PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Joe Rispoli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ryan Heller (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rispoli comes to the cage accompanied by Boston - More Than A Feeling. Ryan Heller has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Rispoli
vs
Heller

184 cm
22
170 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

185 cm
24
180 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Joe Rispoli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Ryan Heller!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, James Ackerman and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Heller avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Heller looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Rispoli fails in his attempt to clinch.
Heller goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Heller throws a quick inside leg kick.
Heller throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Rispoli.

Rispoli moves into the clinch successfully.
Rispoli goes for a takedown attempt but Heller pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Heller steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Rispoli. That one must have hurt.
Heller throws a sloppy head kick and Rispoli moves out of range easily.

Rispoli fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Heller, pushing him back against the cage.

Heller jumps into guard, dragging Rispoli to the mat.

Rispoli stands up and waves to Heller to follow him.
Heller avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Heller gets off balance looking for a body kick

and Rispoli counters by moving into the clinch.

Heller breaks from the clinch.
Heller misses with a head kick.
Rispoli avoids the head kick by Heller.
Heller goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
No joy there for Heller, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A low kick from Heller misses

and Rispoli holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Rispoli tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Heller avoids it.
Rispoli stalling.

Rispoli breaks the clinch.
Heller throws a head kick that half lands.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller moves out of range.
Heller misses with an uppercut.
Heller swinging wildly here.
Heller looks gassed!
Rispoli is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller moves out of range.
Heller throws a body kick the misses

and Rispoli holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Heller prevents a takedown attempt there.
Rispoli avoiding damage.
Rispoli pushes Heller back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Heller tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Rispoli has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Heller is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Rispoli. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Rispoli pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rispoli throws a series of punches but Heller moves out of range.
Heller looks to score with a jab to the body but Rispoli is just out of range.
Heller misses the body punch
letting Rispoli counter with a right hand.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller is having none of it.
Joe Rispoli seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rispoli tries to close the distance and clinch up but Heller swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Heller tries to keep at a distance but Rispoli has taken the fight into the clinch.
Rispoli throws a knee to the head but misses.
Heller is trying to force a seperation but Rispoli has the dominant position.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Rispoli tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Heller just stands there and leans against the cage.
Rispoli stalls.

Heller breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Heller circles away from the clinch attempt.
Heller looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Rispoli moves into the clinch successfully.
Rispoli working hard to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rispoli avoiding damage as Heller throws knees to the body.
Rispoli creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Heller's defenses.
Rispoli connects with a knee to the head.
Heller takes a knee right on the jaw!
Heller tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Rispoli's elbow.

Rispoli breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Rispoli looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Rispoli moves in looking to clinch but Heller pushes him off.
Heller throws a body kick the misses

and Rispoli moves into the clinch.
Heller wants a takedown.
Rispoli working Heller over with knees to the body.
Rispoli lands a hook that snaps the head of Heller backwards.
Rispoli throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Heller blocks it with crossed arms.
The referee calls for Rispoli to work.
Rispoli tries to stall but Heller uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Rispoli putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Heller in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Rispoli using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Heller has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Heller tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Rispoli is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Heller wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Rispoli has him pressed against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rispoli using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Heller has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Rispoli unloads a knee to the mid-section. Heller lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
A bit of stalling here from Rispoli.

Rispoli breaks the clinch.
Rispoli is looking to clinch but Heller is avoiding it.
Rispoli tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Heller paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Rispoli instigates a clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Heller.
Rispoli tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Heller takes a knee right on the jaw!
Rispoli misses with a knee strike.
Heller stalling.
Rispoli is looking to control Heller's arms but Heller gets an underhook and turns him. Now Rispoli has his back to the cage.
Heller tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Rispoli smiles and moves away.
Heller misses with a few strikes there.
Rispoli tries to clinch up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Rispoli dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Heller throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Rispoli takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.

Rispoli gets a clinch.

Heller pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Heller throws a nice looking combination but Rispoli bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Rispoli cracks Heller with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Rispoli misses with a wild combination.
Rispoli tries to clinch up but Heller circles away and keeps his distance.
Heller throws a sloppy head kick

and Rispoli holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

Rispoli escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Heller swats away the attempt to clinch by Rispoli.

Rispoli drives through and clinches with Heller against the cage.
Heller has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Rispoli avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Rispoli lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Rispoli looking to stall.
Rispoli lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Rispoli fails to pull guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Rispoli manages to pull guard.
Rispoli trying to control the position here.

Rispoli scrambles and gets back to his feet.
A head kick from Rispoli lands but Heller takes it in his stride.
Heller throws a lazy body kick

and Rispoli counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Rispoli tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Rispoli throws a knee to the head but misses.
Rispoli can't get the takedown.
Rispoli misses with a knee to the head.
Heller scores with a shoulder strike.

Heller jumps into guard, dragging Rispoli to the mat.
Rispoli has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Heller looking to control.
Rispoli is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Rispoli stands and steps away. Heller gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller is having none of it.
The fight stays on the outside here - Rispoli looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller is having none of it.
Heller finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Rispoli tries to close the distance and clinch up but Heller swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Heller thows a leg kick but Rispoli checks it

and Rispoli counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Rispoli blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Rispoli is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Heller takes a knee right on the jaw!
Heller trying to land knees to the body.
Rispoli is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Rispoli. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Rispoli is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Heller is keeping busy.
Rispoli stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Rispoli manages to pull guard.
Rispoli wants to stand but Heller is controlling the position.
Rispoli is controlling Heller's posture.
Heller wants to control from the top but Rispoli keeps moving.
Heller is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Rispoli trying to control the position.

That's four 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.
Rispoli keeping moving, preventing Heller from controlling successfully.
Rispoli has his hands on Heller's head, controlling the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.

Rispoli instigates a clinch.
Rispoli wants a takedown but no success here.

Rispoli jumps guard and drags Heller to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Heller throws a big right hand that misses.
Heller tries to stand but Rispoli is controlling from the bottom.
Rispoli looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Heller trying to control the position from guard on top but Rispoli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Rispoli dominated that second round.
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. This is the final round!

Rispoli clinches with his opponent.
Heller prevents a takedown attempt there.
Knees in the clinch landing for Heller.
Heller has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Heller jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Rispoli walks away with a smile on his face. Heller gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Rispoli tries to close the distance and clinch but Heller swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Heller misses with a kick to the body.
A lazy body kick from Heller

and Rispoli counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Rispoli connects with a nasty looking knee right to Heller's face.
Heller leaning against his opponent.
Rispoli looking to stall.
Rispoli misses with a punch on the inside.

Rispoli's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Rispoli tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The fight stays on the outside here - Rispoli looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Rispoli tries to close the distance and clinch but Heller swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Heller throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller is having none of it.
Rispoli is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Rispoli has closed the distance and engaged Heller in a clinch.
Heller lands a body shot in the clinch.
Heller tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Rispoli smiles and moves away.
Rispoli dodges the punch combination from Heller.
Rispoli tries to clinch but Heller moves out of range.
Heller throws the kick towards the body but Rispoli avoids it.

Rispoli gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Rispoli connects with a knee to the head.
Rispoli is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rispoli working Heller over with knees to the body.
Rispoli fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Rispoli leaning against his opponent.
Rispoli unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Rispoli tries to stall but Heller uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Rispoli with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Rispoli keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Heller's efforts to push away.
Rispoli lands a nice elbow.
Joe Rispoli has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Heller has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Rispoli is stalling here.
Heller is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Rispoli is defending well for now.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Rispoli lands a hook that snaps the head of Heller backwards.
Rispoli manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Rispoli trying to land knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rispoli looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Heller lands a body punch.

Rispoli breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Heller misses with the combination.
Heller throws a front kick aimed at Rispoli's knee but Rispoli avoids it well.

Rispoli clinches up against the cage.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Rispoli as Heller tries to tie him up.
Rispoli is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Joe Rispoli is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Rispoli lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Rispoli lands an elbow that stopped Heller in his tracks for a moment.

Rispoli successfully pulls guard.
Heller is looking to stand up but Rispoli won't let him.
Rispoli is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Heller tries to get to full guard but Rispoli has control of the leg.
Ryan Heller has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Heller has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Rispoli is working away from the top position though.
Rispoli is controlling the pace.
Heller is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Rispoli trying to control from half guard but Heller is working away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Still in half guard, Rispoli seems content to control.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe Rispoli showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Rispoli 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 Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 30:27
Judge James Glass scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe Rispoli!