PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Beno Gruffo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Esposito (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Esposito comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Sukh Knight kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! 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.

Gruffo
vs
Esposito

192 cm
29
250 lbs
16 - 6 - 0

195 cm
29
285 lbs
12 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Cardio machine

Decent wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Beno Gruffo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, John Esposito!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Gruffo clinches up with Esposito and pushes him back against the cage.
Esposito working hard to break the clinch.
Esposito has had enough of the clinch but Gruffo keeps him there for the moment.
Esposito tries to break free but Gruffo pushes him back against the cage.
Esposito is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Gruffo tries a knee to the head but Esposito blocks it.
Gruffo prevents Esposito from breaking the clinch.
Gruffo keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Esposito's efforts to push away.

Esposito escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Gruffo tries to clinch there but Esposito circles away.
Esposito misses with an uppercut. Gruffo saw that one coming.
Esposito bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A punch combination from Gruffo misses.
Esposito throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Gruffo throws a nice outside leg kick.
Gruffo getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Esposito avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A bone on bone clash there as Esposito blocks the leg kick.
Esposito swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Gruffo connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Esposito throws a jab when Gruffo was well out of range.

Esposito gets tackled into the cage by Gruffo. Gruffo maintains the clinch.
Esposito is looking to break free of the clinch but Gruffo has double underhooks.
Gruffo tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

Esposito breaks from the clinch.
Gruffo ducks under a wild hook from Esposito.

Gruffo moves into the clinch.
Gruffo lands a knee to the body.
Esposito looks gassed!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gruffo misses with a knee strike.
Gruffo throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Esposito blocks it with crossed arms.
Gruffo pushes Esposito back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Esposito has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gruffo trying to land knees to the body.
Esposito is looking to break free of the clinch but Gruffo has double underhooks.
Gruffo misses with a body punch.
Gruffo connects with a nasty looking knee right to Esposito's face.

It looks like John Esposito has been cut.
Gruffo scores with a knee to the head.
Gruffo tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Gruffo lands with a left to the head.

Gruffo breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Esposito circles away from the clinch attempt.
Gruffo throws a jab when Esposito was well out of range.
Gruffo lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Gruffo swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Esposito.
Gruffo ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

Gruffo lands a big head kick that sends Esposito tumbling to the mat! Gruffo takes a step backwards and waves Esposito back to his feet - he wants the finish!
Gruffo tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gruffo ducks under a wild hook from Esposito.
Gruffo scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Gruffo clinches with his opponent.
Gruffo using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Esposito has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Gruffo lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Gruffo putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Esposito in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Gruffo working Esposito over with knees to the body.
Gruffo lands a hook to the side of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Gruffo is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Gruffo tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Esposito's elbow.
Gruffo tries a knee to the head but Esposito blocks it.
Gruffo unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Gruffo lands a body shot.
Gruffo tries to throw a body punch but Esposito avoids it by throwing Gruffo back against the cage.
Gruffo misses with a knee to the head.
Gruffo lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A right handed body shot lands from Gruffo.
Esposito prevents a body shot from Gruffo.
Gruffo lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Esposito backwards.
A right hand to the body from Gruffo.
Gruffo landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Gruffo.
Gruffo lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Gruffo working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

That has opened up John Esposito's cut even more.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Gruffo.
Gruffo crunches a lovely knee into Esposito's ribcage.
Gruffo lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Esposito or not.
Esposito is looking to break free of the clinch but Gruffo has double underhooks.
Gruffo lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Gruffo unloads a knee to the mid-section. Esposito lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Good body shot from Gruffo.
Esposito wants to get back to striking at distance but Gruffo won't allow it.
Esposito takes a knee right on the jaw!

Gruffo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Gruffo gets a clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Beno Gruffo dominated that round.
The cut man is working on John Esposito's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Gruffo lands with a cross.
Gruffo connects with a solid leg kick.
Gruffo lands with a right hand.
Gruffo waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Esposito.
Esposito avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Gruffo here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Gruffo misses with an uppercut.
The fight stays on the outside here - Gruffo looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Gruffo cracks Esposito with a right hand to the side of the head.
Esposito is breathing heavily.
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!
Gruffo tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Esposito manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Gruffo 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.
Esposito misses with a few strikes there.
Esposito rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Gruffo counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gruffo cracks Esposito with a right hand to the side of the head.
Esposito defending well as Gruffo loads up on a big left hand.

Gruffo feints and then winds up with a huge right hand that connects perfectly and sends Esposito sprawling to the canvas! Esposito rolls over backwards and springs off the cage and manages to regain his footing - how acrobatic! Oh, he's still wobbly - can Gruffo finish him?!

Esposito is rocked!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gruffo waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Esposito.
Good leg kick by Gruffo there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.

Gruffo gets a clinch.
A nice left hand lands by Gruffo.
A right hook to the body lands for Gruffo.
Gruffo lands a knee to the head.

The cut above John Esposito's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Esposito's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Esposito is still on wobbly legs! Can Gruffo finish him?
Gruffo lands a body shot in the clinch.
Esposito seems to have recovered his senses.
Gruffo digs a right hand underneath Esposito's ribcage. Esposito let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Gruffo pushes Esposito back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Gruffo lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Esposito.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gruffo lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Gruffo lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Nice body punch from Gruffo.
Esposito blocks a body shot from Gruffo.
Gruffo prevents Esposito from breaking the clinch.

Gruffo drops Esposito onto one knee with a big uppercut from the clinch! Esposito is propped up by the cage and works his way back to his feet!
Gruffo is looking to land a big knee to finish this one. He's got control of the head and as Esposito tries to break Gruffo's hands from around his neck, Gruffo unloads with that fight ending knee, right up the middle! Oh man, that was nasty! Esposito will need to get back to the training room and learn how to defend against the thai clinch! Oooh, his nose is a mess. Hopefully it's not broken.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:30 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Knee). Beno Gruffo!