PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Darrion Vaughn (ranked 1726 p4p, 1877 weight class) and Joey Horatius (ranked 94 p4p, 106 weight class). Darrion Vaughn had a look across the cage there at his opponent. He definitely means business

Vaughn
vs
Horatius

165 cm
28
140
6 - 3 - 0

164 cm
21
135
5 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
KO power

Good wrestler
Brawler
Good gas tank

Conviction
Conquer

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Darrion Vaughn!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Joey Horatius!
The judges for this bout are Micheangelo Fripello, Ryoma Takatsuka and Roger Salmon.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vaughn showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Horatius.
Some wild striking there from Vaughn.
Vaughn throws a right and a left that both miss.
Horatius misses with a body shot.
Vaughn throws a leg kick but Horatius checks it.
Horatius goes for a double leg but Vaughn avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Vaughn continues to drive forward.
Horatius misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Vaughn.

Horatius shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Horatius showed some decent athleticism there.
Vaughn keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Vaughn is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Horatius scores with a couple of nice shots.
Horatius not landing any meaningful shots this time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Horatius is looking to stall here but Vaughn recovers full guard.
Horatius is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vaughn preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Horatius controls from within his opponent's guard.
Vaughn wants to get back to his feet but Horatius passes into half guard.
Vaughn regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Horatius.
Horatius lands a couple of digs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Vaughn preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Horatius is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Horatius seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Horatius postures up in Vaughn's guard and throws a big left but Vaughn blocks it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Horatius postures up in Vaughn's guard and throws a big left but Vaughn blocks it.
Vaughn avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Vaughn attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
As Vaughn backs off Horatius throws a huge counter combo but Vaughn manages to avoid it all.
Vaughn pivots, looking for a leg kick but Horatius is out of range and Vaughn settles back down.
Vaughn cracks Horatius with an open hand slap.
Darrion Vaughn seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horatius showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Vaughn.
Vaughn comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Horatius avoids the head kick by Vaughn.
Horatius looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Vaughn misses with a low kick.

Horatius throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Vaughn tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Horatius is in Vaughn's guard.
Horatius trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Horatius makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Horatius throwing strikes from guard but Vaughn blocks nicely.
Horatius throwing strikes but missing.
Vaughn preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Horatius throws a strike but Vaughn rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Horatius trying to control the position here.
Horatius wants to get back to his feet but Vaughn is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Horatius wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
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 Darrion Vaughn will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Horatius avoids a kick to the body.
Darrion Vaughn is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Vaughn showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Horatius.
Vaughn throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Darrion Vaughn is winning the standup battle so far.

Horatius shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Horatius showed some decent athleticism there.

Vaughn kicks Horatius off and gets back to his feet.
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!
No joy there for Vaughn, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Vaughn throws out a leg kick but Horatius moves out of range and Vaughn only half commits.

Vaughn gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Horatius to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Horatius throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Horatius postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Horatius engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Horatius throws a big right hand that misses.
Horatius controls from within his opponent's guard.
Horatius is continuing to stall.
Vaughn avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Horatius working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Vaughn's head.
Horatius looking to sit in guard and control but Vaughn gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Horatius wants to stand but Vaughn is controlling the position.
Horatius seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Horatius is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Vaughn is controlling him.
Vaughn is fighting to break Horatius's control of his arms but Horatius is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Horatius can do anything to dispel that myth.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vaughn stops Horatius from standing up.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Horatius shoots in and bounces Vaughn off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Horatius throwing strikes but missing.
Horatius throws a big elbow that misses.
Horatius throws a strike but Vaughn rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Horatius wants to stand up but Vaughn is controlling him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Horatius has his hands on Vaughn's head, controlling the position.
Horatius is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Vaughn is controlling him.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Darrion Vaughn dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Vaughn throws out a loose jab but Horatius uses good head movement to avoid it.

Horatius closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Vaughn quickly recovers to half guard.
Vaughn is looking to get back to is feet but Horatius passes into side control.
Horatius misses with the ground and pound.
Horatius in side control, throwing shots but Vaughn defends.
Horatius is trying to ground and pound but Vaughn uses the momentary lack of control by Horatius to regain half guard.
Horatius controlling the action here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Horatius throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Vaughn to regain full guard.
Horatius lands a couple of decent looking shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Horatius scoring with some ground and pound.
Horatius throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Vaughn works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Horatius trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Horatius distracts Vaughn with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Horatius in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Horatius scoring with some ground and pound.
Horatius throws a big right hand that misses.
Horatius lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Horatius loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Horatius chips away with some ground and pound.
Joey Horatius has got the better of the ground game so far.
Horatius with a flurry of punches that miss.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.

Horatius throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Vaughn tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Horatius is in Vaughn's guard.
Vaughn avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Horatius postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Horatius chips away with some ground and pound.
Horatius throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Horatius stands up over Vaughn, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Horatius loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Horatius throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Horatius with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Horatius throws a big elbow that misses.
Horatius lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Vaughn can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Horatius controls the pace.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Horatius gets a double leg takedown into Vaughn's guard.
Horatius distracts Vaughn with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Horatius with a flurry of punches that miss.
Horatius distracts Vaughn with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Horatius trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Horatius makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Horatius trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Horatius with a nice head shot there.
Horatius is working Vaughn over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Horatius scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Horatius scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Horatius is looking to work some ground and pound but Vaughn has wrist control.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Horatius scoring with some ground and pound.
Horatius working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Horatius slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Vaughn lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Horatius circles away quickly and effectively.

Horatius gets a takedown into half guard.
Horatius working the head and body with strikes.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Horatius slips a nice elbow through Vaughn's hands, connecting with Vaughn's forehead.
Vaughn avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Horatius.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joey Horatius really dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Horatius bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Horatius working the ground and pound but Vaughn is defending the strikes.
Horatius lands an elbow.
Vaughn defending against the ground and pound.
Sloppy strikes there by Horatius.
Horatius moving around in side mount but really he's just happy to control for now.
Horatius connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Vaughn some visible discomfort.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vaughn takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Horatius tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Vaughn taking a bit of punishment here - Horatius scoring with strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes there by Horatius.
Horatius working the ground and pound.
Horatius misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Horatius working the head with strikes.
Horatius throwing ground and pound but whilst doing so, he forgets to control position and Vaughn works his way back to half guard. Good composure under pressure.
Horatius working over Vaughn with some ground and pound. Vaughn looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Horatius working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Horatius thows a huge punch but Vaughn dodges it nicely.
Vaughn on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Vaughn is in a tricky position but he's been working on his transitions down at Project Training, so we'll see if he gets out of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Horatius misses with a head shot. Vaughn uses the momentum to regain guard.
Horatius must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Horatius with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Horatius trying to control the position from guard on top but Vaughn is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.
Horatius postures up and lands a big shot to Vaughn's brow.
Horatius chips away with some ground and pound.
Horatius throwing strikes but missing.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Horatius gets a takedown into half guard.
Horatius is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horatius slips a nice elbow through Vaughn's hands, connecting with Vaughn's forehead.
Ground and pound from Horatius.
Horatius controlling the pace.
Vaughn keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Horatius content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Horatius is keen to just control but Vaughn is a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Horatius working the head and body with strikes.
Horatius not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Horatius working the head and body with strikes.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Horatius throwing shots but Vaughn is blocking nicely.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Vaughn throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Horatius counters with a left and a right that stings Vaughn.

Horatius scores with a takedown into Vaughn's guard.
Horatius throws an elbow that misses. Vaughn uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Horatius's guard. Nice move by Vaughn!

The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Horatius wants to stand up but Vaughn is controlling him.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joey Horatius dominated that fourth round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Horatius stalks Vaughn and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Vaughn's face. Vaughn staggers backwards, shaken.
Vaughn just misses with a punch to the body.

Horatius looking to score a takedown here. Vaughn is defending well but Horatius drives through and ends up in Vaughn's guard.
Horatius in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Horatius trying to control the position from guard on top but Vaughn is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Horatius throws a big elbow that misses.
Horatius is in close to Vaughn's body, working some short punches and elbows.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Horatius is in close to Vaughn's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Horatius is looking to work some ground and pound but Vaughn has wrist control.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Horatius is working Vaughn over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Horatius is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Horatius drives through with a takedown into Vaughn's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Horatius throwing strikes but missing.
Horatius slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Horatius advances position into side control!
Horatius tries to score with some ground and pound. Vaughn controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Horatius in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Horatius is working Vaughn over with some ground and pound from side control.
Horatius is working Vaughn over with some ground and pound from side control.
Horatius scores with a couple of short elbows.
Horatius misses with the ground and pound.
Horatius tries to score with some ground and pound. Vaughn controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Vaughn takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Horatius throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Horatius working the head with strikes.
Horatius working the strikes but Vaughn uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Horatius throwing shots but Vaughn is blocking nicely.
Horatius has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vaughn avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Horatius.
Horatius working Vaughn over with strikes.
Ground and pound from Horatius.
Horatius takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Horatius lands with a punch from half guard.
Horatius looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up.

Horatius shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Horatius showed some decent athleticism there.
Horatius takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vaughn is in trouble now - Horatius has advanced to mount!
Horatius working Vaughn over with strikes here.
Horatius throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Vaughn because Horatius loaded up on that one.
Horatius throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Horatius lands a big elbow.
Horatius landing shots from mount.
Horatius looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Horatius pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.

Vaughn is rocked!
Horatius working Vaughn over with strikes here.
Oh Vaughn is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Horatius scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Vaughn?
Horatius lands a big shot to the head and Vaughn winces in pain. He's tapped out due to strikes!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 5, we have a winner by way of Submission (Strikes). Joey Horatius!
Joey Horatius took to the microphone after his victory and thanked his sponsors, Conviction for their support in the buildup to the fight.