PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Rama Arjuna (ranked 538 p4p, 77 weight class) and Bobby Baccalieri (ranked 1237 p4p, 156 weight class). Arjuna's entrance music is Om. A fine choice. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Arjuna
vs
Baccalieri

185 cm
38
194 lbs
37 - 20 - 0

185 cm
35
196 lbs
11 - 7 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

Threads of HARDCORE

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 37 - 20 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Rama Arjuna!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Bobby Baccalieri!
The judges for this bout are Alan Glass, Chris Downing and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Baccalieri misses with a hook.
Arjuna keeps Baccalieri at a distance using the push kick.
Arjuna displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Baccalieri throws out the jab.
Arjuna lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Arjuna misses the shot to the body.
Good exchange - Arjuna coming out on top.
Arjuna moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Baccalieri has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Arjuna.
Baccalieri swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Arjuna counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Baccalieri thinking.
Baccalieri throws a hook to the side of Arjuna's head but Arjuna sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Arjuna lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Baccalieri at a distance.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
No joy there for Baccalieri, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Arjuna is looking to counter with a body kick.
Arjuna displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Baccalieri throws out the jab.
Nice shot lands for Arjuna.
Baccalieri is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Arjuna avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Arjuna tried to counter with a leg kick but Baccalieri avoided it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arjuna pushes Baccalieri away with a front kick.
Arjuna jabs at Baccalieri's body.
Arjuna buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Danga de danga de dang - Baccalieri scores with a four punch combination!
Baccalieri misses the jab.
It looked like Arjuna was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Baccalieri.
Baccalieri walks into a straight right hand from Arjuna.
Baccalieri looks to land a left hand but Arjuna moved out of range nicely.
Arjuna swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
It seemed like Baccalieri was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Sloppy strikes from Arjuna. Those never looked like landing.
Arjuna takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Baccalieri misses with a wild body shot.
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!
Baccalieri throws an overhand right that lands on Arjuna's shoulder, as Arjuna tries to avoid the shot.
Arjuna tries to clinch up but Baccalieri circles away and keeps his distance.
Baccalieri is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Baccalieri swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Arjuna looks to land a combination but Baccalieri avoids it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baccalieri scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Baccalieri swings for the body but Arjuna moves out of range.
Arjuna slips under a jab.
Arjuna looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Arjuna lands a two punch combo.
Arjuna scores with the left hand. Baccalieri knows he should have avoided that one.
Jab from Arjuna.
Baccalieri is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Arjuna.
Arjuna avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Baccalieri throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Arjuna sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Arjuna takes a swing at Baccalieri's ribcage but misses.
Arjuna looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Baccalieri throws a right hand that Arjuna ducks under and follows up with a left that Arjuna also avoids with ease.
Arjuna scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Baccalieri uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Arjuna.
A right-left combo lands from Arjuna.
Baccalieri moves out of range of the body kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arjuna keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Arjuna lands a nice looking body kick.
The fighters circling - Baccalieri throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Baccalieri works the jab nicely.
Arjuna throws a body punch but Baccalieri moves out of range.
Arjuna fails in his attempt to clinch.
Arjuna throws a sloppy head kick and Baccalieri moves out of range easily.
Arjuna throws a leg kick which misses Baccalieri's front leg but catches the back leg as Baccalieri tries to avoid it.
Arjuna scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Baccalieri staying out of range there.
Arjuna throws a right and a left that Baccalieri avoids nicely.
A nice side step and Baccalieri releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Arjuna is looking to clinch but Baccalieri is avoiding it.
Arjuna defending well as Baccalieri loads up on a big left hand.
It looked like Arjuna was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Baccalieri.
Arjuna fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Baccalieri looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Arjuna throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Arjuna misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Baccalieri.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sloppy strikes from Baccalieri. Those never looked like landing.
The fighters circling - Baccalieri throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Arjuna is looking to wear down Baccalieri with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Baccalieri throws an off balance right hand
letting Arjuna counter with a right hand.
Arjuna fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Baccalieri.
Arjuna slips under a jab from Baccalieri.
Arjuna lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Baccalieri throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Arjuna counters with a series of strikes. Baccalieri will be more careful next time no doubt.
Baccalieri throws a poor cross that misses
and Arjuna counters with a body kick that stops Baccalieri in his tracks momentarily.
Arjuna lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Baccalieri dodges the punch combination from Arjuna.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Arjuna lets loose with a powerful body kick. Baccalieri will feel that in the morning.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Baccalieri crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Arjuna - the referee stops the clock and Baccalieri gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Arjuna. Baccalieri manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rama Arjuna dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Baccalieri misses with a straight left.
A little feinted left hand from Arjuna on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Baccalieri throws a jab but it's blocked by Arjuna.
Baccalieri missing with a left hand there. Arjuna was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Arjuna will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Baccalieri throws a hook but Arjuna blocks it.
Sloppy strikes from Arjuna. Those never looked like landing.
Baccalieri ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Arjuna moves away.
Arjuna misses with a combination
and Baccalieri counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Arjuna has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Arjuna throws a body punch but Baccalieri moves out of range.
Baccalieri throws a hook but Arjuna avoids it easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Arjuna scores with a hook to the body. Baccalieri takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Baccalieri loads up on a big right hand but Arjuna slips the punch.
Baccalieri throws out a loose jab but Arjuna uses good head movement to avoid it.
Baccalieri tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Arjuna was well out of range. Poor timing from Baccalieri.
Baccalieri misses with a body shot.
Rama Arjuna is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Arjuna wants to clinch
and Baccalieri counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Rama Arjuna seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Arjuna misses with an attempted mid kick.
Arjuna steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Baccalieri.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Arjuna.
Baccalieri misses with an uppercut.
Arjuna is looking to counter with a body kick.
Arjuna slips a jab from Baccalieri.
Arjuna lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Baccalieri takes one on the button.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with eachother but Baccalieri might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Arjuna has got the better of the exchanges.
Arjuna dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Arjuna misses with a wild body shot.
A countering left hand to the body from Baccalieri misses.
Arjuna ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Arjuna lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Baccalieri dodges the punch combination from Arjuna.
Rama Arjuna is winning the standup battle so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Arjuna tries to clinch but Baccalieri is having none of it.
Baccalieri pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Arjuna misses with a kick to the body.
Baccalieri scores with a decent looking hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Arjuna tries to land a leg kick but Baccalieri saw it coming and moves away.
Baccalieri lands the left hand.
Arjuna throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Baccalieri throws out a counter right but Arjuna avoids it with no problem.
Baccalieri looks to land a left hand but Arjuna moved out of range nicely.
Arjuna lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Arjuna misses with a hook to the body
and Baccalieri counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Arjuna misses with a jab, cross combination.
Arjuna is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Baccalieri can do to turn this around?

Arjuna closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Baccalieri tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Arjuna scores with a hook to the body.
A short right from Baccalieri.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Arjuna misses with a body punch.
Baccalieri has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Arjuna.
Arjuna lands an uppercut.
Arjuna blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Baccalieri misses with a short punch on the inside.
Arjuna tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Baccalieri's elbow.
Arjuna blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Arjuna lands a left hand.

Arjuna escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Arjuna lands with a slapping head kick.
Nice defenses there by Arjuna.
It looked like Arjuna was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Baccalieri stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Arjuna.
Arjuna throws a head kick that misses.
Baccalieri's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Arjuna throws the kick towards the body but Baccalieri avoids it.
Arjuna fails in his attempt to clinch.
Baccalieri keeps the fight on the outside.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Arjuna scores with a body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baccalieri throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Arjuna sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Baccalieri is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Arjuna.
A punch combination from Baccalieri misses.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Arjuna scores with a kick to the midsection.
Baccalieri throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Baccalieri takes a swing at Arjuna's ribcage but misses.
Arjuna moves to clinch but Baccalieri breaks away
and Baccalieri counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Arjuna scoring well with a low kick there.
Arjuna takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Baccalieri throws a right hand that Arjuna ducks under and follows up with a left that Arjuna also avoids with ease.
Baccalieri fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Arjuna manages to avoid it.
Baccalieri misses with an uppercut. Arjuna saw that one coming.
A looping hook to the body misses from Baccalieri. Arjuna does a little dance to reset his feet.
Arjuna tries to clinch there but Baccalieri circles away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Bobby Baccalieri will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Arjuna lands with a right hand.
Arjuna tries to clinch but Baccalieri moves out of range.
Baccalieri loads up on a big right hand but Arjuna slips the punch.
Arjuna tries to clinch up
letting Baccalieri counter with a right hand.
Arjuna looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Baccalieri pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Arjuna is looking to clinch.
Baccalieri lands with a nice combination. Arjuna backs away looking to recover.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Baccalieri misses with a hook. Arjuna ducked under it nicely.
Baccalieri bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Arjuna throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Arjuna slips a straight right by Baccalieri.
Baccalieri connects with a single shot there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baccalieri misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Baccalieri is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Arjuna tries to bum rush Baccalieri with a series of wild strikes but Baccalieri uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Despite the aggression on Baccalieri's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Arjuna walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Decent striking displayed by Arjuna there.
A looping hook to the body misses from Arjuna. Baccalieri does a little dance to reset his feet.
Arjuna moves into range and connects with a jab.
Baccalieri loads up on a big right hand but Arjuna slips the punch.
Baccalieri swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Arjuna throws a hook to the side of Baccalieri's head but Baccalieri sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Baccalieri throws a hook but Arjuna blocks it.
A shot to the liver by Arjuna. Beautiful body shot.
Arjuna lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Arjuna.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Baccalieri jabs Arjuna to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Baccalieri takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baccalieri darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Arjuna wants to clinch up but Baccalieri keeps it at a distance.
Baccalieri misses with a hook. Arjuna ducked under it nicely.
An attempted straight right counter from Arjuna misses the target.
A telegraphed right hand from Baccalieri misses the target.
Arjuna throws a body shot but no joy.
Baccalieri now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Baccalieri misses the target.

Arjuna clinches with his opponent.
Baccalieri tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Arjuna.
Arjuna lands a body punch in the clinch.
Baccalieri tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Arjuna scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Arjuna blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Baccalieri misses with a short punch on the inside.
Arjuna blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Arjuna breaks the clinch.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Arjuna, as that shot connected.
Baccalieri throws a body shot but no joy.
Baccalieri on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Arjuna keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Baccalieri.
A decent looking cross lands there for Baccalieri.
Arjuna fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Baccalieri pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Arjuna tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Baccalieri connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Baccalieri throws a poor cross that misses
and Arjuna connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Arjuna throws a right and a left that Baccalieri avoids nicely.

Arjuna darts in and clinches Baccalieri up against the cage.
Arjuna misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baccalieri misses with a short punch on the inside.
Baccalieri misses with some punches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Arjuna goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Baccalieri misses with a punch on the inside.
Baccalieri misses with a hook from the clinch.
Baccalieri swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Baccalieri misses with a short punch on the inside.
Baccalieri misses with some punches.
Baccalieri working aggressively here.
Rama Arjuna has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Baccalieri throws a head punch that misses.
Arjuna blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Arjuna misses with a body punch.
Baccalieri working aggressively here.
Baccalieri blocks a body shot from Arjuna.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Arjuna.
Arjuna blocking some punches.
Baccalieri has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Arjuna lands with a light punch inside.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Bobby Baccalieri.
I think Baccalieri has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Alan Glass scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 29:29
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 30:27

The fight is ruled a draw!