PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jermey Arnold (ranked 1308 p4p, 166 weight class) and Lugh Blackburn (ranked 4172 p4p, 459 weight class). Blackburn is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by When the Man Comes Down. Jermey Arnold is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples... Tweaking his own nipples that is.

Arnold
vs
Blackburn

190 cm
39
203 lbs
34 - 18 - 1

187 cm
34
200 lbs
20 - 14 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Granite chin

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 34 - 18 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Jermey Arnold!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 14 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Lugh Blackburn!
The judges for this bout are Dillan Fox, Gregory Folan and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Blackburn takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Blackburn misses with a left hand
enabling Arnold to counter with a crisp jab.
Blackburn throws out a loose jab but Arnold uses good head movement to avoid it.
Arnold lands with a straight right. Blackburn didn't see that one coming.
Arnold avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Blackburn gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Arnold lands a right hand that snaps the head of Blackburn backwards.
Blackburn tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Blackburn.
Blackburn misses with the head strike.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Arnold blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Arnold lands a hook to the side of the head.
Arnold blocks an uppercut.

Blackburn has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Arnold uses from the top position.
Arnold controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Blackburn looking for a guillotine here but Arnold defends easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Blackburn had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Arnold defends it easily.

Blackburn working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Arnold has passed into half guard!
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
Blackburn is looking for a sweep. Arnold is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

Blackburn looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Arnold in particular looking to stall.
Arnold prevents Blackburn from improving his position.

Arnold moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Blackburn.
Arnold remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Blackburn tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blackburn struggling a bit here.
Arnold controls the position.
Blackburn gets back to half guard.
Blackburn regains full guard. Nicely done.
Arnold wants to control from the top but Blackburn keeps moving.

Blackburn looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Blackburn is trying to control the position from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Arnold sitting in guard, not really doing much.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Arnold wants to control from the top but Blackburn keeps moving.

Blackburn working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Arnold has passed into half guard!

Blackburn looking to force a kimura from the bottom here. He's concentrating on that move too much though and Arnold pushes past his half guard into mount!
Blackburn is trying to escape the mount.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Arnold tries to control but Blackburn wriggling away.
Arnold avoids the attempt from Blackburn to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Arnold fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Blackburn is out of range.
Arnold is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Blackburn can do to turn this around?
Arnold takes a swing at Blackburn's ribcage but misses.
Blackburn avoids the body shot from Arnold.
Blackburn tries to counter with a clinch but Arnold shakes him off and moves away.
Blackburn throws a looping overhand right but Arnold ducks down to avoid it.
Blackburn uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Arnold uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Blackburn.
Blackburn looks to land a left hand but Arnold moved out of range nicely.
Arnold thows a left - swing and a miss!
Blackburn throws a body punch but Arnold moves out of range.
Arnold moves out of range of the strikes.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arnold misses with a wild body shot.
Blackburn wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Arnold defending well as Blackburn loads up on a big left hand.
Blackburn ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Blackburn rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Arnold counters with a straight punch to the midsection.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blackburn misses with a looping right.
Arnold misses with a body shot.
Arnold connects with the punch.
Nice shot lands for Blackburn.
Blackburn tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Arnold paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Arnold misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Blackburn looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Arnold cracks Blackburn with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Arnold lands with an overhand left.
Blackburn might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
Arnold uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Blackburn.
Arnold misses with a head kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arnold misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Blackburn.
Blackburn throws a body shot but no joy.
An attempted straight right counter from Arnold misses the target.
Arnold connects with a body shot.
A jab lands there for Blackburn.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Arnold avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Blackburn fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Arnold on the side of the head.
Blackburn fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Blackburn missing with a left hand there. Arnold was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Arnold moves away from the strike by Blackburn.
Arnold connects with a body shot.
Arnold throws a jab but it's blocked by Blackburn.
Blackburn jabs Arnold to the body, keeping him at a distance.

Arnold moves into the clinch.
Blackburn with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Blackburn tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Blackburn working aggressively here.
Arnold misses with a knee to the head.
A nice right hand lands inside from Blackburn.
Arnold with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Blackburn fails to pull guard.
Arnold tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Arnold is trying to stall.
Arnold utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Arnold is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Arnold landing knees to the head.
Blackburn swings wildly with an uppercut but Arnold uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nice body punch from Blackburn.
Arnold misses with a knee to the head.
Arnold tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Blackburn pushes Arnold back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Blackburn gets control of Arnold's arms and successfully pulls guard. Blackburn will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Blackburn looking for a guillotine here but Arnold defends easily.
Arnold content to stall in guard here.

Arnold avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Arnold controls from within his opponent's guard.
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 Jermey Arnold will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Arnold ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Arnold is looking for a counter combo.
Arnold feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Blackburns jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Blackburn misses with a right hand
and Arnold counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Blackburn takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Blackburn digs a good body shot into Arnold's ribs.
Blackburn scores with a punch to the head.
Arnold scores with a head kick.
Arnold loads up on a big right hand but Blackburn slips the punch.
Blackburn scores with a body shot.
Arnold steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Blackburn.
Lugh Blackburn seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Arnold on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Blackburn throws a jab when Arnold was well out of range.
Arnold throws a head kick that Blackburn semi-blocks.

Blackburn rushes Arnold and presses him up against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blackburn tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Arnold smiles and moves away.
A jab from Blackburn misses.
Blackburn lands a right hook to the body.
Arnold tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Arnold swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Jermey Arnold is winning the standup battle so far.
Blackburn misses with an uppercut.
Arnold swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Arnold tests Blackburn's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Arnold takes one on the button.
Arnold throws a hook but Blackburn blocks it.
Blackburn throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Arnold counters with a big head kick but Blackburn shrugs it off.
Jermey Arnold is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Blackburn slips a jab from Arnold.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arnold tries to close the distance and clinch up but Blackburn swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Blackburn misses the body punch
and Arnold counters with a stiff right hand.
Blackburn bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Arnold's head.

Arnold has managed to clinch.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blackburn tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Blackburn is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Arnold to keep the fight standing.
Blackburn throws a head punch that misses.
Blackburn scores with a hook to the body.
A short left from Blackburn.
Blackburn fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Jermey Arnold has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Lugh Blackburn.
Arnold pushes Blackburn back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Arnold takes a shot to the head.
Blackburn with an attempt at a knee that misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Arnold.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Blackburn as Arnold tries to tie him up.
Blackburn takes a knee right on the jaw!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A short body shot lands from Arnold as the two fighters clinch.
Blackburn scores with a shot to the side of Arnold's head.
Arnold makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
A short left from Arnold.
Arnold looking to throw knees to the head but Blackburn is blocking nicely.
Blackburn misses with a knee strike.
Blackburn lands a nice uppercut.
Arnold connects with a nasty looking knee right to Blackburn's face.
Blackburn throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Arnold blocks it with crossed arms.
Blackburn takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Arnold tries a knee to the head but Blackburn blocks it.
A short right from Arnold on the inside.
Blackburn misses with a punch on the inside.
Lugh Blackburn has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Arnold lands a nice elbow.
Arnold working Blackburn over with knees to the body.
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!
Arnold taking a breather.
Arnold tries to land knees in the clinch but Blackburn avoids the damage to the body.
Jermey Arnold has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Blackburn misses with a punch to the body.
Arnold throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Blackburn swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Blackburn lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Arnold backwards.
A nice right hand lands inside from Blackburn.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Blackburn.
Blackburn tries to pull guard but Arnold holds him up against the cage and eventually Blackburn drops back down to his feet.
Arnold misses with a knee strike.
Blackburn tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Arnold is stalling here.
Blackburn lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Arnold landing knees to the head.
Arnold landing knees to the head.
Blackburn tries to throw a body punch but Arnold avoids it by throwing Blackburn back against the cage.
Jermey Arnold is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Arnold tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Arnold wants to get back to striking at distance but Blackburn won't allow it.
Arnold blocks an uppercut.
Blackburn misses with a knee to the head.
Arnold misses with an elbow over the top.

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 Jermey Arnold.
Well Arnold has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Dillan Fox scores the fight 30:28
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 30:28
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jermey Arnold!
Jermey Arnold spent the whole post fight interview bigging himself up. It didn't go down that well with the fans after a while as they thought it was a bit arrogant.