PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Darth Vader (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and BJ Arnold (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Vader comes into the arena with The Imperial March blaring out of the sound system. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Vader
vs
Arnold

165 cm
31
134 lbs
27 - 5 - 0

154 cm
31
134 lbs
22 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid Muay Thai
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Bullet Proof System
Sun-Tzu

Museum of Monsters & Madmen
Bullet Proof System

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 27 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Darth Vader !
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, BJ Arnold!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, William Gold and James Atkins.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Arnold. Vader shrugs it off though.
A slapping leg kick lands for Arnold.

Vader shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Vader was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Arnold manages to get back to half guard.
Vader missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Vader is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Arnold is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Arnold actively working from the bottom here.
Vader missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Arnold trying to control but Vader postures up.
Vader will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Arnold looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arnold trying to control here.
Arnold felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.

Vader is working for a submission of some sort.
Vader scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Vader is pressing down on Arnold's thigh, looking to free his foot. Arnold is holding on for now.
Arnold avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Vader .

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.
Vader lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Vader takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
The fighters are battling for position here. Arnold manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
We've been hearing that Vader has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Arnold keeping moving, preventing Vader from controlling successfully.
Arnold controls Vader momentarily but Vader frees himself.
Vader throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Vader sitting in guard here, content to control.
Arnold has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Arnold keeping full guard, as Vader tries to pass.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arnold keeping moving, preventing Vader from controlling successfully.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Vader looks to score with a jab to the body but Arnold is just out of range.
Vader takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Vader listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Arnold misses with a body shot.
Arnold uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Vader .
BJ Arnold seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A jab lands there for Arnold.
Arnold throws a nice inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arnold fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Vader manages to avoid it.
A little feinted left hand from Vader on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Arnold with a hook.
Arnold moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Vader takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Vader scores with a nice strike.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Arnold lands with a thumping leg kick.
Arnold misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Vader .
Arnold takes one to the side of the head.
Vader on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Arnold. Arnold obviously looking to wear him down.
Arnold swings for the body but Vader moves out of range.
Arnold throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Arnold throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Vader on the side of the head.
Arnold throws a body punch but Vader moves out of range.
Arnold is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Vader rather than just go for the knockout.
Vader misses with a straight left.
Arnold appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Arnold misses with a few strikes there.
Arnold lands a nice looking body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but BJ Arnold will probably get the nod.
That's time! Vader 's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Arnold looks to score with a jab to the body but Vader is just out of range.
Vader swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
A shot to the body from Arnold misses
and Vader counters with a stiff right hand.
Arnold moves away from the strike by Vader .
Arnold avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Arnold connects with the punch.
Vader takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Arnold moves out of range of the strikes.
Arnold misses with a head kick.
Arnold ducks under a wild hook from Vader .
Vader loads up on a big right hand but Arnold slips the punch.
Some bone on bone action there as Arnold checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arnold misses with a hook.
It looked like Vader was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Arnold.
BJ Arnold seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Vader doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Arnold swings for the body but Vader moves out of range.
Vader throws a sloppy head kick and Arnold moves out of range easily.
A nice side step and Arnold releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Arnold throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Vader stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arnold tries to clinch
and Vader counters with an inside leg kick.
Arnold bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Vader looking to land some kicks to the body here.
A big right from Vader misses.
Arnold finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Arnold stuffs the takedown attempt from Vader . Vader gets slowly back to his feet.
Arnold comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Vader walks into a jab.
That kick from Arnold tenderised Vader 's leg. Vader is trying to keep his angry face on.
Arnold takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Arnold throws a leg kick
enabling Vader to counter with a crisp jab.
Arnold fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Vader looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Nice body punch from Vader .

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Arnold moves in looking to clinch but Vader pushes him off.
Arnold scores with a hook.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Arnold.
Arnold slips under a jab from Vader .

Vader manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Arnold on his heels. He'll look to pass Arnold's guard now, I'm sure.
Vader looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Arnold working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Vader has passed into half guard!
Vader slips a nice elbow through Arnold's hands, connecting with Arnold's forehead.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arnold controlling the position for now.
Vader throwing shots but Arnold is blocking nicely.
Vader lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Arnold is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Vader scores with a couple of nice shots.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Arnold trying to control here.
Arnold is trying to control but Vader passes into side control!
Vader working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arnold is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Arnold looking for a sweep but Vader has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Vader scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Vader cracks Arnold with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Vader looking to control but Arnold is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Arnold wants to hold on but Vader pushes him away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Darth Vader dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Arnold lands a body shot.
Vader on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Arnold with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Vader tries for a takedown but Arnold sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Arnold lands with a cross.
Arnold misses with a body shot.
Vader throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Arnold counters with a leg kick.
Arnold has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Vader .
Arnold tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Vader counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Vader postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Arnold has his hands on Vader 's head, controlling the position.
Vader connects with a couple of short punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arnold keeping moving, preventing Vader from controlling successfully.
Arnold is trying to keep Vader in close.
Arnold being controlled here, momentarily.

Arnold is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Arnold is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Vader wants to control from the top but Arnold keeps moving.
Vader lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Vader working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Vader scoring with punches to the head and body.
Darth Vader overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Vader postures up.
Vader wants to control from the top but Arnold keeps moving.

Arnold has his foot on Vader 's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Vader works his way back into a safe position though.
Vader controls the pace of the fight for a moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vader pushing down on Arnold's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Arnold is looking to get back to full guard here but Vader has managed to pass to side control instead.
Arnold is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Vader tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Vader scoring with punches from side control.
Arnold is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Vader off and has taken his back!
Arnold is not going to allow Vader to sit and survive in this position.
You can see the frustration on Vader 's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vader defending nicely against the rear naked choke attempt.
You can see the frustration on Vader 's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
Arnold somehow managing to miss with a strike from the back.
Vader breaks Arnold's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vader makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Vader throwing strikes but missing.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Arnold 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.

Darth Vader clearly takes that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Arnold scores with a punch to the head.
Vader keeps the fight on the outside.
Vader was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Vader , right into the meat.
Vader blocks a jab.
Arnold getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Vader takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Arnold stuns Vader with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Vader throws a jab when Arnold was well out of range.
Arnold scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Vader throws an off balance right hand
and Vader takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arnold on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Arnold moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Arnold lands with a shot to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Arnold connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.

Arnold clinches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arnold lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Vader backwards.
Vader misses with a hook from the clinch.
Vader misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Vader tries a body shot but Arnold blocks it.
Arnold misses with a hook to the ribs.
Arnold goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Vader misses with a punch to the body.
Arnold can't find room to land a body shot as Vader controls the action.
Arnold prevents the takedown attempt.
Arnold takes a shot to the head.
Vader misses with a punch on the inside.
Arnold swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Vader is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Vader fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arnold lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Vader misses with a short punch on the inside.
Arnold misses with a punch to the body.
Arnold tries a body shot but Vader blocks it.
Arnold tries to work over Vader 's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

Vader breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Vader throws a leg kick that is checked
and Arnold counters with a slapping leg kick.
Arnold fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Vader on the side of the head.
Vader takes one to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Arnold misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Vader takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Vader throws a leg kick but Arnold sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Arnold works the jab nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A slapping leg kick lands for Arnold.
Vader tries a head kick but it misses.
Vader pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Arnold doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Vader throws a sloppy head kick and Arnold moves out of range easily.
Arnold lands a jab to the head.
Vader misses the shot to the body.
Arnold uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Vader .
Nice cross by Arnold.
Vader keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Arnold takes a swing at Vader 's ribcage but misses.
Arnold misses with a body kick.
Arnold keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Vader throws a leg kick
and Arnold counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vader fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A punch lands to the side of Vader 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Arnold blocks a head kick by Vader .
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Vader tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Arnold was well out of range. Poor timing from Vader .
Arnold swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vader looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Arnold cracks a nice hook into Vader 's ribs.
Vader throws the left hand but Arnold avoids the punch easily.
Arnold misses with a looping left.
Arnold connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Arnold jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Arnold ducks under a wild hook from Vader .
Arnold chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Nice shot by Arnold.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

BJ Arnold dominated that fourth 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. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Arnold thows a leg kick but Vader checks it
and Vader counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Vader sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Vader shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Arnold sprawls well. Arnold wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Vader gets slowly back to his feet.
Arnold doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Arnold throws the kick towards the body but Vader avoids it.
Vader waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Arnold.
Arnold was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Arnold feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Vader 's calf.
Arnold lands a nice leg kick that just misses Vader 's sensitive parts.
Vader jabbing away but nothing is landing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arnold punishes Vader 's body with a nice straight punch.

Arnold has closed the distance and engaged Vader in a clinch.
Arnold lands a body punch in the clinch.
Arnold softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vader doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Arnold lands a nice shot to the body.
Vader working aggressively here.
Arnold misses with a body punch.
Vader tries a body shot but Arnold blocks it.

Vader pulls Arnold into guard.
Vader looking for a sweep. Not yet Vader , not yet.
Arnold slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Vader is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Arnold off and has taken his back!
Arnold is in a world of trouble here. He's outmatched on the ground here and he'd better get Vader off his back sharpish unless he wants to be submitted.
Arnold tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arnold tries to hold on but Vader postures up.
Arnold is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Vader scoring with strikes but Arnold is staying in there.
Arnold tries to hold on but Vader postures up.
Vader with the ground and pound from mount.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Arnold is wriggling around trying to escape.
Arnold tries to hold on but Vader pushes him away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vader in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Vader has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Vader tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Arnold is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Vader with good strikes from the mount here!
Vader with good strikes from the mount here!
Vader avoids the attempt from Arnold to control.
Arnold is squirming around, avoiding Vader 's attempts to control the action.
The referee warns Arnold that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arnold takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Vader working Arnold over with strikes here.
Arnold tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Vader raining down hammerfists from mount.

Arnold is rocked!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vader loads up on a couple of big shots to the head that have Arnold scrambling to escape. He can't get free though and several more unanswered shots from Vader land to the head. The referee has no choice but to stop the fight. Vader stands and salutes the crowd.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:47 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Darth Vader !
Darth Vader is the new bantamweight champion!
During a confident post fight interview, Darth Vader thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.