PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Joe Vatali (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Parnell Calhoun (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Calhoun has chosen "Big Pimpin" by Jay Z as his entrance music. Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Vatali
vs
Calhoun

188 cm
21
210 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

187 cm
22
214 lbs
1 - 0 - 1

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Experienced

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Hell's Balls Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Joe Vatali!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 1, fighting out of New York, Parnell Calhoun!
The judges for this bout are Steve Montenegro, Chad Campbell and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Vatali feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Calhoun is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Vatali stands up over Calhoun, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Calhoun looking to control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Vatali passes into half guard.
Vatali missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Vatali prevents Calhoun from standing back up.
Calhoun is looking to improve his position.
Vatali thows a huge punch but Calhoun dodges it nicely.

Calhoun is defending against the submission attempts here by Vatali.
Calhoun is trying to stand.
Vatali wants to free his trapped foot but Calhoun is holding on for dear life with his legs.

Vatali is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Calhoun has managed to free his arm - good work.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Vatali listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Vatali fails to land the takedown.
Calhoun misses the shot to the body.
Calhoun fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nice straight punches there by Vatali. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Vatali.
Calhoun scores with a shot to the body.
Calhoun throws a left that rocks Vatali and follows with a right that sends him tumbling to the canvas! Calhoun dives into side control, looking to finish! Can Vatali regain composure!

It looks like Joe Vatali has been cut.
Vatali is breathing heavily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vatali manages to work his way to half guard, despite Calhoun's best efforts.
Vatali is looking to improve his position.
Vatali flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Calhoun takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Vatali is trying to maintain the position but Calhoun is very close to passing his half guard.
Calhoun seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Vatali does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Calhoun lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Calhoun wants to stand up but Vatali is controlling the position.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Vatali takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Vatali thumps Calhoun with a low kick.
Calhoun throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Calhoun takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Vatali slips under a jab.
Vatali lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.

Vatali forces Calhoun back against the cage and clinches.
Vatali using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.

Vatali jumps into guard, dragging Calhoun to the mat.
Calhoun wants to stand but Vatali is controlling his posture from full guard.
Vatali is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vatali scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Vatali thows a huge punch but Calhoun dodges it nicely.
Vatali trying to pass the guard but Calhoun defending well.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Vatali wants to control but Calhoun is keeping him busy.
Vatali is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!

Vatali working for a submission but Calhoun is keeping him at bay.
Calhoun wants to try and get back to his feet.

Vatali jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Calhoun manages to avoid the submission attempt.
Calhoun wants to get back to his feet but Vatali drags him back down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vatali grinds an elbow into Calhoun's temple.
Vatali is working Calhoun over with some ground and pound from side control.
Vatali scoring with punches and elbows.
Vatali working away.
Vatali connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Calhoun some visible discomfort.
Calhoun is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Vatali has just dragged him back down to the mat.
Calhoun is looking to regain half guard here but Vatali keeps moving and retains side control.
Vatali lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Calhoun down.
Vatali working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Calhoun prevents Vatali from moving into mount.
Vatali landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Calhoun tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Vatali trying to control the position but Calhoun is working away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Vatali dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Joe Vatali's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Vatali misses with a wild combination.
Joe Vatali is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Vatali lands with a kick to the temple. Calhoun shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Vatali walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Calhoun throws a big shot that misses.
Calhoun tries to bum rush Vatali with a series of wild strikes but Vatali uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Calhoun misses with a looping right.
Vatali scoring well with a low kick there.

Calhoun gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Vatali thows a big elbow that misses.
Vatali throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Calhoun works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Vatali with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

Vatali thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Calhoun is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Vatali pushing down on Calhoun's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vatali is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Calhoun!

Vatali working for a guillotine from mount but Calhoun is in no mood to give up.
Vatali scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Vatali unloading with bombs!
Vatali 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.
Vatali punishing his opponent with strikes.
Vatali landing shots from mount.
Vatali working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Vatali avoids the attempt from Calhoun to control.
Calhoun is in all sorts of trouble here.
Calhoun trying desperately to get to his feet.
Vatali looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vatali lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.

Vatali working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.

Vatali has hold of Calhoun's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Calhoun manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vatali throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.

Vatali is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Calhoun can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Joe Vatali overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Calhoun is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Calhoun really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Vatali. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vatali breaks from Calhoun's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Calhoun is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Vatali pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Vatali pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Calhoun taking shots to the head.
Vatali wants to control the pace but Calhoun is squirming around nicely.
Calhoun is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Calhoun taking shots to the head.
Calhoun wants to hold on but Vatali pushes him away.
Vatali cracks Calhoun with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Vatali fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vatali looking for an armbar but decides to keep the dominant position instead.

Vatali is going olschool here, as he tries to force Calhoun to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Calhoun shrugs it off.
Vatali sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Calhoun is bucking up trying to escape but Vatali cracks him with another couple of good strikes.

Vatali is going olschool here, as he tries to force Calhoun to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Calhoun shrugs it off.
Calhoun wants to control but Vatali is having none of it.
Vatali throws some wild stikes that Calhoun manages to avoid easily.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Calhoun is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Vatali lands a nice shot to the head.
Calhoun tries to reverse the position but Vatali maintains control.
Vatali has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Calhoun's face.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Vatali dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Joe Vatali's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Vatali connects with the punch.
Vatali cracks Calhoun with a right hand to the side of the head.
Calhoun takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Vatali looks to land a combination but Calhoun avoids it well.
Vatali lands with a thumping leg kick.
Vatali slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Vatali digs a good body shot into Calhoun's ribs.

Vatali drives through with a takedown into guard.
Calhoun controls Vatali momentarily but Vatali frees himself.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Calhoun can do anything to dispel that myth.
Vatali with a nice head shot there.

Vatali drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Vatali jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Vatali stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Calhoun swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Calhoun is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Calhoun is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vatali is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Vatali distracts Calhoun with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Vatali throwing strikes but missing.
Calhoun wants to stand up but Vatali is controlling him.
Calhoun looking to control.
Vatali trying to control but Calhoun is working from the bottom.
Vatali scoring with punches to the head and body.
Vatali working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Vatali scoring with some ground and pound.
Vatali scoring with some ground and pound.
Calhoun wants to stand and escape but Vatali is having none of it.
Vatali throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Vatali throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Calhoun works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Vatali stops Calhoun from standing up.
Vatali makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Vatali trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Vatali prevents Calhoun from getting back to his feet.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Horrible takedown by Vatali or perhaps it was just good defense by Calhoun which made him look bad.
Vatali throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Vatali takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
A cross from Vatali lands.
Calhoun comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Calhoun throws the left hand but Vatali avoids the punch easily.
Vatali tries for a takedown but Calhoun sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
A clash of legs there as Calhoun blocks the low kick.
Vatali takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Vatali cracks a nice hook into Calhoun's ribs.

Vatali clinches.
Vatali lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Calhoun wants to break the clinch but can't.
Calhoun is pressed up against the cage. Vatali has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Calhoun down to the mat. Calhoun avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Joe Vatali. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Vatali misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Calhoun looks to land a right hand but Vatali moved out of range.
Parnell Calhoun seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Calhoun digs a good body shot into Vatali's ribs.
Calhoun swings for the body but Vatali moves out of range.
Calhoun throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Vatali.
Vatali connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Calhoun misses with a hook to the body

and Vatali counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Calhoun preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Calhoun keeping full guard, as Vatali tries to pass.
Calhoun is looking to stand up but Vatali isn't so interested in that idea.
Parnell Calhoun has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Vatali being controlled here momentarily.
Vatali stands and throws Calhoun's legs to the side, diving into side control.

Vatali is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Calhoun has escaped the position, nice work there.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe Vatali showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Vatali, 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 Steve Montenegro scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chad Campbell scores the fight 30:27
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe Vatali!