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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Benjamin St Andre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gennaro Gattuso (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). St Andre kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is When the Saints Go Marching In. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!
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| 176 cm
33
163 lbs
30 - 14 - 0 |
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176 cm
31
166 lbs
14 - 4 - 0 |
BJJ Brown Belt
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
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Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank |
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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
30 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Benjamin St Andre!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
14 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gennaro Gattuso!
The judges for this bout are , Jack Bonds and Frank Antenori.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gattuso misses with a takedown
and St Andre counters with a straight right hand.
St Andre displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gattuso throws out the jab.
St Andre lands a nice leg kick that just misses Gattuso's sensitive parts.
Gattuso takes a swing at St Andre's ribcage but misses.
St Andre throws a one two combo.
Gattuso avoids the body shot from St Andre.
St Andre throws a chopping leg kick but Gattuso manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Gattuso has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
St Andre steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gattuso.
Gattuso fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
St Andre throws a body shot but no joy.
St Andre misses with a straight right.
Gattuso throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
St Andre keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Gattuso throws a combination but it was largely blocked by St Andre.
St Andre misses with an attempted mid kick.
That's one minute gone in the round.
St Andre walks into a straight right hand from Gattuso.
Gattuso closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming St Andre to the mat! St Andre manages to get full guard.
Gattuso throws a strike but St Andre rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
St Andre wants to control from the top but Gattuso keeps moving.
We've been hearing good reports from St Andre's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
St Andre looking to pass the guard.
Gattuso can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as St Andre controls the pace.
Gattuso keeping full guard, as St Andre tries to pass.
Gattuso trying to keep a closed guard but St Andre is proving a slippery customer.
St Andre trying to control but Gattuso is working from the bottom.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The ref stands the fighters back up. Benjamin St Andre wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Good leg kick by St Andre there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gattuso scores with a nice strike.
Gattuso shoots in for a takedown but St Andre shows good takedown defense.
Benjamin St Andre has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gennaro Gattuso.
St Andre throws a nice inside leg kick.
St Andre misses with a low kick.
St Andre moves away from the strike by Gattuso.
Benjamin St Andre is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
St Andre lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
St Andre lands with a slapping head kick.
Gattuso fakes high and swings low for a body shot but St Andre manages to avoid it.
St Andre slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Gattuso cracks St Andre with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
St Andre scoring well with a low kick there.
St Andre misses with a low kick.
Gattuso misses with a head kick.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
St Andre 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.
Gattuso is pushing down on St Andre's leg trying to pass to half guard. St Andre is fighting to maintain full guard but Gattuso has managed to sneak the leg through.
St Andre is looking for a sweep. Gattuso is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Gattuso is looking to advance position but St Andre won't allow it.
St Andre is looking to control Gattuso's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can St Andre avoid being mounted?
Gattuso is working for a submission of some sort.
St Andre wants to control but Gattuso is keeping busy.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
St Andre wants to get back to full guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso is trying to control the action in half guard but St Andre is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Gattuso takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Gattuso thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gattuso lands strikes from half guard.
Gattuso trying to advance position but St Andre counters by regaining guard.
Gattuso lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Gattuso cracks St Andre with a solid left hand.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gattuso trying to control but St Andre is working from the bottom.
Gattuso scoring with some ground and pound.
St Andre not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close round but Gennaro Gattuso will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!
St Andre cracks Gattuso with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
St Andre looks to land a body kick but Gattuso moved away.
Gattuso throws a series of punches but St Andre avoids them all with ease.
St Andre slips a jab and a cross from Gattuso.
St Andre lands with a thumping leg kick.
Gattuso throws a hook but St Andre avoids it easily.
St Andre lands with a straight right. Gattuso didn't see that one coming.
Gattuso moves forwards but St Andre connects with a nice, crisp jab.
St Andre steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gattuso.
St Andre throws a good cross that connects.
St Andre takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Gattuso swings widly with a right hand
and St Andre counters with a lovely straight right hand!
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!
St Andre misses with a hook. Gattuso ducked under it nicely.
Gattuso throws a series of punches but St Andre moves out of range.
St Andre bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Gattuso's head backwards.
Gattuso misses with a body shot.
Benjamin St Andre is winning the standup battle so far.
That's one minute gone in the round.
St Andre misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gattuso.
Gattuso shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Gattuso showed some decent athleticism there.
Gattuso trying to work for an americana but St Andre has managed to regain full guard.
St Andre is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Gattuso wants to control from the top but St Andre keeps moving.
Gattuso throwing strikes but missing.
St Andre has his hands on Gattuso's head, controlling the position.
St Andre working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Gattuso.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
St Andre escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Gattuso gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Gattuso trying to control the position from guard on top but St Andre is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gattuso pushing down on St Andre's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
St Andre pushes Gattuso off looking to stand but Gattuso dives back in and keeps control.
Gattuso trying to mount his opponent but St Andre defends it.
Gattuso is nestled in close to St Andre, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Gattuso prevents St Andre from improving his position.
St Andre actively working from the bottom here.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Gattuso looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
St Andre actively working from the bottom here.
St Andre is trying to get back to full guard.
Gattuso not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
St Andre trying to hold on to Gattuso's head to control him but Gattuso postures up.
Gattuso trying to pass the guard but St Andre defending well.
Gattuso missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso seems to be looking for submissions.
St Andre looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Gattuso is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
St Andre is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gattuso winds up and cracks St Andre with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Gattuso working the head and body with strikes.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
St Andre looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Gennaro Gattuso will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Gattuso, as that shot connected.
St Andre uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gattuso.
St Andre misses with a looping left.
Gattuso moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Gattuso staying out of range there.
Gattuso misses with a double jab.
Gattuso shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with St Andre but St Andre pushes him off and we're back to square one.
St Andre stalks Gattuso and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Gattuso's face. Gattuso staggers backwards, shaken.
Gattuso scores with a jab to the jaw.
St Andre pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Gattuso gets cracked there but stands up to it.
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!
Thud! ouch! good body kick from St Andre - that will leave a mark!
Gattuso moves out of range as St Andre strikes.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Gattuso loads up on a big right hand but St Andre slips the punch.
St Andre with a nice cross.
Gattuso takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
No luck for Gattuso with that takedown attempt.
Gattuso throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
St Andre thows a left - swing and a miss!
Gattuso pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
St Andre fakes the leg kick and cracks Gattuso in the body.
A solid leg kick lands there for St Andre.
Gattuso has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from St Andre.
Gattuso scores with a body shot.
Nice shot lands for St Andre.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Gattuso pulls out of a head kick attempt.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into St Andre's guard.
Gattuso takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Gattuso got a little sloppy there for a moment and St Andre has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Gattuso has managed to get both his arms back between St Andre's legs - danger averted.
St Andre wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Gattuso wants to control from the top but St Andre keeps moving.
Gattuso got a little sloppy there for a moment and St Andre has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Gattuso has managed to get both his arms back between St Andre's legs - danger averted.
St Andre controls Gattuso momentarily but Gattuso frees himself.
Benjamin St Andre has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gattuso postures up and lands a big shot to St Andre's brow.
Gattuso tries to free his leg and advance position but St Andre is retaining full guard.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gattuso working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Gattuso preventing the sweep.
Gattuso in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Gattuso trying to move into half guard but instead St Andre has managed to sweep!
St Andre thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Gennaro Gattuso has got the better of the ground game so far.
St Andre trying to control the position from guard on top but Gattuso is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
St Andre is really struggling to control Gattuso but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Gattuso 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.
Gennaro Gattuso is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Gattuso trying to control the position.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
St Andre being controlled here momentarily.
We're going to have a standup here because Benjamin St Andre wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
A big right from Gattuso misses.
St Andre throws a low kick, looking for Gattuso's leg but Gattuso calmly moves out of range.
St Andre misses with a head kick.
Gennaro Gattuso is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Gattuso throws a right and a left that both miss.
Gattuso manages to get an easy takedown there - catching St Andre on his heels. He'll look to pass St Andre's guard now, I'm sure.
Gattuso trying to control but St Andre is working from the bottom.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Gattuso might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control St Andre haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
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 Benjamin St Andre.
I think Gattuso has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 30:28
In favor of your winner, by split decision... Gennaro Gattuso!
A victorious Gennaro Gattuso thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.
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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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