PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Laurens Van Der Sluijs (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Xantos Aremis (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Van Der Sluijs comes to the cage accompanied by Shutterbugg - Big Boi Feat. Cutty. Aremis has chosen Infected Mushroom - Merlin as his entrance music. Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Xantos Aremis enters the cage!

Van Der Sluijs
vs
Aremis

178 cm
29
176 lbs
19 - 7 - 0

178 cm
27
178 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 7 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Laurens Van Der Sluijs!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Xantos Aremis!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, James Ackerman and James Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Aremis drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Aremis looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
You can see the frustration on Van Der Sluijs's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Van Der Sluijs is looking to regain half guard here but Aremis keeps moving and retains side control.
Van Der Sluijs is pushing Aremis's head away, looking to escape. Aremis manages to hold on to the position though.
Van Der Sluijs dodges the ground and pound from Aremis.
Aremis has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Van Der Sluijs!
Van Der Sluijs manages to regain half guard. Good work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aremis 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.
Van Der Sluijs blocking the ground and pound attempt from Aremis.
Aremis is just content to waste time from the top position. Van Der Sluijs takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Aremis sitting in guard, not really doing much.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aremis forces his way into half guard.
Van Der Sluijs is looking to control Aremis's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Van Der Sluijs avoid being mounted?

Van Der Sluijs makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Van Der Sluijs defending well as Aremis loads up on a big left hand.
Aremis defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Van Der Sluijs.
No joy there for Van Der Sluijs, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Aremis moves into range and connects with a jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs shoots in looking for a takedown. Aremis tries to sprawl out of it but Van Der Sluijs keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Aremis manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Aremis is defended easily by Van Der Sluijs.
Van Der Sluijs throws a leg kick
and Aremis counters with a right hand to the body.
Aremis stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Aremis wants it to stay on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Laurens Van Der Sluijs. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Aremis connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Van Der Sluijs catches Aremis with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Aremis scores with a leg kick.
Van Der Sluijs takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
A slow jab from Van Der Sluijs misses its intended target.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Horrible takedown by Aremis or perhaps it was just good defense by Van Der Sluijs which made him look bad.
Aremis throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Van Der Sluijs sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Van Der Sluijs just misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs thows a left - swing and a miss!
Aremis throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Van Der Sluijs sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Van Der Sluijs takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Van Der Sluijs swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Aremis.
Van Der Sluijs lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Aremis looks to throw the jab but Van Der Sluijs is out of range.
Van Der Sluijs tests Aremis's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Van Der Sluijs scores with a hook.
Van Der Sluijs dives in and grabs Aremis's left leg, looking for a takedown. Aremis pushes down on Van Der Sluijs's head and hops out.
Aremis scores with a spinning back kick!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Van Der Sluijs closes the distance and clinches up with Aremis, looking for a takedown. Van Der Sluijs pushes Aremis against the cage but Aremis circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Aremis takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.

Aremis gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Van Der Sluijs to score an easy takedown into full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Xantos Aremis will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Van Der Sluijs lands a slapping body shot.
Aremis throws a jab but it's blocked by Van Der Sluijs.
Laurens Van Der Sluijs seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Aremis stuns Van Der Sluijs with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Van Der Sluijs misses with a double jab.
Aremis misses with a hook. Van Der Sluijs ducked under it nicely.
Van Der Sluijs fails to land the takedown.
Van Der Sluijs ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Aremis moves away.
Nice straight punches there by Aremis. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Aremis.
Van Der Sluijs takes a swing at Aremis's ribcage but misses.
A chopping leg kick lands by Aremis.
Aremis dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Van Der Sluijs. That did some damage!
Van Der Sluijs misses with a wild body shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aremis moves out of range of the strikes.
Aremis misses with a wild body shot.
Nice body kick there by Van Der Sluijs.
Aremis looks to land a combination but Van Der Sluijs avoids it well.
Van Der Sluijs lands a glancing blow to the side of Aremis's head.
Aremis misses with a body kick.
Van Der Sluijs shoots for a double leg takedown but Aremis sprawls well. He's pushed Van Der Sluijs's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
It looks like Van Der Sluijs has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Aremis misses with a straight right.
A solid leg kick lands there for Aremis.
Aremis fails with an attempt to clinch.
Van Der Sluijs avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Xantos Aremis seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Van Der Sluijs shoots for a double leg takedown but Aremis sprawls well. He's pushed Van Der Sluijs's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Laurens Van Der Sluijs. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Van Der Sluijs is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Aremis's half guard.
Van Der Sluijs not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Van Der Sluijs not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Aremis makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Aremis.
Van Der Sluijs won't allow Aremis to sweep him here.
Van Der Sluijs looking to sit in guard and control but Aremis gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Van Der Sluijs controls Aremis momentarily but Aremis frees himself.
Van Der Sluijs has his hands on Aremis's head, controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs is trying to keep Aremis in close.
Aremis throwing strikes from guard but Van Der Sluijs blocks nicely.

We're going to have a standup here because Laurens Van Der Sluijs wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Van Der Sluijs looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Van Der Sluijs shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Aremis is trying to defend but Van Der Sluijs finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Van Der Sluijs not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs is stalling here. Aremis is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Van Der Sluijs seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Aremis has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Aremis taking a breather here.
Check out the look on Aremis's face as he threw that strike - that's one determined fighter!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Van Der Sluijs pushes Aremis away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Aremis gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Laurens Van Der Sluijs will probably get the nod.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Aremis swings widly with a right hand
and Van Der Sluijs counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Van Der Sluijs misses with a leg kick
and Aremis counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Van Der Sluijs is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Van Der Sluijs lets loose with a powerful body kick. Aremis will feel that in the morning.

Aremis closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Van Der Sluijs did well to prevent Aremis getting side control.
Aremis throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Aremis throwing shots but Van Der Sluijs is blocking nicely.
Aremis is trying to control the action in half guard but Van Der Sluijs is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Van Der Sluijs on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Van Der Sluijs has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Aremis is working away from the top position though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs is looking for a sweep. Aremis is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Xantos Aremis hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Van Der Sluijs misses with a wild body shot.
Van Der Sluijs waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Aremis.
Aremis swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Van Der Sluijs fails with the takedown.
Aremis avoids the body shot from Van Der Sluijs.
Aremis scores with a sloppy right hand. Van Der Sluijs should have avoided that one.
Aremis feints and then cracks Van Der Sluijs's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Van Der Sluijs down.
Van Der Sluijs throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Aremis's waist but Aremis gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Van Der Sluijs off to one side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van Der Sluijs moves out of range as Aremis strikes.
Aremis lands a jab to Van Der Sluijs's midsection.
Aremis darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Van Der Sluijs looks to score with a jab to the body but Aremis is just out of range.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Donk. Aremis catches Van Der Sluijs right on the button with a cross.

Aremis drives through and clinches with Van Der Sluijs against the cage.
Van Der Sluijs lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
A short uppercut from Aremis.
A short right from Aremis.
Aremis tries to stall but Van Der Sluijs uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Aremis lands a left hand that snaps the head of Van Der Sluijs backwards.
Van Der Sluijs swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Aremis is trying to push Van Der Sluijs away but Van Der Sluijs has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aremis keeps control of Van Der Sluijs as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Aremis breaks the clinch.
Van Der Sluijs jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Van Der Sluijs misses with a wild body shot.
Aremis misses with an attempted mid kick.
Aremis shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Van Der Sluijs with a poor takedown
and Aremis connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Laurens Van Der Sluijs. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Van Der Sluijs takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Aremis avoids the body shot from Van Der Sluijs.
Van Der Sluijs just misses with a punch to the body.
Aremis pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Van Der Sluijs on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Aremis connects with a body shot.
Van Der Sluijs shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Aremis as he jumps to the side.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aremis misses with a wild body shot.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Van Der Sluijs misses with a takedown

and Aremis counters with a shoot takedown. Van Der Sluijs fights it but they end up in guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Aremis's corner. There ya go! There ya go!

Van Der Sluijs is rocked!
Aremis landing some decent shots from guard.
Oh Van Der Sluijs is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Van Der Sluijs avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Aremis's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Van Der Sluijs being controlled here, momentarily.
Aremis throws a big elbow that misses.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Aremis working some strikes from top position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Aremis is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Aremis's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

And that's the end of the fight!
Xantos Aremis comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Aremis 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 28:30
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 27:30
Judge James Glass scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Xantos Aremis!
Xantos Aremis decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.