PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Apollo Balboa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bailey Vaughan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Balboa kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is I was made for lovin you. Bailey Vaughan will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Balboa
vs
Vaughan

210 cm
20
290 lbs
2 - 4 - 0

225 cm
23
280 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Apollo Balboa!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Bailey Vaughan!
The judges for this bout are Chris Saunders, Paul Gruel and Ryoma Takatsuka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Vaughan connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Vaughan looks to land a combination but Balboa avoids it well.
Vaughan throws a right and a left that Balboa avoids nicely.
Vaughan is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Balboa showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Vaughan.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Vaughan. Balboa shrugs it off though.
Balboa tests Vaughan's chin there with a solid looking shot.

It looks like Bailey Vaughan has been cut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Vaughan throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

It looks like Apollo Balboa has been cut.
Vaughan jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
Vaughan wants to clinch up but Balboa keeps it at a distance.
Vaughan misses with a series of wild punches.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Vaughan throws a series of punches but Balboa moves out of range.
Vaughan misses with a double jab.
A punch combination from Vaughan misses.
Balboa tries to close the distance and clinch up but Vaughan swats him away and circles back towards the center.
A head kick by Balboa misses
and Vaughan finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Balboa is breathing heavily.
A combination from Vaughan does no damage.
Balboa explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vaughan misses with a few strikes there.
Balboa pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Vaughan throws a nice inside leg kick.
Balboa takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Balboa tries to clinch there but Vaughan circles away.
Vaughan defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Balboa.

Vaughan gets a takedown into half guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Vaughan is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
Vaughan is looking to take a break and control but Balboa is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Balboa is trying to stand up here but Vaughan is controlling him well.
Vaughan tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Balboa.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Vaughan stands up and beckons Balboa to join him on the feet.
Vaughan throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Balboa.
A left and a right from Vaughan both land. Nice combination.

Balboa moves into the clinch.
Vaughan tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Vaughan jumps guard but Balboa turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

Vaughan manages to break the clinch.
Vaughan throws a series of punches but Balboa avoids them all with ease.
Balboa will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Balboa throws a head kick but Vaughan moves out of range.
Vaughan blocks a head kick by Balboa.

Vaughan decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.

Vaughan is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Balboa defends it well.
Balboa wants to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vaughan seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Vaughan is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Vaughan trying to control the action but Balboa is working from the bottom.
Balboa might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Vaughan wants to pass the guard but Balboa is defending well.

Vaughan is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Balboa tries to get to full guard but Vaughan has control of the leg.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Vaughan wants to take a breather but Balboa is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balboa is looking to improve his position.
Vaughan tries to stand and escape but Balboa is controlling the position.
Balboa is in trouble now - Vaughan has advanced to mount!
A nice elbow there by Vaughan.
Balboa is trying to escape the mount.

Vaughan has control of Balboa's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Balboa regains control of the situation pretty easily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balboa keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Vaughan is standing up, even though he is in mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bailey Vaughan dominated that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Vaughan moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Bailey Vaughan is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Vaughan moves in looking to clinch but Balboa pushes him off.
Balboa misses with a series of wild punches.
Vaughan circles away from the clinch attempt.
Balboa throws a lazy head kick
and Vaughan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Vaughan falls off balance throwing a combination
and Balboa counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Balboa throws a sloppy head kick and Vaughan moves out of range easily.
Balboa takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Vaughan has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Vaughan avoids the head kick by Balboa.

Vaughan fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Balboa to the ground. Vaughan is now in Balboa's guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Vaughan drops back looking for a leg! Balboa is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Balboa manages to kick Vaughan off! Vaughan jumps back into Balboa's guard.

Balboa is working an open guard so Vaughan takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Vaughan shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Vaughan was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Balboa manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Balboa thows a huge punch but Vaughan dodges it nicely.
Vaughan flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Vaughan regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Balboa.
Balboa postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

Balboa got a little sloppy there for a moment and Vaughan has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Balboa has managed to get both his arms back between Vaughan's legs - danger averted.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Vaughan pushes Balboa off and scrambles back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vaughan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Vaughan tries to clinch there but Balboa circles away.
Balboa tries to clinch there but Vaughan circles away.
Balboa takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Balboa slips a jab and a cross from Vaughan.
A head kick misses from Balboa.
Balboa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Balboa throws a head kick that misses.
Vaughan scores with a one two! Balboa had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

Vaughan closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Vaughan jumps into guard, dragging Balboa to the mat.
Balboa prevents Vaughan from getting back to his feet.
Balboa trying to control the position from guard on top but Vaughan is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Vaughan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Balboa wants to stand but Vaughan has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

Vaughan is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Balboa is aware though and is defending well.
Balboa looking to sit in guard and control but Vaughan gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Balboa wants to stand up but Vaughan is controlling him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vaughan preventing the sweep.
Vaughan trying to stand up but can't free himself from Balboa's guard.

Vaughan drops back looking for a leg! Balboa is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Balboa manages to kick Vaughan off! Vaughan jumps back into Balboa's guard.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Vaughan has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Balboa is proving hard to escape from.
Bailey Vaughan has got the better of the ground game so far.
Vaughan prevents Balboa from getting back to his feet.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balboa keeping moving, preventing Vaughan from controlling successfully.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Vaughan won't allow Balboa to get back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bailey Vaughan showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Vaughan scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Vaughan takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Vaughan throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Vaughan fails with an attempt to clinch.
Vaughan throws a right and a left that Balboa avoids nicely.
Vaughan misses with a double jab.
Vaughan connects with a single shot there.
Balboa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Vaughan blocks a head kick by Balboa.
A left and a right from Vaughan both land. Nice combination.
Vaughan has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A head kick by Balboa misses
and Vaughan counters with a nice low kick that buckles Balboa's knee momentarily.
Bailey Vaughan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Vaughan's corner calls for a 1-2. Vaughan obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Balboa shoots in for a double leg but Vaughan sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Vaughan clinches.

Vaughan escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Vaughan throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Balboa tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Vaughan is in Balboa's guard.
Vaughan wants to stand but Balboa has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balboa controls Vaughan momentarily but Vaughan frees himself.

Vaughan thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Vaughan has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Balboa is proving hard to escape from.

Balboa has his feet on Vaughan's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Vaughan dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Vaughan.
A looping hook to the body misses from Balboa. Vaughan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Balboa takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Vaughan will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A head kick from Balboa lands but Vaughan takes it in his stride.
Vaughan lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Balboa misses with a head kick.
Balboa throws a sloppy head kick
and Vaughan makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Balboa misses with the body kick
and Vaughan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
A jab from Vaughan finds it's way through Balboa's defenses.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vaughan scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
Vaughan doesn't manage to clinch there - Balboa circles away.
Balboa shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Vaughan sprawls well. Vaughan wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Balboa gets slowly back to his feet.
Vaughan lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Bailey Vaughan is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Sloppy strikes from Balboa. Those never looked like landing.
Vaughan misses with a wild combination.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balboa lands with a kick to the temple. Vaughan shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Vaughan throws out a powerful jab.
Vaughan tries to clinch there but Balboa circles away.
Vaughan is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Balboa throws a sloppy head kick
and Vaughan counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Vaughan with a jab.

Balboa gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Balboa keeping moving, preventing Vaughan from controlling successfully.
Vaughan preventing the sweep.

Vaughan gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
A combination from Vaughan does no damage.
A left and a right from Vaughan both land. Nice combination.
Balboa tries to close the distance and clinch but Vaughan swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.

Vaughan shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Balboa's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Vaughan wants to get up but he can't break Balboa's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Vaughan stops Balboa from standing up.
Balboa has a closed guard, preventing Vaughan from standing up.
Vaughan preventing the sweep.
Balboa is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Vaughan has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Balboa is proving hard to escape from.
Balboa is looking to stand up but Vaughan isn't so interested in that idea.
Vaughan would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Vaughan trying to control the position from guard on top but Balboa is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Apollo Balboa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Balboa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bailey Vaughan comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Vaughan has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Chris Saunders scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paul Gruel scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ryoma Takatsuka scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bailey Vaughan!
A very excited looking Bailey Vaughan made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.