PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Paul Toepfer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Reinaldo Aruba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Toepfer
vs
Aruba

160 cm
20
135 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

186 cm
20
136 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Paul Toepfer!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Reinaldo Aruba!
The judges for this bout are Dmitry Maklakov, Ivan Kurochkin and Aleksei Zolotukhin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Toepfer fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Aruba manages to avoid it.
Aruba displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Toepfer.
Toepfer misses with a two punch combination.

Toepfer gets caught napping as Aruba dives in and scores a takedown. Toepfer manages to retain guard.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Toepfer pulls Aruba in to control the position.
Aruba pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Toepfer is keeping the position for now.
Aruba throwing strikes but missing.
Toepfer utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Aruba stopping the sweep attempt from Toepfer.
Aruba trying to control but Toepfer is working from the bottom.
Toepfer working a defensive guard here.
Aruba looking to sit in guard and control but Toepfer gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toepfer trying to control but Aruba is working from the bottom.
Toepfer chips away with some ground and pound.
Toepfer showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Aruba preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Aruba wants to sweep here but Toepfer controlling him for the moment.
Toepfer pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Aruba is keeping the position for now.
Aruba is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

Aruba throws his legs up looking for a submission but Toepfer uses it to pass to side control.
Aruba tries to bench press Toepfer off him but Toepfer keeps the position.

Toepfer is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Aruba is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Aruba takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aruba is looking for a sweep.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Toepfer tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Toepfer has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Aruba is not content to let Toepfer control the position.
Aruba parries the strikes from Toepfer easily there. Toepfer is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Aruba to escape.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

Toepfer tries for a kimura but Aruba is defending well.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Toepfer is looking to take a break and control but Aruba is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Aruba is pushing Toepfer's head away, looking to escape. Toepfer manages to hold on to the position though.
Toepfer landing strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aruba sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Toepfer missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Toepfer is looking to take a break and control but Aruba is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Aruba looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Aruba is not content to let Toepfer control the position.
Aruba wants to get back to full guard.
Toepfer 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.
Toepfer wants to lay and pray for a moment but Aruba keeps working.
Aruba is trying to get back to full guard.
Toepfer thows a huge punch but Aruba dodges it nicely.
Toepfer prevents Aruba from improving his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Toepfer 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.
Toepfer is keen to just control but Aruba is a slippery customer.

Aruba looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Toepfer is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Aruba is in trouble now - Toepfer has advanced to mount!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Toepfer raining down shots from the mount!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Toepfer fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!

Aruba is rocked!
Toepfer can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Aruba is looking to escape.
Aruba is still in real trouble! Can Toepfer finish him?
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Aruba is trying to escape the mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Toepfer dominated that 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.

Toepfer closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Aruba to the mat! Aruba manages to get full guard.
Aruba seems to have recovered his senses.

Aruba looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Toepfer wants to control from the top but Aruba keeps moving.

Aruba is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Toepfer avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Toepfer trying to control but Aruba is working from the bottom.

Aruba looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Toepfer slips nicely into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Toepfer trying to mount his opponent but Aruba defends it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aruba is looking to improve his position.
Aruba slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Toepfer wants to control from the top but Aruba keeps moving.
Toepfer lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Toepfer wants to pass the guard but Aruba is keeping the position.
Aruba is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Toepfer moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

Aruba drops back, looking for a kneebar! Toepfer looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Toepfer looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Toepfer!
Paul Toepfer overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Toepfer working the ground and pound from side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Toepfer advances nicely into full mount.

Toepfer is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Aruba is surviving well by controlling Toepfer's body position as best he can.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Toepfer trying to control but Aruba is having none of it.
Toepfer lands a big shot there that rocks Aruba but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Aruba sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Aruba is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Aruba taking some punishment here, with Toepfer in his half guard.
Aruba is trying to control but can't.

Toepfer is looking for a kimura but Aruba is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Toepfer to get the leverage.

Toepfer is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.

Toepfer is trying to work for a kimura but Aruba is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toepfer is pressing down on Aruba's thigh, looking to free his foot. Aruba is holding on for now.

Aruba looking for submissions off his back.
Aruba works his way to full guard. Good work.
Toepfer wants to control from the top but Aruba keeps moving.
Aruba keeping full guard, as Toepfer tries to pass.
Toepfer stands and throws Aruba's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Aruba gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Toepfer is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Aruba is looking to get back to full guard here but Toepfer has managed to pass to side control instead.
Aruba manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Toepfer might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Toepfer works his way to full guard. Good work.
Toepfer has control of Aruba's left arm, preventing Aruba from doing any damage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Toepfer seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Aruba postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Aruba shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Aruba was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!

Aruba goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Toepfer rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Aruba's guard! Nice work there by Toepfer!
Toepfer makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Toepfer trying to control the position from guard on top but Aruba is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Toepfer working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

Toepfer avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Aruba has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Toepfer is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Aruba.
Aruba can't do much from the bottom here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aruba is looking to reverse the position.

Toepfer tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Toepfer lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Aruba is trying to work for a sweep but Toepfer has mounted him!
Toepfer in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Aruba manages to regain half guard. Good work.
Toepfer controlling the action here.
Aruba gets back to full guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Toepfer trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aruba working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Toepfer.
Toepfer is in close to Aruba's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Toepfer landing with the ground and pound.
Aruba is trying to keep Toepfer in close.

Aruba is looking for a triangle but Toepfer pushes his legs off easily.
Toepfer controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Toepfer works over Aruba with some ground and pound from guard.
Toepfer missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Aruba is looking for a triangle here but Toepfer uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Aruba takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Toepfer is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Aruba knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
You can see the frustration on Aruba's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toepfer is putting a hurting on Aruba here, landing some big shots from side control.

Toepfer tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Toepfer has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Aruba is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Aruba is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Aruba is looking to regain full guard. He's left an arm up in the air though and Toepfer has latched onto it... Big trouble! Toepfer pivots for an armbar - it's in tight and it Aruba is tapping in no time flat! Great counter grappling there from Toepfer!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:53 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Paul Toepfer!
Paul Toepfer opened up his post fight interview with a scream to camera that he wants a title shot! Whether he deserves the shot will be up to the management of the organization, so I guess he'll have to wait and see.