PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Bairy Halls (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Darren Bates (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bairy Halls has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Halls
vs
Bates

183 cm
21
217 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

170 cm
23
200 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good in bed

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Liquid Lembas

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 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Bairy Halls!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Darren Bates!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Radbod Blank and Aafke Stam.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Bates drives through with a takedown into guard.
Halls keeping moving, preventing Bates from controlling successfully.
We're hearing some news coming in from back stage. It's official - Bates has eaten all the pies!
Bates with a flurry of punches that miss.
Bates stops Halls from standing up.
Halls keeping full guard, as Bates tries to pass.
Bates stops Halls from standing up.
Bates pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Halls is keeping the position for now.
Bates works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Halls is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Bates's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Bates's back!
Bates breaks Halls's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Halls keeping moving, preventing Bates from controlling successfully.
Halls working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Bates.
Bates has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Halls pushes Bates off and gets back to his feet.
Bates changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Halls tries to avoid it but Bates manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Halls to the ground. Halls escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Bates looks gassed!

Halls shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Bates napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Halls tries to get to his feet but he's trapped momentarily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Bates is trying to get back to half guard.
Bates gets back to half guard.
Halls missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Halls wants to get back to his feet.
Bates is trying to maintain the position but Halls is very close to passing his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Halls is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Bates doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Halls.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bates looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Halls scores with a nice head shot.
Bates shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Halls fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Bates, pushing him back against the cage.

Halls's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Halls shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Bates manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Halls has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

Bates looking for a guillotine here but Halls defends easily.
Bates looking to hit a scissor sweep but Halls is one step ahead there.
Halls sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Halls won't allow Bates to sweep him here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halls trying to control the position from guard on top but Bates is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Halls postures up.
Bates looking for a sweep. Not yet Bates, not yet.
Halls controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Halls looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Nice takedown defense from Bates. No joy for Halls on that attempt.
Halls shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Bates sprawls well. Bates wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Halls gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Bairy Halls. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Halls displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Bates.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bairy Halls dominated that 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.

Halls works Bates's body with a nice hook.

Bates gets the takedown into side control.
The strikes coming from Bates are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Bates staying calm.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Halls throwing some weak shots from the bottom that do no damage.

Bates thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Halls knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Bates on the ground.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Bates trying to control the position but Halls is working away.
Halls stops Bates from passing to mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bates working away.
Bates tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Halls throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Bates's head.
Halls looks to land a body kick but Bates moved away.

Halls scores with a takedown into Bates's guard.
Halls advances position into side control!
Halls tries to advance to mount but Bates denies him.
Halls wants to stand but Bates has his arm trapped.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bates is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Bates wants to get back to full guard.
Halls throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Bates wants to get back to full guard but Halls has passed into side control.
Bates keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Bates wants to control but Halls is having none of it.
Halls lands a nice shot to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halls punishing his opponent with strikes.
Bates is trying desperately to improve position.
Bates regains half guard.
Bates gets back to full guard.

Bates is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Halls defends well.

Bates is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bates is looking to sweep but instead, Halls has passed into half guard.
Bates is looking for a sweep. Halls is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Halls wants to pass to mount but Bates is defending the position.
Halls is thwarting Bates's attempts to control the position.
Bates is trying to get back to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Darren Bates will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Bates closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Halls did well to prevent Bates getting side control.
Bates wants to lay and pray for a moment but Halls keeps working.
Bates is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Halls tries to get to full guard but Bates has control of the leg.
Halls trying to control but Bates postures up.
Halls wants to get back to full guard.
Bates throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Bates working to pass to mount. He's got his hand pressing down on Halls's thigh. Halls counters though and makes it back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halls wants to stand and escape but Bates is having none of it.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Halls misses with a double jab.
Halls doesn't manage to clinch there - Bates circles away.
Bates fails with the takedown
and Halls cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Halls fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Bates checks it well.

Halls feints and as Bates raises his hands in defense, Halls changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Bates looking to hit a scissor sweep but Halls is one step ahead there.
Bates working a defensive guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bates wants to sweep here but Halls controlling him for the moment.

Bates is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Halls is aware though and is defending well.
Bates looking to hit a scissor sweep but Halls is one step ahead there.
Darren Bates has got the better of the ground game so far.
Bates is controlling Halls's posture.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Halls misses with a two punch combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Halls, right into the meat.
Halls throws a series of punches but Bates moves out of range.
Halls misses with the combination.
Halls will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Halls leaves Bates with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Bates shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Halls sprawls well. Halls wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Bates gets slowly back to his feet.
Bairy Halls has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Darren Bates.
Bates tries to clinch

and Halls counters by clinching up.
Bates is trying to break the clinch but Halls is controlling him.
Bates has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Halls avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Bates has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Halls prevents Bates from breaking the clinch.

Halls breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bates tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Halls counters with a nice double leg into guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Halls would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Halls preventing the sweep.
Bates is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Halls wants to control but Bates is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Bates is pressing down on Halls's thigh, looking to free his foot. Halls is holding on for now.
Bates misses with a head shot. Halls uses the momentum to regain guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bairy Halls showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Halls has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Paul Aken scores the fight 29:28
Judge Radbod Blank scores the fight 29:28
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bairy Halls!