PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Julius Kaepernick (ranked 788 p4p, 937 weight class) and Omar Dahir (ranked 109 p4p, 129 weight class). Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Kaepernick
vs
Dahir

178 cm
28
169
9 - 4 - 0

185 cm
21
170
6 - 0 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Very quick

Excellent grappler
Basic striking
Good gas tank

Shadow Realm Apparel

Groove Gear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Julius Kaepernick!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Omar Dahir!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Gregory Folan and Alec Ball.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kaepernick swings for the body but Dahir moves out of range.
Kaepernick throws a left and a right that both miss

so Dahir counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Dahir stopping the sweep attempt from Kaepernick.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Dahir controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Kaepernick wants to stand and escape but Dahir is having none of it.
Dahir has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at Combat Wombat Burrow. Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.
Dahir missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Dahir won't allow Kaepernick to get back to his feet.
Dahir postures up and lands a big shot to Kaepernick's brow.
Kaepernick preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Kaepernick trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dahir throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Kaepernick utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Dahir keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Kaepernick's head.
Dahir lands a couple of digs.
Kaepernick trying to control the position.
Dahir has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Kaepernick wants to sweep here but Dahir controlling him for the moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaepernick wants to get back to his feet but Dahir is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Kaepernick looking to hit a scissor sweep but Dahir is one step ahead there.
Dahir is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Kaepernick bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Dahir's guard.

Dahir pulls Kaepernick in to control the position.
Kaepernick postures up in Dahir's guard and throws a big left but Dahir blocks it.
Kaepernick preventing the sweep.
Dahir is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Dahir looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Kaepernick with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Nice strikes from Dahir there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dahir slips a nice elbow through Kaepernick's hands, connecting with Kaepernick's forehead.
Kaepernick is looking to improve his position.
Dahir winds up and cracks Kaepernick with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Kaepernick trying to control from the bottom.
Dahir sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Kaepernick defending well though.
Kaepernick is looking for a sweep. Dahir is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Dahir scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Dahir wants to take a breather but Kaepernick is having none of it.
Kaepernick is looking to improve his position.
Kaepernick is working hard here to advance position.
Dahir working Kaepernick over with strikes.
Kaepernick is not content to let Dahir control the position.
Dahir is controlling the pace.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dahir 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.
Kaepernick controlling the position well.
Dahir takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
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. Dahir connects with a nice short shot to Kaepernick's temple.
Kaepernick wants to control but Dahir is keeping busy.
Dahir working the head and body with strikes.

Dahir is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Kaepernick is just riding it out for now. Dahir eventually gives up the hold.
Dahir is nestled in close to Kaepernick, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dahir lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Kaepernick is not content to let Dahir control the position.
Kaepernick wants to improve his position but Dahir is controlling well.
Dahir trying to control from half guard but Kaepernick is working away.
Kaepernick works his way to full guard. Good work.
Dahir throws a big elbow that misses.
Dahir is in close to Kaepernick's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Dahir is on the wrong end of a couple of strikes there.
Dahir makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kaepernick 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.
Dahir postures up and lands a big shot to Kaepernick's brow.
Kaepernick bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Dahir's guard.

And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Dahir is looking to score with low kicks.
Dahir is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Kaepernick.

Kaepernick fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Dahir sprawls well initially but Kaepernick persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Kaepernick is thwarting Dahir's attempts to control the position.
Kaepernick lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Kaepernick sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Dahir defending well though.
Dahir makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Dahir.
Dahir has Kaepernick pulled in close to control his posture.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kaepernick postures up in Dahir's guard and throws a big left but Dahir blocks it.
Dahir is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Dahir tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Omar Dahir has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Kaepernick accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Kaepernick postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Kaepernick postures up.
Kaepernick throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Kaepernick throws a big elbow that misses.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Dahir holds on and takes a little breather.
Dahir working a defensive guard here.
Kaepernick trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Kaepernick throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Dahir is pulling down on Kaepernick's head to control his posture.
Kaepernick wants to control from the top but Dahir keeps moving.
Dahir trying to keep a closed guard but Kaepernick is proving a slippery customer.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

Kaepernick shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Dahir is trying to defend but Kaepernick finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dahir works his way to full guard. Good work.
Kaepernick working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Dahir's head.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Dahir is on top in guard.

A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Dahir accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Dahir's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Dahir is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Kaepernick throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Dahir trying to control the position from guard on top but Kaepernick is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Dahir is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Kaepernick bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Dahir's guard.

Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Dahir seems keen to control Kaepernick's posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Kaepernick accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Dahir is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Kaepernick throws a big right hand that misses.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Dahir holds on and takes a little breather.
Kaepernick throws a big elbow that misses.
Dahir trying to control the position.
Dahir preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Dahir wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Kaepernick throwing strikes but missing.
Dahir tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Kaepernick throws a strike but Dahir rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Kaepernick wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and Dahir is now in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Dahir is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

Dahir is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Kaepernick wants to get back to full guard but Dahir has mounted him!
Kaepernick is in a horrible position here. Dahir smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Dahir looking to finish Kaepernick with some ground and pound. This is bad for Kaepernick!
Dahir lands a big shot there that rocks Kaepernick but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Kaepernick keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Kaepernick tries to hold on but Dahir postures up.
Dahir landing punches.

Kaepernick is rocked!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Omar Dahir will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Kaepernick shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Dahir is trying to defend but Kaepernick finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Kaepernick missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Dahir regains full guard. Nicely done.
Kaepernick throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Dahir works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Kaepernick is looking to work some ground and pound but Dahir has wrist control.
Dahir working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Kaepernick.
Dahir is trying to control the position but Kaepernick postures up.
Dahir controlling Kaepernick's posture.
Dahir 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.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kaepernick missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Kaepernick in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Dahir is adopting a defensive guard.
Kaepernick has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dahir is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Dahir lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Dahir working Kaepernick over with strikes.
Dahir scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Kaepernick moves into full guard.
Dahir passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Dahir wants to control but Kaepernick is keeping him busy.
Kaepernick tries to bench press Dahir off him but Dahir keeps the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kaepernick is not content to let Dahir control the position.
A lull in the action here as Dahir stalls from top position.
Kaepernick tries to improve position but can't.
Dahir is looking to take a break and control but Kaepernick is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kaepernick is trying to improve his position.
Dahir scoring with punches and elbows.
Kaepernick sneaks back into half guard.
Kaepernick looks like he's trying to stand up.

Dahir is working for a submission of some sort.
Dahir is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Kaepernick is trying to maintain the position but Dahir is very close to passing his half guard.
Kaepernick tries to get to full guard but Dahir has control of the leg.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dahir lands with a punch from half guard.
Kaepernick wants to improve his position but Dahir is controlling well.
Dahir wants to lay and pray for a moment but Kaepernick keeps working.
Dahir throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Kaepernick is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Dahir's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Dahir's back!
Dahir looks to control his opponent's hands but he's not mananging it at the moment.
Dahir is trying to break free.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kaepernick scores with strikes from the back.
Dahir trying to control but not successfully.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Julius Kaepernick did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
That's time! Kaepernick's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Dahir misses with an uppercut. Kaepernick saw that one coming.
Kaepernick looks to land a right hand but Dahir moved out of range.
Kaepernick looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Dahir throws a hook but Kaepernick avoids it easily.

Kaepernick closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Dahir quickly recovers to half guard.
Kaepernick throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
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. Kaepernick connects with a nice short shot to Dahir's temple.
Kaepernick wants to lay and pray for a moment but Dahir keeps working.
Dahir trying to control here.
Kaepernick throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Dahir is concentrating on defense, preventing Kaepernick from advancing position.
Dahir is not content to let Kaepernick control the position.
Dahir gets back to full guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Dahir is on top in guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaepernick scores with a couple of body punches from the bottom.
Kaepernick wants to sweep but no luck.
Dahir is working Kaepernick over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Dahir wants to control from the top but Kaepernick keeps moving.
Kaepernick is looking to stand up but Dahir isn't so interested in that idea.
Dahir won't allow Kaepernick to sweep him here.
Dahir trying to control the position from guard on top but Kaepernick is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Dahir pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Kaepernick is keeping the position for now.
Dahir keeps trying to improve his position.

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.
Dahir trying to control but Kaepernick is working from the bottom.
Dahir is working Kaepernick over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Kaepernick wants to hit a sweep here but Dahir passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Kaepernick there!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Dahir cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Dahir controlling the position easily from mount.
Kaepernick is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Dahir with the ground and pound from mount.
Kaepernick manages to control the position for a moment.
Dahir with good strikes from the mount here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Dahir is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Kaepernick is surviving well by controlling Dahir's body position as best he can.
Dahir landing punches.
Oh Kaepernick is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Dahir lands a nice shot to the head.
Dahir postures up and throws a couple of big shots that have Kaepernick in real trouble here! The ref calls for Kaepernick to improve his position which he doesn't do, so the referee has no choice but to end the fight due to the strikes!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:40 of round 4, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Omar Dahir!
Omar Dahir is the new lightweight champion!
After winning the bout, Omar Dahir thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.