PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Lemmy Bang (ranked 1175 p4p, 454 weight class) and Frank Rizzo (ranked 95 p4p, 34 weight class). Bang kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is For Heavy Metal we will die!. Frank Rizzo told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Bang
vs
Rizzo

169 cm
39
145
27 - 21 - 2

150 cm
32
140
17 - 10 - 2

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Very quick

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Furnace Performance 🔥
Silverguard Outfitters 🛡

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 27 - 21 - 2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Lemmy Bang!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 10 - 2, fighting out of St Petersburg, Frank Rizzo!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and Percy O'Donnell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice shot by Bang.
A jab lands there for Rizzo.
Rizzo moves away from the strike by Bang.
Bang missing with a left hand there. Rizzo was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Rizzo with the counter takedown but Bang avoids it easily.
Bang throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Rizzo's coach down at St Petersburg MMA Gym was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Rizzo's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Rizzo slips a jab from Bang.
Bang misses with a lunging right hand
and Rizzo counters with a right hand to the body.
Rizzo slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Bang throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rizzo counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Rizzo slips a jab from Bang.
Bang throws an off balance right hand
and Rizzo counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Bang takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Bang throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Rizzo sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Rizzo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A looping hook to the body misses from Bang. Rizzo does a little dance to reset his feet.

Rizzo fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Bang to the ground. Rizzo is now in Bang's guard.
Rizzo is fighting to break Bang's control of his arms but Bang is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bang is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Rizzo stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Bang swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Rizzo is looking to work some ground and pound but Bang has wrist control.
Rizzo landing some decent shots from guard.
Rizzo wants to control from the top but Bang keeps moving.
Bang has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Rizzo pushes down on Bang's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Bang gets back to full guard.
Rizzo postures up.
Rizzo working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Bang's head.
Bang trying to strike off his back.
Rizzo throwing strikes but missing.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Bang is trying to keep Rizzo in close.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bang is really struggling to control Rizzo but he's trying to hold on to the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Bang throws a lazy right hand but Rizzo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Rizzo keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bang.
Rizzo wants to counter the offense by Bang and move into the clinch position.

Bang gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Bang trying to control the position.
Bang can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Rizzo controls the pace.
Bang is trying to keep Rizzo in close.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo is in close to Bang's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Rizzo postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Rizzo pushing down on Bang's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Bang wants to get back to full guard.
Rizzo throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Bang to regain full guard.
Rizzo landing with the ground and pound.
Rizzo is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Rizzo controlling from the top position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Frank Rizzo dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Bang swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Rizzo counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Rizzo throws a leg kick but Bang moved away.
Bang misses with a straight right.
Bang thows a left - swing and a miss!
Rizzo misses with a lunging right hand
and Bang counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Rizzo slips under a jab from Bang.
Rizzo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bang was well out of range. Poor timing from Rizzo.
Bang misses with a looping left.
Rizzo throws a counter combo.
Bang throws an off balance right hand
and Rizzo counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Bang jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Bang throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bang looks to throw the jab but Rizzo is out of range.
A little jabbing left from Rizzo on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Rizzo uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Bang.
Rizzo walks into a left hand.

Rizzo moves into range and clinches up with Bang.
Bang misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Bang has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rizzo lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Bang misses with a hook from the clinch.
Rizzo fails to pull guard.

Bang breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Rizzo with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Bang to score with a decent uppercut.
Bang throws an off balance right hand
and Rizzo counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rizzo checks a leg kick.
Rizzo tried to score with a low kick but Bang checks it.
Rizzo keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Bang.
Bang misses with a hook.
Rizzo bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A jab from Bang misses.
Rizzo steps in looking to clinch after the strikes miss from Bang.
Rizzo ducks under a wild hook from Bang.
Bang misses with a shot to the body
and Rizzo counters with a stiff right hand.
Bang throws a hook but Rizzo avoids it easily.
Bang rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Rizzo counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Rizzo.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Rizzo moves out of range as Bang strikes.
Bang swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Rizzo counters with a stiff right hand.
Rizzo takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Rizzo changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Rizzo swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Frank Rizzo seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bang swings widly with a right hand
and Rizzo counters with a stiff right hand.
Rizzo slips under a jab.
Rizzo tries to counter with a clinch but Bang shakes him off and moves away.

Rizzo shoots in and gets a takedown into Bang's guard.
Bang wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Rizzo is now in half guard.
Rizzo is thwarting Bang's attempts to control the position.
Rizzo wants to lay and pray for a moment but Bang keeps working.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bang is trying to maintain the position but Rizzo is very close to passing his half guard.
Rizzo not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Rizzo thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Bang's head.
Rizzo working over Bang with some ground and pound. Bang looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rizzo missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Rizzo trying to control the action but Bang is working from the bottom.
Bang tries to get to full guard but Rizzo has control of the leg.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Rizzo working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

Rizzo looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Nice strikes from Rizzo there.
Rizzo stalling away here and it's allowed Bang to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Frank Rizzo 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. And we move into the final round!

Rizzo displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Bang throws out the jab.
Bang is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Rizzo.
Bang connects with a body shot.
Bang misses with an uppercut.
Rizzo wants to counter the offense by Bang and move into the clinch position.

Rizzo clinches up with Bang and pushes him back against the cage.

Bang pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
The fighters circling - Bang throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Bang throws a hook but Rizzo avoids it easily.
Rizzo moves out of range of the body kick.
Rizzo uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Bang.
Bang has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Rizzo finds it's way round the side to connect with Bang's head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bang motions for Rizzo to come forward. Bang throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Rizzo scores with a jab. Bang acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Lemmy Bang has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bang throws a hook but Rizzo blocks it.
Bang misses with a hook.
Rizzo just misses with a punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bang throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Rizzo connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Bang fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Rizzo.
Rizzo slips a jab from Bang.
Rizzo connects with a body shot.
Rizzo fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Lemmy Bang is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bang misses with an uppercut
letting Rizzo counter with a right hand.
Bang tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Rizzo was well out of range. Poor timing from Bang.
Bang swings widly with a right hand
and Rizzo counters with a left and a right that stings Bang.
Rizzo moves out of range of the strikes.
Bang misses with a hook
and Rizzo cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Rizzo avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Rizzo has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Bang tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Rizzo has taken the fight to the clinch.
Rizzo scores with a shoulder strike.
A short right from Rizzo on the inside.
Bang misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rizzo lands with a light punch inside.
Bang lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Bang is struggling to control the position.
Bang manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Bang gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.
Bang is trying to maintain a safe position but Rizzo gets an underhook and turns Bang into the cage.
Bang misses with a punch on the inside.
Bang tries to break free but Rizzo pushes him back against the cage.
Rizzo drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Bang gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Bang tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Rizzo tries to pull guard but Bang holds him up against the cage and eventually Rizzo drops back down to his feet.
A frustrated look appears on Bang's face as he tries to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bang tries a body shot but Rizzo blocks it.
Bang working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

Rizzo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rizzo misses with a leg kick
and Bang counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Bang throws a lazy uppercut
and Rizzo counters with a stiff right hand.
Bang throws a poor cross that misses

and Rizzo counters by clinching up.

Bang's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rizzo dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Rizzo lands a jab to the head.
Lemmy Bang seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bang misses with a left hand
and Rizzo counters with a right hand to the body.
Bang throws a lazy right hand but Rizzo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Bang misses with a right hand
and Rizzo counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nice defenses there by Rizzo.
A lazy left from Rizzo finds it's target.
Rizzo scores with the left hand. Bang knows he should have avoided that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bang looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Bang checks a low kick from Rizzo.
No joy there for Bang, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bang misses with a hook to the body
enabling Rizzo to counter with a crisp jab.
Frank Rizzo is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Bang throws an off balance right hand
and Rizzo counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Rizzo scores with a punch to the head.
Bang takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Bang throws a lazy right hand but Rizzo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Rizzo lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Bang tries to work over Rizzo's front leg with a kick but Rizzo checks it.
Bang swings widly with a right hand
enabling Rizzo to counter with a crisp jab.
Bang throws a poor cross that misses
enabling Rizzo to counter with a crisp jab.
Bang throws an off balance right hand
and Rizzo counters with a straight right hand.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Bang on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Rizzo lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

And that's the end of the fight!
Frank Rizzo comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Rizzo 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Frank Rizzo!
Frank Rizzo 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.