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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Matthieu Benoit (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bruno Barone (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 185 cm
29
196 lbs
22 - 10 - 2 |
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205 cm
23
217 lbs
8 - 1 - 0 |
Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
22 - 10 - 2, fighting out of New York, Matthieu Benoit!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Bruno Barone!
The judges for this bout are Jorge Garcia, Russell Pearce and Reed Andrews.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Barone connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Barone misses with a series of wild punches.
Benoit bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Benoit trying to control the action but Barone is working from the bottom.
You can see the frustration on Barone's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Barone tries to improve position but can't.
Benoit is trying to get an arm triangle but Barone is defending well.
Benoit wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Barone, who protects the arm well.
Barone takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Benoit has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit scoring with punches and elbows.
Benoit looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Barone is avoiding damage well.
Benoit is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Barone knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Barone parries the strikes from Benoit easily there. Benoit is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Barone to escape.
Barone sneaks back into half guard.
Benoit is keen to just control but Barone is a slippery customer.
Benoit tries to pass to full mount but Barone defends it.
Benoit wants to lay and pray for a moment but Barone keeps working.
Barone is trying to get back to full guard.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barone has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Benoit is working away from the top position though.
Barone wants to improve his position but Benoit is controlling well.
Benoit wants to work for an arm triangle but Barone is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Benoit wants to control but Barone is keeping him busy.
Barone is controlling Benoit's trapped leg to prevent Benoit from advancing to side control.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barone has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Benoit is working away from the top position though.
Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Benoit connects with an inside leg kick.
Barone lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barone tries to clinch but Benoit moves out of range.
Barone avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Bruno Barone seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Barone misses with a body shot.
Benoit takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Barone lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Benoit has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Benoit and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Barone.
Benoit blocks the body kick.
Benoit throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Barone misses with a wild body shot.
Barone feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Benoit's calf.
Barone chopping away at his opponent's legs.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Barone misses.
Barone throws a push kick but Benoit slaps the foot to one side.
Barone misses with a takedown attempt - Benoit sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Nice body punch from Barone.
Benoit does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Benoit checks a leg kick.
Barone misses with a low kick.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barone misses with a leg kick
and Benoit counters with a shoot takedown. Barone fights it but they end up in guard.
Barone is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Benoit wants to control from the top but Barone keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close round but I would say that Matthieu Benoit will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.
Benoit takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
A low kick from Barone is predictable there
and Benoit counters with a straight right hand.
Barone throws out a loose jab but Benoit uses good head movement to avoid it.
Barone pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Barone fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Barone throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Benoit on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Barone throws a lazy right hand but Benoit sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A looping hook to the body misses from Barone. Benoit does a little dance to reset his feet.
Barone throws a leg kick that misses.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit lands with a shot to the body.
Barone throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Benoit avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
A good leg kick by Barone.
Benoit takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Benoit scores with a jab.
Barone misses with a straight left.
Barone throws a head kick but Benoit moves out of range.
Barone misses with a wild body shot.
Barone connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barone misses with a leg kick.
Barone thows a leg kick but Benoit checks it
and Benoit counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Benoit scores with a spinning back kick!
Benoit on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barone throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Benoit moves out of range of the body kick from Barone.
Barone lands a nice looking body kick.
Benoit lands with a nice body punch.
Barone clinches.
Benoit blocks an elbow strike from Barone.
A nice left hand lands by Benoit.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benoit is looking to break free of the clinch but Barone has double underhooks.
Barone takes a shot to the head.
Benoit leaning against his opponent.
Benoit wants to break free but Barone has control.
Benoit presses Barone against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Barone scores with a shoulder strike.
Barone blocks an uppercut.
Barone blocks a body shot from Benoit.
Benoit misses with some punches.
Benoit misses with a hook to the ribs.
Barone misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Benoit.
Benoit on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Benoit throws a head punch that misses.
Benoit makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Barone creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Benoit's defenses.
Barone tries to work over Benoit's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Benoit fails with a takedown attempt.
Barone takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A solid leg kick lands there for Barone.
Barone pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Benoit ducks under a wild hook from Barone.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Benoit checks a leg kick.
Benoit takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Barone takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Bruno Barone will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
Benoit lands with an uppercut that bounces Barone off the cage and back into range.
Barone throws a low kick, looking for Benoit's leg but Benoit calmly moves out of range.
Barone looks to throw a body kick
and Benoit counters with a low kick, right behind Barone 's knee.
Benoit is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Benoit loads up on a big right hand but Barone slips the punch.
Benoit moves out of range of the body kick from Barone.
A solid leg kick lands there for Barone.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Barone, as that shot connected.
Barone lands with a kick to the ribs.
Barone throws a half hearted mid kick.
Benoit paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Barone lands a nice leg kick that just misses Benoit's sensitive parts.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit takes a kick to the side of the head.
A leg kick checked by Benoit.
Barone moves out of range of the strikes.
Barone staying out of range there.
Nice body kick from Barone.
Barone lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
It looks like Matthieu Benoit has been cut.
Benoit takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Barone ducks under a wild hook from Benoit.
Benoit shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Barone tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Benoit tries to control but Barone wriggling away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Barone is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Matthieu Benoit overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Benoit landing strikes from the mount.
Barone is trying desperately to improve position.
Benoit manages to capitalize on a mistake by Barone to take his back!
Benoit patiently working for the choke. Which fighter will keep their nerve here?
Watch the back of the head! Comes the shout from the referee towards Benoit.
Barone trying to control but he's just got himself in more trouble.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Benoit is working the ground and pound here and the referee is taking a close look at Barone. He must escape soon or this one will be stopped.
Barone can't escape the position.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barone trying to control the hands but Benoit breaks the grip.
Barone defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
Benoit is not going to allow Barone to sit and survive in this position.
Barone is staying cool under pressure, defending well against the rear naked choke attempt from his opponent.
Benoit has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Barone has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Benoit is working the ground and pound. Can Barone escape?
Barone tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Benoit connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Barone tries to lock up and control but Benoit gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Barone really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Benoit is working for a guillotine from mount but Barone frees his head quite easily.
Barone wants to hold on but Benoit pushes him away.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Benoit connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
The referee warns Barone that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Benoit with a couple of short strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matthieu Benoit clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Matthieu Benoit's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!
Benoit feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Barone's calf.
Benoit misses with a low kick as Barone jumps back.
Barone moves to clinch but Benoit breaks away
and Benoit counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Barone goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Benoit throws a low kick but Barone avoids it.
Benoit avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bruno Barone seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Barone lands a head kick. Benoit smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
A low kick from Barone misses
and Benoit counters with a single leg into guard. Barone didn't expect that.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Benoit content to stall in guard here.
Barone seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Benoit wants to pass the guard but Barone is keeping the position.
Benoit is working hard here to advance position.
Barone controls Benoit momentarily but Benoit frees himself.
Benoit preventing the sweep.
Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Benoit defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Barone.
Benoit looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Barone takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Benoit uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Barone.
Barone bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Benoit's head backwards.
Benoit closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Barone quickly recovers to half guard.
Benoit not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Benoit slows the pace down in half guard.
Barone tries to roll over but Benoit keeps him under control.
Barone trying to control but Benoit postures up.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barone is defending against the submission attempts here by Benoit.
Barone keeping hold of Benoit's head, controlling as best he can.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Benoit is nestled in close to Barone, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Barone tries to get to full guard but Benoit has control of the leg.
Barone works his way to full guard. Good work.
Benoit stands up over Barone, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Benoit wants to control from the top but Barone keeps moving.
Barone is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barone pulls Benoit in close to prevent any damage.
Benoit trying to control but Barone is working from the bottom.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Benoit here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
We're going to have a standup here because Matthieu Benoit wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Barone throws a body kick the misses
and Benoit counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Benoit tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matthieu Benoit had his way with Bruno Barone in that round.
The cut man is working on Matthieu Benoit's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!
Benoit just misses with a punch to the body.
Barone keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Benoit.
A low kick from Barone misses
and Benoit counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Benoit moves out of range of the body kick from Barone.
Barone punishes Benoit's body with a nice straight punch.
Barone swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Benoit dives in and scores a takedown into Barone's guard.
Barone pulls Benoit in close to prevent any damage.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Benoit accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Barone tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Barone not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Barone wants to control the position but Benoit says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
Benoit throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Barone is trying to maintain the position but Benoit is very close to passing his half guard.
Benoit wants to take a breather but Barone is having none of it.
Benoit seems to be working for a kimura but Barone defends the submission attempt.
Benoit is controlling the pace.
Barone is trying to maintain the position but Benoit is very close to passing his half guard.
Bruno Barone has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barone is looking to improve his position.
Benoit drops an elbow to the side of Barone's head.
Barone moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Benoit won't allow Barone to sweep him here.
Benoit working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Barone's head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Barone has his hands on Benoit's head, controlling the position.
Barone keeping moving, preventing Benoit from controlling successfully.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barone looking for a sweep. Not yet Barone, not yet.
Barone is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Benoit slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Barone holding on.
Barone is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Benoit off and has taken his back!
Benoit trying to control the hands but Barone won't let him.
Benoit might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Barone missing with strikes from the back.
Matthieu Benoit is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barone doesn't have the hooks in and Benoit manages to turn into his guard.
Barone working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Benoit doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Benoit manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Barone pulls Benoit in close to his closed guard and prevents Benoit from doing any damage or advancing position.
Barone escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Benoit gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Barone is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barone keeping moving, preventing Benoit from controlling successfully.
Benoit postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Matthieu Benoit.
I think Benoit has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 49:46
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 49:46
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 49:46
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matthieu Benoit!
Matthieu Benoit retains his light heavyweight title!
A very excited looking Matthieu Benoit made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
100% |
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