PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Xander Arapeta (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nate Knuckles (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Arapeta comes into the arena with The Sound by Switchfoot blaring out of the sound system. Knuckles comes into a darkened arena with his song building. When I'm Gone kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Arapeta
vs
Knuckles

188 cm
25
200 lbs
12 - 7 - 0

188 cm
27
200 lbs
9 - 7 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 12 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Xander Arapeta!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Nate Knuckles!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Hogan, Eliza Hachem and Hugh Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Arapeta checks a leg kick.
Arapeta tries a low kick but Knuckles avoids it.
Knuckles takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Arapeta fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Knuckles has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Knuckles looks to land a right hand but Arapeta moved out of range.
Arapeta thumps Knuckles with a low kick.
A head kick misses from Arapeta.
Nice body kick there by Arapeta.
Knuckles misses with a wild combination.
Arapeta tries to work over Knuckles's front leg with a kick but Knuckles checks it.
A left lands for Knuckles.
Arapeta blocks a head kick by Knuckles.
Knuckles throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Knuckles tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Knuckles takes a swing at Arapeta's ribcage but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles dives in and grabs Arapeta's left leg, looking for a takedown. Arapeta pushes down on Knuckles's head and hops out.
Arapeta moves away from the strike by Knuckles.
Knuckles dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Arapeta throws a series of punches but Knuckles moves out of range.
Arapeta moves out of range of the strikes.
Knuckles fails to land the takedown.
Knuckles keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Knuckles throws a right and a left that Arapeta avoids nicely.
Arapeta attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Arapeta misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Knuckles tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Arapeta showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Knuckles.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Arapeta throws out a loose jab but Knuckles uses good head movement to avoid it.
Arapeta connects with a leg kick. Knuckles looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Arapeta misses with a kick to the body.
Nate Knuckles seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Arapeta lands with a good body shot.
Knuckles throws a head kick that misses
and Arapeta counters with a solid body kick.
Knuckles looks gassed!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Knuckles throws a right and a left that both miss.
Arapeta lets loose with a powerful body kick. Knuckles will feel that in the morning.
Arapeta fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Knuckles has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Arapeta throws a head kick that misses.
Arapeta listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Xander Arapeta is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
A nice inside leg kick there by Arapeta. That's going to slow Knuckles down.
Arapeta lands with a nice combination. Knuckles backs away looking to recover.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta misses with a double jab.
Arapeta scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Arapeta misses with a lunging right hand
and Knuckles counters with a series of strikes. Arapeta will be more careful next time no doubt.
Arapeta keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Xander Arapeta has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nate Knuckles.
The fighters circle momentarily. Arapeta darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Knuckles defending well as Arapeta loads up on a big left hand.
Arapeta goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Arapeta fakes the leg kick and cracks Knuckles in the body.
Arapeta throws a jab but it's blocked by Knuckles.
A nice leg kick lands there from Knuckles.
Knuckles moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles moves away from the strike by Arapeta.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Arapeta throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Knuckles looks to throw the jab but Arapeta is out of range.
Knuckles shoots in for a takedown but Arapeta shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Arapeta dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Knuckles. That did some damage!
Knuckles chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Arapeta can pounce on him.
No joy there for Knuckles, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Arapeta lands with a thumping leg kick.
Arapeta misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Knuckles.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Arapeta thows a body shot but no joy.
Knuckles tries a head kick but it misses.
No joy there for Arapeta, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Arapeta with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Xander Arapeta dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Knuckles blocks the body kick.
A solid body kick from Arapeta.
Xander Arapeta is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Arapeta throws a leg kick but Knuckles checks it.
Arapeta throws a head kick but Knuckles moves out of range.
Knuckles takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Knuckles slips a jab and a cross from Arapeta.
Knuckles throws a body punch but Arapeta moves out of range.
Knuckles scores with a one two! Arapeta had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Xander Arapeta is winning the standup battle so far.
Knuckles misses with an attempted mid kick.
Knuckles takes a swing at Arapeta's ribcage but misses.
Arapeta tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Arapeta avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Arapeta throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A left and a right from Knuckles both land. Nice combination.
Knuckles on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Arapeta. Arapeta obviously looking to wear him down.
Knuckles tries to bum rush Arapeta with a series of wild strikes but Arapeta uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Knuckles avoids a kick to the body.
Knuckles throws a low kick but it's checked well by Arapeta.
Arapeta throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Knuckles.
Arapeta throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Knuckles moves out of range of the body kick from Arapeta.
Knuckles has his takedown stuffed
and Arapeta counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Knuckles is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Arapeta plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Arapeta attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Knuckles looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Arapeta is fending him off so far but Knuckles persists. Nope, Arapeta circles away and we're back to standing.
Knuckles is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Knuckles if he has to take too many more of those.
Knuckles has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Arapeta.

Knuckles drives through with a takedown into Arapeta's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Arapeta looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Arapeta wants to sweep but no luck.
Arapeta working a defensive guard here.
Arapeta controlling the position.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Xander Arapeta wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Arapeta connects with a solid leg kick.
Knuckles scores with a three punch combo!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Arapeta showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Knuckles.
Knuckles's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Arapeta swings away with a leg kick that misses.
A combination from Knuckles does no damage.
Knuckles avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Knuckles uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Arapeta.
Arapeta works over Knuckles's head and body with a nice combination.
Knuckles misses with a few strikes there.
Arapeta throws a nice outside leg kick.
A swing and a miss from Knuckles.
Knuckles blocks a head kick by Arapeta.
Arapeta plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Arapeta 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.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Arapeta scoring well with a low kick there.
Arapeta scoring well with a low kick there.
Knuckles connects with a crisp jab.
Arapeta throws a jab when Knuckles was well out of range.
Knuckles fails with a takedown attempt.
Xander Arapeta has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nate Knuckles.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A shot to the liver by Arapeta. Beautiful body shot.
Arapeta throws a leg kick but Knuckles moved away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Some wild striking there from Knuckles.
Arapeta punishes Knuckles's body with a nice straight punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Xander Arapeta dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Arapeta scoring well with a low kick there.
Knuckles throws a right and a left that both miss.
Arapeta checks a low kick from Knuckles.
Knuckles avoids the head kick by Arapeta.
Arapeta feints and then cracks Knuckles's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Knuckles down.
Arapeta slaps away a takedown attempt from Knuckles, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Knuckles scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Knuckles shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Arapeta defends it nicely.
Knuckles on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Arapeta. Arapeta obviously looking to wear him down.
Knuckles takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Knuckles takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Knuckles tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Knuckles throws a lazy right hand but Arapeta sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Arapeta throws a hook to the side of Knuckles's head but Knuckles sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Arapeta just misses with a punch to the body.
Arapeta scores with a jab to the body.
Arapeta throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Knuckles pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A solid body kick from Arapeta.
Knuckles takes a kick to the side of the head.
Knuckles uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Arapeta.
Knuckles misses with a left hand
and Arapeta counters with a low kick, right behind Knuckles 's knee.
Arapeta throws a head kick that looked like it stung.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Arapeta misses with a straight right.
Knuckles swings for the body but Arapeta moves out of range.
Arapeta connects with a solid leg kick.
Nate Knuckles has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Knuckles takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Knuckles pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Arapeta misses with an attempted mid kick.
Arapeta pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Arapeta - that will leave a mark!
Knuckles misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
An inside leg kick lands from Arapeta.
Knuckles takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arapeta throws a wild body kick that Knuckles sees coming a mile off.
Arapeta explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Arapeta chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Sloppy strikes from Knuckles. Those never looked like landing.
An inside leg kick lands from Arapeta.
Arapeta rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Knuckles moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Arapeta slips under a jab from Knuckles.
Knuckles swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Arapeta counters with a series of strikes. Knuckles will be more careful next time no doubt.
A big left from Knuckles misses.
Arapeta throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Knuckles's head.
Arapeta leaves Knuckles with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Xander Arapeta has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nate Knuckles.
Arapeta explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Knuckles steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Arapeta. That one must have hurt.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Arapeta, right into the meat.
Knuckles rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Arapeta moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Arapeta lands a front kick.
Arapeta throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Knuckles's head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Knuckles takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Arapeta feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Knuckles's calf.
Arapeta lands a jab to the nose.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Arapeta fails to land with a series of punches.
Knuckles tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Arapeta was well out of range. Poor timing from Knuckles.
Xander Arapeta is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Arapeta scoring well with a low kick there.

And that's the end of the fight!
Xander Arapeta showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Arapeta 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 Bruno Hogan scores the fight 30:27
Judge Eliza Hachem scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hugh Johnson scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Xander Arapeta!