PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Leland Palmer (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dennis Oppelaar (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Palmer comes into the arena with Annihilator - Fun Palace blaring out of the sound system. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Palmer
vs
Oppelaar

186 cm
38
200 lbs
30 - 13 - 0

188 cm
39
185 lbs
31 - 30 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
KO power

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

My$tic Clothing ~ (`10%Laundry`)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 30 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Leland Palmer!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 30 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Dennis Oppelaar!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Oppelaar misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Palmer takes one to the chin there.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Oppelaar throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Palmer leaves Oppelaar with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Oppelaar moves out of range as Palmer strikes.
Oppelaar looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Oppelaar shoots in for a takedown but Palmer shows good takedown defense.

Palmer drops Oppelaar with a right and a left! Palmer comes rushing in but Oppelaar regains his composure and manages to keep Palmer in guard.

It looks like Dennis Oppelaar has been cut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Oppelaar wants to sweep but no luck.
Palmer postures up.
Palmer stopping the sweep attempt from Oppelaar.
Palmer looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Oppelaar wants to improve his position but instead Palmer has moved into half guard.
Oppelaar is looking for a sweep. Palmer is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Palmer wants to take a breather but Oppelaar is having none of it.
Oppelaar is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Palmer's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Palmer's back!
Oppelaar scores with punches and elbows.
Palmer has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.

Oppelaar goes for a risky armbar from back mount and it's not paid off. Palmer escapes and is now in half guard on top.
Oppelaar is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Oppelaar trying to get back to full guard but Palmer takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
Oppelaar is desperately trying to improve his position but Palmer has a good base and remains in mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Oppelaar keeps trying to improve his position.
Palmer takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Palmer cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Oppelaar is wriggling around trying to escape.
Palmer controlling his opponent.
Oppelaar bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!

Palmer is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oppelaar is looking to work some ground and pound but Palmer has wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Palmer is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Palmer has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Oppelaar can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Oppelaar has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at Vicious Striking. Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.
Oppelaar landing with the ground and pound.

Palmer escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Oppelaar gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Oppelaar cracks Palmer with a solid left hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Palmer has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Oppelaar has passed into side control.
Palmer tries to buck Oppelaar off but Oppelaar is having none of it.
The strikes coming from Oppelaar are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Oppelaar throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Oppelaar scoring with punches from side control.
Palmer is not content to let Oppelaar control the position.
Oppelaar working the head and body with strikes.
Palmer regains half guard.
Oppelaar trying to advance position but Palmer counters by regaining guard.
Palmer looking for a sweep. Not yet Palmer, not yet.
Oppelaar wants to control from the top but Palmer keeps moving.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Leland Palmer will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Dennis Oppelaar's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Palmer lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Oppelaar circles away quickly and effectively.
Oppelaar lands with an overhand left.
Palmer fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Palmer swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Palmer misses with a looping left.
Oppelaar drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Palmer defends it well.
Palmer stuns Oppelaar with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Palmer feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Oppelaars jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Oppelaar will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Oppelaar looks for a takedown but Palmer sprawls well.
Oppelaar lands with a right hand.
Leland Palmer seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Palmer misses with a takedown attempt - Oppelaar sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Leland Palmer is winning the standup battle so far.

Oppelaar shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Palmer's guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Palmer utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Palmer bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Oppelaar's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oppelaar wants to control but Palmer passes easily into half guard.
Oppelaar is trying to get back to full guard.
Oppelaar won't allow Palmer to pass to mount.

Palmer looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Oppelaar trying to control here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Oppelaar is not content to let Palmer control the position.
Oppelaar trying to control from the bottom.
Oppelaar manages to get to full guard.
Oppelaar tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Oppelaar looking to control.
Palmer slips nicely into half guard.
Oppelaar has a hand on Palmer's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Palmer takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Palmer fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Oppelaar sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Oppelaar moves into full guard.

Oppelaar looking for subs off his back but Palmer has passed one foot through into half guard.
Palmer keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Palmer wants to free his trapped foot but Oppelaar is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Oppelaar works his way to full guard. Good work.
Oppelaar has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Palmer has passed into side control.
Palmer in side control, just content to control the action for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Palmer wants to control but Oppelaar is keeping him busy.
Oppelaar is looking for a sweep.
Palmer controls the position.
Palmer is looking to take a break and control but Oppelaar is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Oppelaar is trying to improve his position.
The referee asks Palmer politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Palmer prefers to stall for the moment though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Leland Palmer dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Dennis Oppelaar's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Palmer lands with a good body shot.
Palmer lands a lovely overhand right.
A cross from Palmer lands.
Oppelaar uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Palmer.
Palmer misses with a jab, cross combination.
Good shot there by Oppelaar.
Palmer scores with a punch to the head.
Palmer misses with an uppercut.
Oppelaar fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Jab from Oppelaar.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Oppelaar lands a head kick that stumbles Palmer and the fighters go to the mat.

It looks like Leland Palmer has been cut.
Oppelaar trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Oppelaar working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Oppelaar throws a big right hand that misses.
Palmer working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Oppelaar.
Oppelaar working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Palmer wants to sweep here but Oppelaar controlling him for the moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Oppelaar throwing strikes but missing.

Oppelaar drops back, looking for a kneebar! Palmer looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Palmer looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Palmer!

Oppelaar gets back to half guard.
Leland Palmer overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Oppelaar is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Palmer scores with a couple of nice shots.

Oppelaar actively working from the bottom here.
Palmer controlling the action here.
Oppelaar landing small, sideways elbows.
Leland Palmer is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Palmer wants to free his trapped foot but Oppelaar is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Oppelaar is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Palmer's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Palmer's back!
Oppelaar lands shots from the back.
Oppelaar missing with punches from the back.
Oppelaar struggling to keep hold of the position.
Palmer trying to control the hands but Oppelaar breaks the grip.
Palmer covers up after taking a massive shot to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Palmer avoids the strikes from Oppelaar.
Oppelaar is punishing Palmer with some ground and pound.
Oppelaar trying to control momentarily.
Oppelaar avoiding Palmer 's attempts to control his hands.
Palmer covering up well under a barage of strikes.
Oppelaar throwing sloppy strikes.
Oppelaar missing with strikes from the back.
Palmer is very frustrated here, being controlled quite effectively by Oppelaar.
Can Palmer hold on?! Oppelaar is landing more strikes to his hapless foe.
Palmer trying to control but not successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Palmer is trying to remain composed but Oppelaar is hammering down strikes to the side of his head.
Palmer breaks Oppelaar's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Oppelaar manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Palmer manages to get himself to full guard.

This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Oppelaar loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Dennis Oppelaar has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Oppelaar is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Oppelaar throwing strikes from guard but Palmer blocks nicely.
Oppelaar is in close to Palmer's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Oppelaar landing some decent shots from guard.
Palmer looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

And that's the end of the fight!
Dennis Oppelaar comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Palmer has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 29:28
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Leland Palmer!
After the fight, Leland Palmer was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.