PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Matteo Boretti (ranked 1397 p4p, 212 weight class) and Pope Drunkizkus (ranked 1407 p4p, 216 weight class). Boretti comes to the cage accompanied by Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon. 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.

Boretti
vs
Drunkizkus

188 cm
20
205 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

188 cm
20
215 lbs
7 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Lethal high kicks
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Matteo Boretti!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Pope Drunkizkus!
The judges for this bout are Joseph Jones, Jorge Garcia and Russell Pearce.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A shot to the body from Drunkizkus misses
and Boretti counters with an inside leg kick.
Drunkizkus avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Boretti slips a jab and a cross from Drunkizkus.
Boretti seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.
Boretti misses with a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a stiff right hand.
Drunkizkus throws a jab but it's blocked by Boretti.
Boretti throws a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a stiff right hand.
Boretti throws a head kick that misses
and Drunkizkus counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Boretti misses with a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a nice uppercut.
Drunkizkus throws the left hand but Boretti avoids the punch easily.
Drunkizkus uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Boretti.
Drunkizkus blocks a head kick by Boretti.
Drunkizkus looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Drunkizkus circles away from the clinch attempt
and Drunkizkus counters with a stiff right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boretti throws a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Some wild striking there from Drunkizkus.
Drunkizkus doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Boretti tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Drunkizkus throws a counter combo.
Boretti throws a leg kick that is checked
enabling Drunkizkus to counter with a crisp jab.
Boretti misses the jab.
A nice leg kick lands there from Boretti.
Boretti pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Drunkizkus scores with a jab. Boretti acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Boretti throws a leg kick that misses.
Drunkizkus uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Boretti.
Drunkizkus will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Boretti throws a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Boretti throws a leg kick
and Drunkizkus counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Drunkizkus looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Boretti throws a leg kick that is checked
and Drunkizkus counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Boretti throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Drunkizkus counters with a crisp one two that drops Boretti! Drunkizkus thinks about following him to the mat for a moment but instead steps back and waves Boretti to his feet! Boretti is in big trouble!

Boretti is rocked!
Boretti throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Drunkizkus misses with a looping left.
Boretti keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Drunkizkus has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Boretti misses with a leg kick

and Drunkizkus counters with a nice right hand that sends Boretti toppling to the canvas! Boretti scrambles and gets back to his feet - can Drunkizkus finish him?!
Oh Boretti is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Boretti lunges at Drunkizkus with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Drunkizkus's hand.
Boretti seems to have got his legs back now.
A slow jab from Drunkizkus misses its intended target.
A solid leg kick lands there for Boretti.
A looping hook to the body misses from Drunkizkus. Boretti does a little dance to reset his feet.
Boretti moves into range and connects with a jab.
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!
Drunkizkus cracks Boretti with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Boretti lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Drunkizkus might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Boretti misses with a combination
and Drunkizkus counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Boretti tries to clinch there but Drunkizkus circles away.
Boretti throws a lazy head kick
letting Drunkizkus counter with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Boretti throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Drunkizkus counters with a nice right hand that sends Boretti toppling to the canvas! Boretti scrambles and gets back to his feet - can Drunkizkus finish him?!
Boretti misses with a looping left.
Drunkizkus throws out a counter right but Boretti avoids it with no problem.
Boretti keeps Drunkizkus at a distance using the push kick.
Boretti misses with a looping left.
Boretti lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Boretti tries to score with a low kick but Drunkizkus moves his leg out of the way.
Drunkizkus is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Boretti had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Boretti loads up on a big right hand but Drunkizkus slips the punch.
Boretti looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Boretti connects with a solid leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A swing and a miss from Drunkizkus.
Boretti is looking to clinch but Drunkizkus is avoiding it.
Boretti throws a one two combo.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Pope Drunkizkus dominated that 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.

Boretti throws a leg kick that is checked
and Drunkizkus counters with a lovely straight right hand!

Boretti takes the fight into the clinch.
This entire fight has taken place on the feet so far and you wonder whether Boretti might be better served trying to take this one to the ground because he's losing the standup battle so far.
Boretti prevents a body shot from Drunkizkus.

Boretti ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Boretti no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.

Boretti throws his legs up looking for a submission but Drunkizkus uses it to pass to side control.
Drunkizkus wants to stand but Boretti is controlling his arm.
Boretti is looking to reverse the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drunkizkus has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Drunkizkus wants to stand but Boretti has his arm trapped.
Boretti is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Boretti is working hard here to advance position.
Boretti manages to work his way to half guard, despite Drunkizkus's best efforts.
Drunkizkus seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
The fighters are battling for position here. Boretti manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Drunkizkus stopping the sweep attempt from Boretti.

Boretti is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Drunkizkus defends well.
Drunkizkus won't allow Boretti to sweep him here.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Boretti throws a front kick aimed at Drunkizkus's knee but Drunkizkus avoids it well.
It seemed like Drunkizkus was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Good leg kick by Boretti there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Drunkizkus swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Boretti works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Pope Drunkizkus is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Boretti waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Drunkizkus.
Drunkizkus looks like he wants to counter punch here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drunkizkus takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
A swing and a miss from Boretti.
Matteo Boretti seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Drunkizkus ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Boretti lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
A bone on bone clash there as Drunkizkus blocks the leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Boretti. Drunkizkus does a little dance to reset his feet.
As Boretti backs off Drunkizkus throws a huge counter combo but Boretti manages to avoid it all.
Boretti darts in trying to clinch
letting Drunkizkus counter with a right hand.
Pope Drunkizkus seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Boretti throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Boretti throws a hook but Drunkizkus blocks it.
Drunkizkus is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Drunkizkus uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Boretti.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Boretti looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A nice side step and Drunkizkus releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Drunkizkus throws a lazy right hand but Boretti sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Drunkizkus moves out of range as Boretti strikes.
Boretti motions for Drunkizkus to come forward. Boretti throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Drunkizkus looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Drunkizkus tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Boretti was well out of range. Poor timing from Drunkizkus.
Boretti throws a big counter combination but Drunkizkus scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Boretti throws a body kick that misses
and Drunkizkus counters with a right hand to the body.
A combination from Drunkizkus does no damage.

Boretti moves into the clinch successfully.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Boretti tries to pull guard but Drunkizkus holds him up against the cage and eventually Boretti drops back down to his feet.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

Drunkizkus breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Boretti connects with a solid leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matteo Boretti dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Boretti fails to land with a series of punches.
Drunkizkus swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Drunkizkus throws a lazy right hand but Boretti sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Boretti looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Boretti uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Drunkizkus.
Drunkizkus misses with a two punch combination.
Boretti misses with an uppercut
enabling Drunkizkus to counter with a crisp jab.
Boretti scores with a leg kick.
Boretti scores with a nice strike.
The fight stays on the outside here - Boretti looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Drunkizkus blocks a jab.
Drunkizkus lands a nice shot to the body.
Boretti lands the left hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Drunkizkus throws a right and a left that Boretti avoids nicely.
Boretti lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Boretti fails with an attempt to clinch.
Drunkizkus scores with a sloppy right hand. Boretti should have avoided that one.
Boretti throws an overhand right that lands on Drunkizkus's shoulder, as Drunkizkus tries to avoid the shot.
Boretti scores with a crisp jab that stopped Drunkizkus in his tracks.
Boretti 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.
Drunkizkus connects with a body shot.
Boretti throws a leg kick but Drunkizkus sees it coming and checks it nicely.
A clash of legs there as Drunkizkus blocks the low kick.
Boretti throws a leg kick that is checked
and Drunkizkus counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Boretti, as that shot connected.
Boretti misses with a right hand
and Drunkizkus counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Drunkizkus lands with a good body shot.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Boretti chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Nice body kick there by Boretti.
Drunkizkus throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Drunkizkus throws a body shot but no joy.
Boretti tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Boretti takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Boretti misses with a low kick as Drunkizkus jumps back.
Drunkizkus misses with a jab, cross combination.
Drunkizkus defending well as Boretti loads up on a big left hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Drunkizkus has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Boretti.
Boretti keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Drunkizkus throws a series of punches but Boretti moves out of range.
Boretti walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Drunkizkus checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Drunkizkus! But no joy.
Drunkizkus connects with a jab.
Drunkizkus misses with a jab, cross combination.
Boretti misses with a straight left.
Boretti throws a series of punches but Drunkizkus moves out of range.
Boretti misses with an uppercut.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Drunkizkus! But no joy.
Drunkizkus scores with a punch to the head.
Boretti throws a jab when Drunkizkus was well out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Boretti tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Drunkizkus paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Drunkizkus avoids a punch combination nicely.
Boretti uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Drunkizkus.
Boretti swings widly with a right hand
and Drunkizkus counters with a nice body shot.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Boretti misses with a body kick.
Boretti on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Boretti looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Drunkizkus moves out of range of the leg kick from Boretti.
Boretti misses with a hook.
Drunkizkus fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Drunkizkus is pawing at Boretti, trying to feel the distance before throwing out a cross that crashes into Boretti's nose. Boretti is badly hurt! Drunkizkus pounces, throwing wild strikes as both fighters end up on the ground! Boretti tries desperately to hold on but Drunkizkus is relentless in his assault! As Boretti receives an ever increasing number of unanswered strikes the referee pulls Drunkizkus away and this one is in the books!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Pope Drunkizkus!
Pope Drunkizkus seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.