PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Russell Brand (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Luke Skywalker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Brand's entrance music is Russell Brand and Katie Perry. A fine choice. Luke Skywalker has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Brand
vs
Skywalker

187 cm
25
143 lbs
7 - 11 - 1

170 cm
20
142 lbs
6 - 4 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 11 - 1, fighting out of London, Russell Brand!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Luke Skywalker!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, Andrew Berry and Chris Edwards.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Skywalker shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Skywalker showed some decent athleticism there.
Skywalker stops Brand from getting back to his feet.
Skywalker working the head and body with strikes.
Brand is holding on to half guard well.
Skywalker not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Skywalker lands strikes from half guard.
Brand trying to control here.
Skywalker scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Brand is trying to maintain the position but Skywalker is very close to passing his half guard.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Skywalker 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.
Skywalker throws a strike but Brand avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Skywalker with a nice head shot there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Skywalker throws a strike but Brand rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Brand trying to control the position from guard on top but Skywalker is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Brand will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

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.
Brand is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Russell Brand just wasn't active enough.
Skywalker keeps the fight on the outside.

Skywalker rushes Brand and pushes him back against the ropes in a clinch.
Skywalker missing with knees to the body.
Brand prevents a body shot from Skywalker.
Brand is trying to force a seperation but Skywalker has the dominant position.
Brand tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Skywalker just stands there and leans against the ropes.
Brand really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Brand prevents a body shot from Skywalker.
Brand tries to land knees in the clinch but Skywalker avoids the damage to the body.

Brand has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Skywalker uses from the top position.
Skywalker must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Brand pulls Skywalker in close to prevent any damage.
Brand controls Skywalker momentarily but Skywalker frees himself.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brand is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Brand throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Brand trying to control the action but Skywalker is working from the bottom.
Brand is taking a breather. Skywalker says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Russell Brand.
Brand moves out of range as Skywalker throws a body kick.
Brand needs to keep his hands up - Skywalker had a free shot at his head there.
Skywalker looks to land a left hand but Brand moved out of range nicely.
A punch combination from Skywalker misses.
Brand fails with a takedown attempt.
Brand throws a sloppy head kick
and Skywalker counters with a low kick, right behind Brand 's knee.
Brand tries to clinch

and Skywalker counters with a single leg into guard. Brand didn't expect that.
Skywalker lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Skywalker connects with a couple of short punches.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Skywalker with a flurry of punches that miss.
Skywalker is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Skywalker throws a big right hand that misses.
Brand 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.
Skywalker postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luke Skywalker dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Brand has his takedown stuffed
and Skywalker finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Skywalker throws a nice outside leg kick.
Brand takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.

Skywalker rushes Brand and pushes him back against the ropes in a clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Skywalker fails to land.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Skywalker lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Skywalker working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Brand blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Brand is trying to break the clinch but Skywalker has him pressed against the ropes.
Skywalker misses with an elbow strike.
Skywalker tries to land knees in the clinch but Brand avoids the damage to the body.
Brand taking a breather.
Skywalker trying to land knees to the body.
Skywalker blocks an elbow strike from Brand.
Skywalker stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Skywalker working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Brand looking to throw knees to the head but Skywalker is blocking nicely.
Skywalker lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Brand or not.
Brand fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Brand takes a knee to the side of the body.
Skywalker lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Brand.
Skywalker comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Skywalker landing knees to the body.
Skywalker scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Skywalker lands a nice knee to the body.
Skywalker lands a good knee to the midsection. Brand won't want to take too many of those.
Brand is trying to maintain a safe position but Skywalker gets an underhook and turns Brand into the ropes.
Skywalker works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Brand takes an elbow to the forehead.
Skywalker working Brand over with knees to the body.
A right hook to the body lands for Skywalker.
Skywalker lands a damaging elbow.
Skywalker lands a body shot in the clinch.
Skywalker digs a right hand into Brand's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Brand's gas tank.
Skywalker lands with a short shot to the head.
Skywalker scores with a shoulder strike.
Skywalker lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Brand's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Skywalker landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Skywalker crunches a lovely knee into Brand's ribcage.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Skywalker lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Brand takes a knee to the side of the body.
A right handed body shot lands from Skywalker.
Skywalker lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Skywalker working Brand over with knees to the body.
Skywalker lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A short left from Skywalker.
Skywalker using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Skywalker using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Skywalker lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Skywalker lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Brand backwards.
Skywalker is working Brand over against the ropes.
Skywalker scores with a hook to the body.
Luke Skywalker seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Brand has Skywalker pressed up against the ropes and is working for takedown. Skywalker manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Russell Brand. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice body punch from Skywalker.
Skywalker lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Brand tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Skywalker's elbow.
Skywalker lands a nice shot to the body.
Brand tries to break free but Skywalker pushes him back against the ropes.
Brand tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Skywalker just stands there and leans against the ropes.
Skywalker gets underhooks to prevent Brand's takedown attempt.
Skywalker unloads a knee to the mid-section. Brand lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Skywalker lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Skywalker scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Skywalker unloads a knee to the mid-section. Brand lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Good body shot from Skywalker.
Skywalker lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Skywalker landing knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Skywalker landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Skywalker utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Brand wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Brand throws a punch but it's blocked by Skywalker.
Skywalker gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Brand.
Skywalker lands a damaging elbow.
Skywalker gets through Brand's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Skywalker works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
A body shot lands from Skywalker.
Skywalker putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Brand in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Brand is working for a takedown up against the ropes. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Skywalker utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
A hook to the body from Skywalker.
Skywalker unloads a knee to the mid-section. Brand lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Skywalker lands an elbow inside.
Brand tries to work over Skywalker's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Skywalker misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Brand.
Skywalker misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
With the fighters up against the ropes, Skywalker throws an elbow but misses.
A hook to the body from Skywalker.

Brand jumps guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Skywalker accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Brand has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Skywalker thows a big elbow that misses.
Brand keeping full guard, as Skywalker tries to pass.
Skywalker throws and elbow that misses. Brand uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Skywalker's guard. Nice move by Brand!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Skywalker utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luke Skywalker showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Skywalker misses with a kick to the body
and Brand counters with a head kick.
Skywalker swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Brand tries to clinch there but Skywalker circles away.
Brand tries for a takedown but Skywalker circles away easily
and Skywalker counters with a right hand to the body.
Brand closes the distance but Skywalker moves to the side
and Skywalker counters with a left to the body.

Skywalker fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Brand, pushing him back against the ropes.
Brand has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Skywalker landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
A body shot lands from Skywalker.
Skywalker lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Brand wants a takedown.
Skywalker landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Skywalker working Brand over with knees to the body.
Skywalker lands a hook to the side of the head.
Skywalker working Brand over with knees to the body.
Skywalker has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Brand takes a knee to the side of the body.

Skywalker gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Brand regains guard.
Skywalker landing some decent shots from guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Skywalker throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Skywalker connects with a couple of short punches.
Brand 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.
Brand preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Skywalker wants to pass the guard but Brand is keeping the position.
Skywalker with a flurry of punches that miss.

Brand working for a triangle but Skywalker defends it easily.
Skywalker tries to free his leg and advance position but Brand is retaining full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Brand utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Skywalker throws a strike but Brand rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Skywalker bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Brand's guard.
Brand is trying to keep Skywalker in close.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Skywalker lands a couple of digs.
Skywalker lands a couple of digs.
Skywalker stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Brand swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Skywalker with a nice head shot there.
Brand working a defensive guard here.
Skywalker missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Skywalker passes Brand's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Skywalker slips a nice elbow through Brand's hands, connecting with Brand's forehead.
Brand looks like he's trying to stand up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Skywalker thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Brand's head.
Skywalker tries to pass to full mount but Brand defends it.
Skywalker thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Brand's head.
Skywalker is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Luke Skywalker is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Skywalker looking to ground and pound but Brand is blocking nicely.
Skywalker lands a heavy elbow.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Skywalker looking to control and managing it successfully.
Skywalker is landing with some decent strikes but Brand is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.

And that's the end of the fight!
Luke Skywalker comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Skywalker has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight 27:30
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Luke Skywalker!