PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Rudy Mercer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Laszlo Arpad (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Laszlo Arpad has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mercer
vs
Arpad

217 cm
18
140 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
19
135 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Inexperienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Rudy Mercer!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Laszlo Arpad!
The judges for this bout are Elvis Blanc, Gregory Folan and William Peck.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Arpad misses with a combination

and Mercer counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Arpad pushes Mercer off looking to stand but Mercer dives back in and keeps control.
Arpad is staying active underneath Mercer, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Arpad felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Mercer prevents Arpad from standing back up.

Mercer is looking for a kimura here.

Arpad kicks off Mercer and gets to his feet.
Arpad throws a series of punches but Mercer avoids them all with ease.
Arpad misses with a two punch combination.
Arpad throws a left and a right that both miss

and Mercer counters with a shoot takedown. Arpad fights it but they end up in guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Arpad is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Mercer controlling from the top position.
Mercer lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Mercer postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Arpad is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Mercer throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Mercer sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Arpad wants to stand but Mercer is controlling the position.
Arpad looks winded!
Mercer engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Rudy Mercer has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Arpad throws a combination that misses

and Mercer counters with a shoot takedown. Arpad fights it but they end up in guard.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Arpad can do anything to dispel that myth.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Mercer is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Arpad keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.
Mercer stands up over Arpad, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Mercer will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Arpad being controlled here, momentarily.
Arpad wants to get back to his feet but Mercer is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Mercer really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Arpad keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Rudy Mercer wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Arpad misses with a jab, cross combination.
Arpad swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Mercer makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Arpad misses with a double jab
and Mercer counters with a straight right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arpad misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
No joy there for Arpad, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Arpad swinging wildly here.
Arpad misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Arpad leaves Mercer with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Laszlo Arpad seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Arpad misses with a combination
and Mercer cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Mercer pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Mercer clobbers Arpad with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Mercer tries to clinch but Arpad is having none of it.
Arpad misses with a combination

and Mercer counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Mercer.

Mercer breaks the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arpad will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

Mercer decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Mercer stalling.
Mercer is trying to control. Arpad wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Mercer 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.
Arpad is looking to escape.
Mercer working over Arpad with some ground and pound. Arpad looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
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!
Mercer prevents Arpad from standing back up.
Mercer trying to control the action but Arpad is working from the bottom.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Mercer throwing shots but Arpad is blocking nicely.
Arpad is looking to escape.
Mercer content to control rather than advance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rudy Mercer dominated 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.

Arpad lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Mercer circles away quickly and effectively.
Mercer shoots in for a double leg but Arpad sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Arpad stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Arpad wants it to stay on the feet.
Arpad fails to land with a series of punches.
Arpad will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Arpad misses with a double jab
and Mercer counters with a left to the body.
Arpad misses with a double jab
and Mercer counters with a left to the body.
Arpad throws a left and a right that both miss
and Mercer counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Arpad throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Mercer.
Arpad is breathing heavily.
Arpad tries to bum rush Mercer with a series of wild strikes but Mercer uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Arpad leaves Mercer with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rudy Mercer. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercer showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Arpad.
Some wild striking there from Arpad.
Mercer is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Arpad looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Mercer takes a swing at Arpad's ribcage but misses.
Mercer has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Arpad throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Mercer counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Arpad gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Mercer stops Arpad from standing up.
Mercer keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Arpad's head.
Mercer slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Arpad wants to stand but Mercer is controlling the position.
Rudy Mercer overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Rudy Mercer.
Arpad throws a right and a left that both miss.
Arpad throws a combination that misses

and Mercer counters with a nice double leg into side control. Arpad won't be happy with that.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Arpad is working to avoid the ground and pound but Mercer connects with a decent elbow.
Mercer lands a decent elbow from side control.
Mercer trying to control the position but Arpad is working away.
Arpad is trying to buck Mercer off.
A lull in the action here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Arpad to see if he's OK.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Mercer trying to control the action but Arpad is working from the bottom.
Mercer cracks Arpad with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Arpad is not content to let Mercer control the position.
Arpad is trying to buck Mercer off.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mercer wants to control but Arpad is keeping him busy.
Arpad is pushing Mercer's head away, looking to escape. Mercer manages to hold on to the position though.
Mercer working the body and head with strikes.
Mercer is putting a hurting on Arpad here, landing some big shots from side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mercer throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Arpad tries to escape but Mercer is in control.
Mercer working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Mercer lands a nice forearm strike.
Mercer lands an elbow.
Arpad is not content to let Mercer control the position.
Mercer taking a breather here.
This has been an exciting period of action!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Arpad is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Mercer working the body and head with strikes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rudy Mercer dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Mercer misses with a body shot.
Mercer showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Arpad.
Sloppy strikes from Arpad. Those never looked like landing.
Arpad moves out of range of the body kick from Mercer.
Arpad looks to land a combination but Mercer avoids it well.
Laszlo Arpad is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Mercer.
Mercer shoots in but Arpad avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Arpad fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Arpad misses with a combination
and Arpad takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Mercer fails with a takedown attempt.
Arpad takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Mercer throws a low kick, looking for Arpad's leg but Arpad calmly moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
An inside leg kick from Mercer misses.
Arpad fails to land with a series of punches.
A big left from Mercer misses.
Arpad throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Mercer.
Mercer darts in looking for a takedown but Arpad gets double underhooks and turns Mercer into the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rudy Mercer. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Arpad breaks from the clinch.
Arpad lands a jab-cross combination.
Arpad looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Laszlo Arpad is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Mercer fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Arpad sprawls well initially but Mercer persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Arpad looks like he's trying to stand up.
Mercer thows a huge punch but Arpad dodges it nicely.
Arpad tries to kick Mercer off but Mercer keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercer wants to stand up but Arpad is controlling the position.
Arpad pushes Mercer off looking to stand but Mercer dives back in and keeps control.
Mercer lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

Mercer is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Arpad tries to kick Mercer off but Mercer keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Mercer wants to lay and pray for a moment but Arpad keeps working.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Arpad wants to get back to his feet.
Arpad is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Mercer wants to control but Arpad is keeping him busy.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Rudy Mercer wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Arpad throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mercer ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Arpad moves away.
Mercer is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Arpad looks to land a combination but Mercer avoids it well.
Arpad throws a left and a right that both miss
and Mercer counters with a left to the body.
Mercer showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Arpad.
Mercer bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Arpad's head.
Mercer slips a jab and a cross from Arpad.
Mercer ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Mercer is looking to wear down Arpad with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Arpad throws a series of punches but Mercer avoids them all with ease.
Arpad looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Mercer connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Arpad's hands.
A punch combination from Arpad misses.
Arpad fails to land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arpad swinging wildly here.
Arpad throws a left and a right that both miss

and Mercer decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Arpad's guard.
Arpad wants to stand up but Mercer is controlling him.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Arpad keeping moving, preventing Mercer from controlling successfully.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Mercer prevents Arpad from getting back to his feet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Mercer trying to control but Arpad is working from the bottom.

We're going to have a standup here because Rudy Mercer wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Arpad throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Mercer counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Laszlo Arpad has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Rudy Mercer is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Arpad throws a wild combination but nothing lands.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Rudy Mercer.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Mercer, 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 30:27
Judge William Peck scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rudy Mercer!