch.
De Rossi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
De Rossi swings wildly with an uppercut but Johnston uses good head movement to avoid it.
De Rossi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A shot in the inside from De Rossi.
De Rossi tries to work over Johnston's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Johnston breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
De Rossi missing with a left hand there. Johnston was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up but Johnston swats him away and circles back towards the center.
De Rossi takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
De Rossi throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A big left from Johnston misses.
De Rossi swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Johnston misses with a left hand
letting De Rossi counter with a right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Johnston displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as De Rossi throws out the jab.
De Rossi throws a jab but it's blocked by Johnston.
Johnston is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
De Rossi shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Johnston works De Rossi's body with a nice hook.
De Rossi is looking to clinch but Johnston is avoiding it.

De Rossi drives through and clinches with Johnston against the cage.
De Rossi can't find room to land a body shot as Johnston controls the action.

Johnston breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
De Rossi is looking to clinch but Johnston is avoiding it.
Johnston is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
De Rossi is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Johnston cracks De Rossi with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A big left from De Rossi misses.
De Rossi tries to clinch up.
De Rossi misses with a jab to the body
and Johnston counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
De Rossi moves forwards but Johnston connects with a nice, crisp jab.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Johnston thows a left - swing and a miss!
Johnston lands with an overhand left.
Johnston lunges at De Rossi with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by De Rossi's hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnston lunges at De Rossi with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by De Rossi's hand.
Johnston avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
De Rossi bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Johnston throws a combination but it was largely blocked by De Rossi.
De Rossi tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Johnston counters with a nice uppercut.
Johnston sizes up De Rossi with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
De Rossi wants to clinch up but Johnston keeps it at a distance.
De Rossi thuds his right hand into Johnston's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
De Rossi throws a big shot that misses.
De Rossi changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Johnston lands a glancing blow to the side of De Rossi's head.
Johnston jabbing away but nothing is landing.
De Rossi throws a right and a left that Johnston avoids nicely.
Johnston scores with a jab.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Johnston fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Johnston keeps the fight on the outside.
Good standup being displayed there by Johnston as he connects with a hook.
Johnston lands with a hook. De Rossi tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Uestus Johnston showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

De Rossi closes the distance looking to clinch
and Johnston connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnston staying out of range there.
De Rossi takes one on the button.

De Rossi clinches.

Johnston pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Johnston uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before De Rossi has time to react.
De Rossi throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Johnston slips under a jab.
Johnston lunges at De Rossi with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by De Rossi's hand.
De Rossi on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Johnston is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by De Rossi.
The fight stays on the outside here - De Rossi looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Johnston connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
A lazy left from Johnston finds it's target.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
De Rossi throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnston takes a swing at De Rossi's ribcage but misses.
De Rossi throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
De Rossi throws a body shot but no joy.
The fight stays on the outside here - De Rossi looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Johnston scores with a nice strike.
Nice shot by Johnston.
Johnston lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Nice uppercut there from De Rossi.
Johnston jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
A big left from Johnston misses.
De Rossi misses with a body shot.
Johnston looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Johnston tests De Rossi's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Johnston 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.
De Rossi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Johnston lands a jab to De Rossi's midsection.
De Rossi looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Johnston with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Giuseppe De Rossi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
De Rossi tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Johnston paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Johnston cracks De Rossi with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Jab, jab by Johnston - just one landing.
Johnston punishes De Rossi's body with a nice straight punch.
Johnston keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Johnston connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
De Rossi throws an overhand right that lands on Johnston's shoulder, as Johnston tries to avoid the shot.
Johnston misses with a hook.
De Rossi gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Johnston.
De Rossi ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
De Rossi ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Johnston moves away.
De Rossi tries to clinch
and Johnston counters with a straight right hand.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Johnston.
De Rossi looks to land a left hand but Johnston moved out of range nicely.
De Rossi is looking to clinch.
De Rossi tries to clinch but Johnston moves out of range.
Johnston throws out a counter right but De Rossi avoids it with no problem.
De Rossi moves in looking to clinch but Johnston pushes him off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
De Rossi ducks under a wild hook from Johnston.
Nice shot lands for Johnston.
De Rossi misses the shot to the body.
De Rossi scores with a jab to the body.
Johnston works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Johnston scores with a hook.
Johnston slips under a jab.
A nice side step and Johnston releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
De Rossi throws a body shot but no joy.
De Rossi fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
De Rossi with a hook.
Johnston comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
De Rossi throws a combination that misses
and Johnston counters with a straight right hand.
De Rossi doesn't manage to clinch there - Johnston circles away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
De Rossi takes one on the button.
De Rossi is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nice jab there from Johnston.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
De Rossi lands with an uppercut that bounces Johnston off the cage and back into range.
De Rossi misses with a body punch
and Johnston connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Johnston takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
De Rossi missing with a left hand there. Johnston was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
A little jabbing left from Johnston on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Johnston feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits De Rossis jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!

De Rossi is rocked!
Johnston connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between De Rossi's hands.
Oh De Rossi is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Johnston connects with a combination that backs up De Rossi into the cage. Johnston lands a flurry of punches that gets past De Rossi's guard. De Rossi is down and the referee has seen enough. It is all over! Johnston bursts into tears - this win obviously means a huge amount to him.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:27 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Uestus Johnston!
Uestus Johnston decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.
Giuseppe De Rossi spoke after the fight, saying 'Such a devastating loss that should never happen in the first place, I want to apologize to my fans for putting such a misserable performance and I promise I will be back stronger as always'.