PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Stringer Bell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Andre Van der Laan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Van der Laan has chosen Eazy-E ft. Tupac, The Game - How We Do as his entrance music. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Bell
vs
Van der Laan

180 cm
26
196 lbs
14 - 14 - 0

185 cm
29
195 lbs
15 - 8 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very strong

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Powerful

Fight Club Clothing™
Fight Club Clothing™

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 14 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Stringer Bell!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Andre Van der Laan!
The judges for this bout are Tarja Halkonen, Roosa Järviläinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Van der Laan swinging wildly here.
Bell takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that misses.
Bell throws a shot to the body.
Van der Laan misses with a looping left.
Bell lands with a hook. Van der Laan tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Bell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Van der Laan moves away.
Bell shoots for a takedown but Van der Laan saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Van der Laan throws a big shot that misses.
Van der Laan lands with a nice body punch.
Van der Laan thows a body shot but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van der Laan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bell.
Bell misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Van der Laan.
Bell moves out of range as Van der Laan throws a body kick.
Bell misses with a wild body shot.
Van der Laan tries a head kick but it misses.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that misses.
Van der Laan with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Bell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Van der Laan moves away.
Bell throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Van der Laan thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan lands with a thumping leg kick.
Van der Laan lands with a straight right. Bell didn't see that one coming.
Van der Laan tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Van der Laan tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bell lands a body shot.
Bell fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Bell misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Van der Laan.

Van der Laan moves into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan prevents a body shot from Bell.
Bell on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bell managing to block the knees to the body from Van der Laan.
Van der Laan pressing his opponent against the cage.
Van der Laan throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Bell blocks it with crossed arms.
Bell lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Van der Laan tries to land knees in the clinch but Bell avoids the damage to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Van der Laan just misses with a elbow thrown towards Bell's brow.
Van der Laan connects with a knee to the head.
Van der Laan missing with knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Van der Laan obliges.
Van der Laan gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Van der Laan taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Van der Laan is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Bell is breathing heavily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bell is trying to break free.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan stalling in the clinch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Van der Laan obliges.
Van der Laan creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Bell's defenses.
Knees in the clinch landing for Van der Laan.
A knee to the head by Van der Laan.
Van der Laan lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Van der Laan with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section. Bell lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Van der Laan lands a knee to the head.
Van der Laan landing knees to the body.
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section. Bell lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Van der Laan lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Van der Laan is stalling here.
Bell takes a knee to the side of the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Van der Laan dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Van der Laan gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Bell.
Van der Laan stalling against the cage.
Bell drops down looking for an ankle pick but Van der Laan pulls his leg out and moves away.
Bell uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Van der Laan.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that Bell semi-blocks.
Bell thows a body shot but no joy.
Bell tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van der Laan was well out of range. Poor timing from Bell.
Bell blocks a head kick by Van der Laan.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Van der Laan moves into range and clinches up with Bell.
Van der Laan blocks an uppercut.
Bell takes a knee right on the jaw!

It looks like Stringer Bell has been cut.
Bell drops down looking for an ankle pick but Van der Laan pulls his leg out and moves away.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Van der Laan thows a body shot but no joy.
Van der Laan fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Bell looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Van der Laan throws a series of punches but Bell avoids them all with ease.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan throws a nice looking combination but Bell bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Bell shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Van der Laan sprawls well. Van der Laan wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Bell gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Stringer Bell. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bell misses with a body shot.
Andre Van der Laan seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Van der Laan rushes Bell and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Van der Laan blocks a body shot from Bell.
Bell blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Bell is trying to maintain a safe position but Van der Laan gets an underhook and turns Bell into the cage.
Van der Laan missing with knees to the body.
Van der Laan lands a good knee to the midsection. Bell won't want to take too many of those.
Bell stalling in the clinch but Van der Laan improves position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan misses with a knee to the head.
Van der Laan connects with a nasty looking knee right to Bell's face.
Van der Laan connects with a knee to the head.
Bell is looking to control Van der Laan's arms but Van der Laan gets an underhook and turns him. Now Bell has his back to the cage.
Van der Laan lands a nice knee to the body.
Van der Laan using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Van der Laan obliges.
Van der Laan using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Bell on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section. Bell lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bell takes a knee right on the jaw!
Van der Laan lands a knee to the body.
Bell avoiding damage as Van der Laan throws knees to the body.
Van der Laan lands an elbow inside that Bell shrugs off.
Van der Laan has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Van der Laan has Bell pushed against the cage.

The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Bell successfully pulls guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Van der Laan looking to pass the guard.
Van der Laan really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Bell. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Bell looking to hit a scissor sweep but Van der Laan is one step ahead there.
Bell is trying to keep Van der Laan in close.

Van der Laan avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Van der Laan throwing strikes from guard but Bell blocks nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Van der Laan showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Stringer Bell's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Van der Laan misses with a low kick as Bell jumps back.
Van der Laan swinging wildly here.
Bell misses with a body shot.
Van der Laan throws a sloppy head kick and Bell moves out of range easily.
Bell is looking to wear down Van der Laan with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Van der Laan fails with an attempt to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Bell is defended easily by Van der Laan.
Van der Laan digs a good body shot into Bell's ribs.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van der Laan tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Andre Van der Laan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bell thows a body shot but no joy.
Bell takes a kick to the side of the head.
Van der Laan cracks Bell with a right hand to the side of the head.
Van der Laan leaves Bell with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Bell lands a nice looking body shot.
Van der Laan jabs Bell right on the nose. Bell blinks but takes it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bell looks to score with a jab to the body but Van der Laan is just out of range.
Bell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Van der Laan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bell.
Bell steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Van der Laan.
Bell throws a body punch but Van der Laan moves out of range.
Van der Laan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Bell misses the shot to the body.
Van der Laan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bell was well out of range. Poor timing from Van der Laan.
Van der Laan misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Bell.
Bell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Van der Laan tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bell takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Van der Laan misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bell avoids the head kick by Van der Laan.
Bell thows a body shot but no joy.
Stringer Bell seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Van der Laan tries to clinch up but Bell circles away and keeps his distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bell misses with a body shot.
Bell connects with a right hand. Van der Laan shakes it off.
Bell fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Van der Laan manages to avoid it.
Bell circles away from the clinch attempt.
Van der Laan throws a head kick that half lands.
Bell takes a swing at Van der Laan's ribcage but misses.
Van der Laan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Bell on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Van der Laan. Van der Laan obviously looking to wear him down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A low kick from Bell is predictable there
and Van der Laan counters with a straight right hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Van der Laan really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Stringer Bell's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Bell shoots in but no luck this time.
Bell blocks a head kick by Van der Laan.
Van der Laan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bell manages to avoid it.
Bell fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Van der Laan manages to avoid it.
Van der Laan misses with a few strikes there.
Van der Laan takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Van der Laan misses with a body shot.
Van der Laan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Van der Laan stuffs the takedown.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bell throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Van der Laan throws a hook but Bell blocks it.
Bell blocks a head kick by Van der Laan.
Van der Laan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Bell takes a swing at Van der Laan's ribcage but misses.
Van der Laan stuffs the takedown attempt from Bell. Bell gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Stringer Bell. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Van der Laan connects with a solid leg kick.
Bell shoots in but no luck this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Van der Laan ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Van der Laan goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Van der Laan scores with a jab to the jaw.
Van der Laan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Bell.
Van der Laan tries a head kick but it misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Van der Laan closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Van der Laan lands an elbow just above Bell 's eye.
Van der Laan scores with a knee to the head.
Van der Laan lands with a short shot to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell is looking to control Van der Laan's arms but Van der Laan gets an underhook and turns him. Now Bell has his back to the cage.
Van der Laan is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Bell is defending well for now.
Van der Laan utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Van der Laan landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Van der Laan comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Van der Laan lands a nice knee to the body.
Van der Laan tries to land knees in the clinch but Bell avoids the damage to the body.
Bell managing to block the knees to the body from Van der Laan.
Bell tries to circle away but Van der Laan has him pinned against the cage.
Van der Laan tries to land knees in the clinch but Bell avoids the damage to the body.
A knee to the head by Van der Laan.
Bell wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Van der Laan using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
The referee is keeping an eye on Van der Laan - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Bell avoiding damage as Van der Laan throws knees to the body.
Van der Laan lands a knee to the body.
Bell misses with a hook to the ribs.
Van der Laan unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Van der Laan is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Bell takes an elbow to the forehead.
A knee to the head by Van der Laan.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Van der Laan takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Van der Laan working Bell over with knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bell takes a knee to the side of the body.
Van der Laan blocks a body shot from Bell.
Van der Laan blocks an uppercut.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Andre Van der Laan dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Stringer Bell's cut.
That's time! Bell's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Van der Laan lands a really nice looking cross but Bell seems unphased.
Bell looks to score with a jab to the body but Van der Laan is just out of range.
Van der Laan misses with a low kick.
Bell cracks Van der Laan with a good jab.

Bell closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Van der Laan quickly recovers to half guard.
Bell wants to pass to mount but Van der Laan is defending the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van der Laan works his way to full guard. Good work.
Bell throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Van der Laan works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Bell wants to pass the guard but Van der Laan is keeping the position.
Bell working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Van der Laan utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Bell pushes down on Van der Laan's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Van der Laan avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Bell.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bell is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Bell thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Van der Laan's head.
Bell is looking to advance position but Van der Laan won't allow it.

Bell is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Van der Laan doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Bell.
Bell missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Stringer Bell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bell trying to mount his opponent but Van der Laan defends it.
Van der Laan trying to control but Bell postures up.
Bell not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Bell thows a huge punch but Van der Laan dodges it nicely.

Bell is trying to work for a kimura but Van der Laan is defending well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van der Laan trying to control here.
Bell looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.

Bell is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Van der Laan defends it well.
Bell thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Van der Laan's head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Stringer Bell showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Van der Laan has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 46:49
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 46:49
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 46:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Andre Van der Laan!
Andre Van der Laan is the new middleweight champion!