PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Harkon Volkihar (ranked 5317 p4p, 0 weight class) and AJ Danielson (ranked 5954 p4p, 0 weight class). AJ Danielson will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Volkihar
vs
Danielson

194 cm
25
196 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

190 cm
25
195 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Big heart

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Solid chin

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, Harkon Volkihar!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of The Island, AJ Danielson!
The judges for this bout are Bart Greer, Daniel Franklin and Dirk Anderson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Horrible takedown attempt by Volkihar or perhaps it was just good defense by Danielson, which made it look bad.
A countering left hand to the body from Danielson misses.
Danielson changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Danielson lands a nice shot to the body.

Volkihar bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Danielson is looking to get back to his feet here but Volkihar is keeping cool and he's managed to take Danielson's back.
Volkihar punches the canvas rather than the man.
Volkihar punches the canvas rather than the man.
Danielson really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Volkihar. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Volkihar cracks Danielson with a big shot to body and one to the head - really punishing Danielson from the back mount here, looking to soften him up.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Volkihar is throwing strikes from the back here. Oh that last one was to the back of the head. Volkihar gets a warning from the referee. He throws another strike to the back of the head straight away though and the referee has seen enough. He breaks up the two fighters and stands them back up. Volkihar gets a real talking to here and is lucky not to get a point deducted. Volkihar apologises and we restart here on the feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Danielson throws a combination that misses

and Volkihar counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Volkihar landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Volkihar not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Volkihar not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Danielson is not content to let Volkihar control the position.
Volkihar seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Volkihar 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.
Volkihar thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Volkihar connects with a nice short shot to Danielson's temple.
Danielson wants to improve his position but Volkihar is controlling well.
Volkihar working Danielson over with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Volkihar looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Volkihar drops an elbow to the side of Danielson's head.
Volkihar slips a nice elbow through Danielson's hands, connecting with Danielson's forehead.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Danielson can do anything to dispel that myth.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Well, if Volkihar is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Danielson won't allow Volkihar to pass to mount.
Volkihar throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Danielson keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Danielson avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Volkihar.
Volkihar missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Volkihar takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Volkihar is pressing down on Danielson's thigh, looking to free his foot. Danielson is holding on for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Volkihar works his way into side control.
Volkihar scoring with punches and elbows.
Volkihar sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Danielson is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Volkihar connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Danielson some visible discomfort.
Volkihar cracks Danielson with a big right hand but Danielson just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
Danielson takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Check out the look on Volkihar's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
Danielson avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Volkihar.
Volkihar in side control lands a decent elbow.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Volkihar sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Danielson is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Danielson taking a bit of punishment here - Volkihar scoring with strikes.
Volkihar working the ground and pound.
Danielson avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Volkihar.
Volkihar working the ground and pound.
Danielson looks winded!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Volkihar creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Volkihar is putting a hurting on Danielson here, landing some big shots from side control.
Danielson on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Volkihar fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Volkihar trying to control the position but Danielson is working away.
Volkihar working the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Harkon Volkihar dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Volkihar tries to land a leg kick but Danielson saw it coming and moves away.
Danielson is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Volkihar with a body shot.
Volkihar throws a right and a left that Danielson avoids nicely.
Danielson scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Danielson scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Danielson gets caught napping as Volkihar dives in and scores a takedown. Danielson manages to retain guard.
Danielson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Volkihar controls the pace.
Volkihar lands a couple of digs.
Volkihar working some strikes from top position.
Volkihar trying to control the position from guard on top but Danielson is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Volkihar chips away with some ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Volkihar is working Danielson over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Danielson keeping full guard, as Volkihar tries to pass.
Volkihar stands up over Danielson, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Volkihar throws an elbow that misses. Danielson uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Volkihar's guard. Nice move by Danielson!

There's a bit of a scramble here and now Volkihar is on top in guard.

Volkihar throws a big right hand that misses.
Volkihar trying to control but Danielson is working from the bottom.
Volkihar postures up and lands a big shot to Danielson's brow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Volkihar lands a couple of digs.
Volkihar lands a couple of elbows.
Volkihar working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Volkihar is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Volkihar is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Danielson is breathing heavily.
Volkihar throws a big right hand that misses.
Volkihar working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Danielson's head.
Volkihar slips nicely into half guard.
Danielson avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Volkihar.
Volkihar missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Harkon Volkihar overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Volkihar takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Volkihar lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Volkihar working over Danielson with some ground and pound. Danielson looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Volkihar 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.
Danielson on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Volkihar takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Volkihar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Volkihar not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Volkihar not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Volkihar is keen to just control but Danielson is a slippery customer.
Danielson on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Volkihar is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Danielson is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Volkihar scores with a couple of nice shots.
Volkihar looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Volkihar throwing shots but Danielson is blocking nicely.
Danielson is staying active underneath Volkihar, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Danielson blocking the ground and pound attempt from Volkihar.
Volkihar working the head and body with strikes.
Volkihar is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Danielson can do to turn this around?
Volkihar looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Danielson with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Harkon Volkihar dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Danielson swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Volkihar shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Danielson pinned against the cage. Danielson gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Harkon Volkihar is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Volkihar shoots in and drives through. Danielson sprawls well.

Volkihar shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Danielson is trying to defend but Volkihar finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Danielson avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Volkihar.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Volkihar throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Danielson keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Volkihar lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Danielson keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Volkihar landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Volkihar keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Danielson takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Ground and pound from Volkihar.
Volkihar is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Nice strikes from Volkihar there.
Danielson blocking the ground and pound attempt from Volkihar.
Volkihar lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Volkihar wants to lay and pray for a moment but Danielson keeps working.
AJ Danielson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Volkihar connects with a nice short shot to Danielson's temple.
Volkihar scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Volkihar looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Danielson with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Volkihar scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Volkihar is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Volkihar is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Volkihar drops an elbow to the side of Danielson's head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Danielson taking some punishment here, with Volkihar in his half guard.
Volkihar scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Danielson is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Volkihar scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ground and pound from Volkihar.
Volkihar lands with a punch from half guard.
Volkihar slips a nice elbow through Danielson's hands, connecting with Danielson's forehead.
Volkihar winds up and cracks Danielson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Volkihar lands with a punch from half guard.
Volkihar lands strikes from half guard.
Danielson has hold of Volkihar's hands but Volkihar slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Danielson is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Volkihar scores with a couple of nice shots.
Volkihar winds up and cracks Danielson with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Volkihar lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

Danielson is rocked!
Danielson blocking the ground and pound attempt from Volkihar.
Harkon Volkihar is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Danielson on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Volkihar is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Danielson!
Volkihar cracks Danielson with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Volkihar lands a couple of good shots and Danielson has given up his back, trying to escape the position!
Volkihar controls the position.
Volkihar has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Volkihar is working the ground and pound here and the referee is taking a close look at Danielson. He must escape soon or this one will be stopped.
Volkihar is throwing strikes from the back here. Oh that last one was to the back of the head. Volkihar gets a warning from the referee. He throws another strike to the back of the head straight away though and the referee has seen enough. He breaks up the two fighters and stands them back up. Volkihar gets a real talking to here and is lucky not to get a point deducted. Volkihar apologises and we restart here on the feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Harkon Volkihar showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Volkihar, 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 Bart Greer scores the fight 30:26
Judge Daniel Franklin scores the fight 30:26
Judge Dirk Anderson scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Harkon Volkihar!
Harkon Volkihar spent the whole post fight interview bigging himself up. It didn't go down that well with the fans after a while as they thought it was a bit arrogant.