PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between John Darnielle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Drederick Tatum (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Darnielle
vs
Tatum

197 cm
20
192 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

190 cm
23
190 lbs
8 - 5 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, John Darnielle!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Drederick Tatum!
The judges for this bout are Thiago Cunha, Felipe Paraventi and Seu Braga.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tatum tries to clinch but Darnielle is having none of it.
A punch combination from Tatum misses.
Tatum doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tatum looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Tatum ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Darnielle moves away.
Tatum misses with a hook. Darnielle ducked under it nicely.
Tatum blocks a head kick by Darnielle.
Darnielle thows a body shot but no joy.
Darnielle buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Tatum blocks the body kick.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Darnielle.
Darnielle showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Tatum.
Darnielle lands with a slapping head kick.

Tatum fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Darnielle, pushing him back against the cage.
Tatum wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tatum wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Darnielle lands an elbow just above Tatum 's eye.
Tatum wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Tatum wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Darnielle misses with an elbow over the top.
Tatum tries to circle away but Darnielle has him pinned against the cage.
Nice body punch from Tatum - that landed with a thud.

Tatum pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Tatum pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Darnielle lands a nice leg kick that just misses Tatum's sensitive parts.
Tatum wants to clinch up but Darnielle keeps it at a distance.
Tatum misses with a jab, cross combination.
Darnielle with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Darnielle fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Tatum.
Tatum jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Darnielle throws a chopping leg kick but Tatum manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Tatum chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Darnielle can pounce on him.
Tatum misses with an uppercut. Darnielle saw that one coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tatum throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Darnielle is looking to slow Tatum down with leg kicks.
Darnielle throws a half hearted mid kick.
Tatum misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Darnielle.
Donk. Tatum catches Darnielle right on the button with a cross.
Darnielle avoids a punch combination nicely.
Tatum takes a kick to the side of the head.
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!
Tatum misses with a looping left.
Darnielle buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Darnielle misses with a body kick.
Tatum misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Darnielle counters with a body kick that stops Tatum in his tracks momentarily.
Tatum looks gassed!
Tatum on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Darnielle tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tatum throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Darnielle makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Darnielle thuds his shin into the meat of Tatum's side.
Tatum is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.
Darnielle cracks the inside of Tatum's front leg.
Tatum stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Darnielle.
Darnielle lands a nice looking body kick.
Darnielle with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Darnielle fakes the leg kick and cracks Tatum in the body.
A head kick misses from Darnielle.
Tatum takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Darnielle lands a nice looking kick to the body. Tatum takes a step back to recover.
Darnielle throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Tatum takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tatum takes a kick to the side of the head.
Darnielle lands with a straight right. Tatum didn't see that one coming.
Tatum misses with a double jab
and Darnielle makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Darnielle throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Darnielle lets loose with a powerful body kick. Tatum will feel that in the morning.
Darnielle lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Drederick Tatum seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Darnielle - that will leave a mark!
Darnielle lands with a slapping head kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Tatum tries to clinch
and Darnielle counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Darnielle throws a quick inside leg kick.
Tatum's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Tatum takes a kick to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Darnielle dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

A good leg kick by Darnielle.
Tatum misses with a double jab.
Tatum throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Darnielle counters with a head kick. That will keep Tatum thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Tatum misses with a body shot
and Darnielle counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
A solid body kick from Darnielle.
Tatum takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Darnielle explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Darnielle lands with a slapping head kick.
Tatum fails with an attempt to clinch.
Darnielle connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tatum throws a left and a right that both miss
and Darnielle counters with a good, hard body kick but Tatum shrugs it off.
John Darnielle is winning the standup battle so far.
Darnielle throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Drederick Tatum is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Tatum is breathing heavily.
A head kick from Darnielle lands but Tatum takes it in his stride.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Darnielle throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Tatum misses with a body shot
and Darnielle counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Darnielle pushes Tatum away with a front kick.
Tatum takes a kick to the side of the head.
Tatum tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Darnielle, right into the meat.
Darnielle turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Darnielle lands a high kick!
Darnielle lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Darnielle pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A right-left combo lands from Tatum.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Darnielle.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle lands with a thumping leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tatum throws out a loose jab but Darnielle uses good head movement to avoid it.
Darnielle avoids a punch combination nicely.
Darnielle bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Darnielle dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Tatum. That did some damage!
A kick lands to the mid section there for Darnielle.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Darnielle, right into the meat.
A chopping leg kick lands by Darnielle.
Darnielle explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Darnielle thows a body kick. Tatum tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Tatum has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Darnielle.
A thudding body kick lands there by Darnielle!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle lands a head kick. Tatum smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Darnielle throws a leg kick which misses Tatum's front leg but catches the back leg as Tatum tries to avoid it.
A nice inside leg kick there by Darnielle. That's going to slow Tatum down.
Darnielle tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Darnielle throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Darnielle.
Darnielle scores with a crisp jab that stopped Tatum in his tracks.
Tatum lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Tatum.
Darnielle ducks under a wild hook from Tatum.
Darnielle throws a nice inside leg kick.
Tatum will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Darnielle connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle lands with a kick to the ribs.
Tatum takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Darnielle throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Tatum.
Darnielle misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Darnielle scores with a nice body kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Darnielle lets loose with a powerful body kick. Tatum will feel that in the morning.
Darnielle throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Tatum's head.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Darnielle is looking to slow Tatum down with leg kicks.
Darnielle lands a front kick.
Darnielle throws a head kick but Tatum moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Darnielle dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Tatum clinches but Darnielle breaks the clinch
and Darnielle counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Tatum lands with an overhand left.
Darnielle misses with a body shot.
Tatum tries to clinch but Darnielle moves out of range.
Darnielle is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Tatum can do to turn this around?
Tatum swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Darnielle counters with a solid body kick.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Darnielle.
Darnielle throws a head kick that half lands.
Darnielle lands with a slapping head kick.
Tatum misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Darnielle.
Darnielle buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A swing and a miss from Tatum.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Darnielle lands a front kick.
Darnielle moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Darnielle looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Darnielle.
Tatum is looking to clinch but Darnielle is avoiding it.
Darnielle throws a leg kick which misses Tatum's front leg but catches the back leg as Tatum tries to avoid it.
Darnielle lands a nice looking body kick.
Darnielle lands a head kick!
Tatum takes a kick to the side of the head.
Tatum closes the distance but Darnielle moves to the side
and Darnielle counters with a head kick. That will keep Tatum thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A jab from Tatum finds it's way through Darnielle's defenses.
Both fighters circling a little - Darnielle finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
A punch combination from Tatum misses.
Tatum ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Darnielle moves away.
Darnielle throws a nice inside leg kick.
Darnielle connects with a solid leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tatum throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Tatum wants to clinch but Darnielle slips to the side
and Darnielle counters with a big head kick but Tatum shrugs it off.
Darnielle is looking to wear down Tatum with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Tatum throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Darnielle counters with a good low kick that Tatum was not able to check.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Darnielle - that will leave a mark!
Darnielle lands with a kick to the temple. Tatum shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Darnielle explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tatum takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Tatum lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Darnielle circles away quickly and effectively.
Darnielle misses with a wild body shot.
Darnielle scoring well with a low kick there.
Darnielle scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Darnielle cracks Tatum with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Darnielle dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Tatum. That did some damage!
Tatum misses with a body shot
and Darnielle counters with a thumping low kick.
Darnielle lands a nice leg kick that just misses Tatum's sensitive parts.
Darnielle throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Tatum.
Tatum takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Darnielle lands a nice looking body kick.
Drederick Tatum has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle throws a quick inside leg kick.
Tatum throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Darnielle.
Darnielle fakes the leg kick and cracks Tatum in the body.
A punch combination from Tatum misses.
A nice leg kick lands there from Darnielle.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tatum takes a head kick and keeps coming.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Darnielle.
Darnielle turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Darnielle scores with a nice body kick.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Darnielle digs a good hook to Tatum's body.
Darnielle lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Tatum throws a hook to the side of Darnielle's head but Darnielle sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Darnielle showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Darnielle, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Thiago Cunha scores the fight 30:25
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 30:25
Judge Seu Braga scores the fight 30:25

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Darnielle!