PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Louie Prima (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Arkady Balagan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Prima's entrance music is You're Going Down. A fine choice. Arkady Balagan has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Louie Prima's chin.

Prima
vs
Balagan

181 cm
28
204 lbs
14 - 7 - 0

182 cm
21
195 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Great elbows
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Basic striking
Good gas tank

The Big Kabosh

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 - 7 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Louie Prima!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Arkady Balagan!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Don Winkell and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
No luck for Balagan with that takedown attempt.
Balagan closes this distance looking for a takedown but Prima circles away.
Balagan walks into a left hand.
Balagan fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Louie Prima has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arkady Balagan.
Balagan takes a swing at Prima's ribcage but misses.
Balagan shoots for a takedown but Prima saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Balagan looks for a takedown but Prima sprawls well.
Sloppy strikes from Prima. Those never looked like landing.
Balagan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Prima was well out of range. Poor timing from Balagan.
Balagan fails with the takedown
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balagan shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Prima as he avoids it easily.
Balagan fails with the takedown.
Balagan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Prima counters with a solid body kick.
Balagan with a poor takedown
and Prima makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Balagan shoots in but no luck this time.
Prima fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Balagan goes for a double leg but Prima avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Prima continues to drive forward.

Prima breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Prima connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Balagan momentarily.
Prima looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Balagan fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Balagan tries to work over Prima's front leg with a kick but Prima checks it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Prima tries to score with a low kick but Balagan moves his leg out of the way.
Louie Prima is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Balagan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Prima was well out of range. Poor timing from Balagan.
Balagan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Prima counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Balagan shoots and misses
and Prima counters with a one-two to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balagan misses the shot to the body.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a slapping leg kick.
Prima moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Balagan doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Prima counters with a flying knee. Nice.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Prima stuffs the takedown.
Nice sprawl there from Prima as Balagan shoots in.
Balagan closes the distance and clinches up with Prima, looking for a takedown. Balagan pushes Prima against the cage but Prima circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Nice body kick there by Prima.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a body kick.
Arkady Balagan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Prima misses with a series of wild punches.
Balagan will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Balagan shoots in and drives through. Prima sprawls well.
Prima misses with a double jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balagan shoots in but Prima avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Balagan will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a stiff right hand.
Prima catches Balagan with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Balagan fails with the takedown
and Prima counters with an inside leg kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Balagan shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Prima defends it nicely.
Balagan avoids the head kick by Prima.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Balagan shoots in for a takedown but Prima shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Louie Prima dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Crunch! Prima slams his shin into Balagan's torso.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a body kick that stops Balagan in his tracks momentarily.
Prima tried to score with a low kick but Balagan checks it.
Prima scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
A solid leg kick lands there for Prima.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a nice leg kick.
Louie Prima has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arkady Balagan.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a body kick.
Prima misses with a double jab.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a solid body kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Prima defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Balagan.
Balagan is breathing heavily.
Balagan fails to land the takedown.
Balagan misses with a takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a nice leg kick.
Balagan slips a jab and a cross from Prima.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a series of strikes. Balagan will be more careful next time no doubt.
Balagan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Prima counters with a one-two to the body.
Balagan changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Prima tries to avoid it but Balagan manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Prima to the ground. Prima escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Prima throws a sloppy head kick and Balagan moves out of range easily.
Prima swinging wildly here.
Balagan has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Prima.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balagan takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Balagan fails with a takedown attempt.
Balagan swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Prima makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Louie Prima is winning the standup battle so far.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balagan misses with a shot to the body
and Prima counters with a three punch combo that has Balagan backing up. Balagan nods at Prima to acknowledge the strikes.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
enabling Prima to counter with a crisp jab.
Balagan with a poor takedown
and Prima finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Louie Prima is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Prima enables Balagan to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Prima manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Prima wants to get back to his feet but Balagan is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Balagan postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Prima has scooted to the edge of the canvas and used the cage to get back to his feet. Balagan has stuck on his opponent and is forcing him back against the cage.

Prima breaks from the clinch.
Prima changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Balagan. Prima does a little dance to reset his feet.
Balagan is looking to land body kicks.

Balagan fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Prima sprawls well initially but Balagan persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

Balagan is working for a kimura from half guard. He's really concentrating on the hold and it's allowed Prima to slip a leg under and get back to full guard.
Prima working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Balagan.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Balagan accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balagan throws a big right hand that misses.
Balagan is looking to work some ground and pound but Prima has wrist control.
Prima is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Balagan lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balagan won't allow Prima to get back to his feet.
Balagan throws a big elbow that misses.
Balagan missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balagan pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Prima is keeping the position for now.
Balagan stops Prima from standing up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Louie Prima dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Prima scores with a punch to the head.
Balagan doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Prima makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Nice takedown defense from Prima. No joy for Balagan on that attempt.
Prima scoring well with a low kick there.
Balagan changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Prima tries to avoid it but Balagan manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Prima to the ground. Prima escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Louie Prima has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arkady Balagan.
Balagan goes for a double leg but Prima avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Prima continues to drive forward.
Prima crunches a lovely knee into Balagan's ribcage.

Prima escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Prima lands a nice leg kick that just misses Balagan's sensitive parts.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Balagan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Prima counters with a nice body shot.
Balagan takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balagan on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Balagan on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Prima. Prima obviously looking to wear him down.
Prima connects with a jab.
Balagan with a poor takedown
and Prima counters with an inside leg kick.
Prima scores with a leg kick.
Prima connects with a leg kick. Balagan looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Prima lands with an overhand left.
Balagan tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balagan with a poor takedown
and Prima counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Prima misses with a series of wild punches.
Prima thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Balagan if he has to take too many more of those.
Balagan with a poor takedown
and Prima counters with a left to the body.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a big head kick but Balagan shrugs it off.
Prima lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Balagan at a distance.
Balagan misses with a takedown
and Prima counters with a nice leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balagan doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Prima counters with a low kick, right behind Balagan 's knee.
Prima lands with a thumping leg kick.
Balagan shoots and misses
and Prima counters with a thumping low kick.
Balagan swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Prima throws a head kick but Balagan moves out of range.
Balagan gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Prima counters with a nice body shot.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a two punch combo.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a thumping low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Prima connects with a body shot.
Prima keeps Balagan at a distance using the push kick.
Prima closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balagan misses with a takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Balagan does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Prima slaps away a takedown attempt from Balagan, before circling back to the center of the mat.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Balagan doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Prima counters with a one-two to the body.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Prima. Balagan shrugs it off though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Louie Prima clearly takes that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Balagan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Prima was well out of range. Poor timing from Balagan.
Prima buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Balagan.
Horrible takedown by Balagan or perhaps it was just good defense by Prima which made him look bad.
Balagan takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Prima stuffs the takedown.
Louie Prima has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arkady Balagan.
Prima lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Balagan shoots in but Prima avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Prima lands a slapping body shot.
Balagan is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Prima rather than just go for the knockout.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balagan gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Prima counters with a right hand to the body.
Balagan is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Prima connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Balagan fails to land the takedown.
Balagan shoots and misses
and Prima counters with an outside leg kick.
Prima looks to land a combination but Balagan avoids it well.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Prima.
Balagan's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Balagan chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Prima can pounce on him.

Prima gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Balagan throws a strike but Prima rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Prima has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Balagan is proving hard to escape from.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Louie Prima just wasn't active enough.
Balagan looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Balagan misses with a takedown
and Prima counters with an outside leg kick.
Balagan will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Balagan shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Prima counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Balagan.
Balagan shoots in for a takedown but Prima shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Balagan darts in looking for a takedown but Prima gets double underhooks and turns Balagan into the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Prima.

Prima breaks the clinch.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a body kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Prima lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Louie Prima had his way with Arkady Balagan in that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Balagan swings away with a body shot that misses
and Prima counters with a good low kick that Balagan was not able to check.
A low kick from Balagan misses
and Prima counters with a nice kick to the body.
Balagan shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Prima but Prima pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Balagan fails with the takedown
and Prima counters with a good low kick that Balagan was not able to check.
Balagan tries for a takedown but Prima circles away easily
and Prima counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Louie Prima has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Arkady Balagan.
Prima keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Balagan dives in for a single leg takedown but Prima sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Balagan is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?

Prima manages to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Prima walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balagan checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
letting Prima counter with a right hand.
Balagan shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Prima sprawls well. Prima wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Balagan gets slowly back to his feet.
A jab lands there for Prima.
Balagan shoots in and drives through. Prima sprawls well.
Prima throws a series of strikes that have Balagan backpedaling.
Prima just misses with a punch to the body.
Prima cracks Balagan with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balagan misses the shot to the body.
Balagan has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Balagan is defended easily by Prima.
Balagan shoots and misses
and Prima counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Balagan with a lazy takedown attempt
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Prima will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Prima buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Balagan misses with a takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a nice low kick that buckles Balagan's knee momentarily.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a nice uppercut.
Prima is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Balagan can do to turn this around?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balagan misses with a hook to the body
and Prima counters with a series of strikes. Balagan will be more careful next time no doubt.
Balagan shoots and misses
and Prima counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Prima pushes Balagan away with a front kick.
Balagan misses with a takedown
and Prima counters with a three punch combo that has Balagan backing up. Balagan nods at Prima to acknowledge the strikes.
Balagan shoots in looking for a takedown but Prima manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Balagan's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Balagan closes the distance and clinches up with Prima, looking for a takedown. Balagan pushes Prima against the cage but Prima circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Balagan fails with a takedown attempt.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Prima closes the distance and lands a one-two.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balagan misses with a takedown attempt
and Prima counters with a series of strikes. Balagan will be more careful next time no doubt.
Prima moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Prima displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Balagan shoots in for a takedown but Prima shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Arkady Balagan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Balagan has his takedown stuffed
and Prima counters with a nice low kick that buckles Balagan's knee momentarily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
No joy there for Prima, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Louie Prima showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Prima, 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 50:45
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 50:45
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Louie Prima!
Louie Prima retains his middleweight title!
A loyal slave to those sponsorship dollars, Louie Prima made sure he mentioned The Big Kabosh, along with how happy he was to win his fight.