PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ralph Hall (ranked 501 p4p, 2243 weight class) and Rob Bernard (ranked 69 p4p, 304 weight class). Hall comes to the cage accompanied by Pinball Wizard. Ralph Hall has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.

Hall
vs
Bernard

180 cm
27
180
7 - 0 - 0

180 cm
22
170
3 - 1 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Counter fighter
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

SpeeDee BBQ
HELLBENT

SpeeDee BBQ

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Ralph Hall!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Rob Bernard!
The judges for this bout are Konstantin Menshow, Aleksandr Martynov and Igor Prikhodko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bernard misses with an uppercut

and Hall decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Bernard's guard.
Bernard keeping full guard, as Hall tries to pass.
Hall wants to control from the top but Bernard keeps moving.
Hall advances position into side control!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Hall tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hall working away.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Hall wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Bernard, who protects the arm well.
Hall has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Bernard!
Bernard really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Hall. 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 two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Hall prevents Bernard from getting the reversal.
Hall pushing the pace here, looking to move to his opponents back and work for a finish.
Hall looking to control but Bernard is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Bernard defends a decent attempt at a guillotine from Hall.
Hall wants to control the pace but Bernard is squirming around nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hall with some aggressive grappling here, looking for the finish.
Hall is working hard here to advance position.

Hall is working for a guillotine from mount but Bernard frees his head quite easily.
Bernard looking to escape from mount but he's given up his back!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.

Bernard showing good submission defense here.
Good control from Hall.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Hall is hanging on to Bernard's back as he tries to escape.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Bernard throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Hall punishes Bernard's body with a nice straight punch.
Bernard throws the left hand but Hall avoids the punch easily.
Bernard with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Bernard takes a swing at Hall's ribcage but misses.
Hall gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Hall.
Hall tries to clinch up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hall avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Hall attempts a counter takedown but Bernard avoids it well and moves away.
Bernard jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A jab from Bernard misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Bernard misses the target.
Hall seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.

Hall moves into range and clinches up with Bernard.
Hall blocking some punches.
Bernard is trying to force a seperation but Hall has the dominant position.
Hall will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Bernard up against the cage.
Bernard blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Bernard fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

Hall pulls guard.

Hall had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Bernard defends it easily.
Bernard postures up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hall working a defensive guard but Bernard passes into half guard.
Hall wants to improve his position but Bernard is controlling well.
Hall trying to control but Bernard postures up.
Bernard looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Hall wants to get back to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bernard looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
A swing and a miss from Bernard.
Bernard thuds his right hand into Hall's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Bernard throws an overhand right that lands on Hall's shoulder, as Hall tries to avoid the shot.

Hall moves into range and clinches up with Bernard.
Hall is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Bernard to keep the fight standing.
Hall is trying to pull guard but Bernard turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.

Bernard breaks from the clinch.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hall tries to pull guard but Bernard holds him up against the cage and eventually Hall drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ralph Hall. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hall dodges an elbow strike from Bernard.
A head punch on the inside from Hall fails to land.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Bernard.
Bernard lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Hall tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Bernard smiles and moves away.
Hall is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Bernard can do to turn this around?
Bernard uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Hall fails with an attempt to clinch.
Bernard swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
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!
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Hall instigates a clinch.
Bernard lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
I was talking to Hall's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hall is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Bernard to keep the fight standing.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rob Bernard showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Bernard throws the left hand but Hall avoids the punch easily.

Bernard gets caught flat footed, as Hall shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Hall wants to control from the top but Bernard keeps moving.
Bernard managing to control the position.
Hall stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Bernard swivels though and keeps the full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hall looking for a sweep but Bernard has passed into full mount! Oh no!
Hall is looking to improve his position but Bernard isn't that keen on the idea.
Bernard looking to control and managing it successfully.

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.
Hall sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Hall tries to get to full guard but Bernard has control of the leg.
Hall is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Bernard's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Bernard's back!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hall working for a choke but Bernard is defending well.

Hall working for a choke but Bernard is defending well.
Will Hall go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Hall controls the action.
Bernard trying to control the position but Hall manages to sink in the hooks.

Hall has his hand under the chin of his opponent looking for the choke. He's nearly got it! This one could be all over! But no, Bernard has freed his hand and lives to survive another… well, another couple of seconds at least!
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Hall has got his arm under Bernard's chin working for the choke… has he got it? It looks pretty tight! Oh! Bernard has spun round into Hall's guard beautifully! Well done that man!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Ralph Hall clearly takes that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Hall tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Bernard is able to avoid easily.
The fighters circling - Bernard throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hall ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Hall tries to counter by clinching up but Bernard breaks away and moves out of range.
Bernard lands with a hook. Hall tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Hall fails with the takedown.
Bernard throws a right hand that misses

and Hall moves into the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bernard pushes Hall back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Hall fails to pull guard.
Bernard creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Hall goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Hall is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Hall just misses with a elbow thrown towards Bernard's brow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bernard throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Hall blocks it with crossed arms.
Hall tries to land knees in the clinch but Bernard avoids the damage to the body.
Hall's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Hall displaying some good clinch control by pressing Bernard up against the cage.
Bernard misses with some punches.
Bernard misses with some punches.

Bernard escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Bernard 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.
Bernard throws a looping overhand right but Hall ducks down to avoid it.
Hall doesn't manage to clinch there - Bernard circles away.
Rob Bernard is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Bernard scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Bernard throws an overhand right that lands on Hall's shoulder, as Hall tries to avoid the shot.
Bernard misses with a right hand

and Hall counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Bernard creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Hall's defenses.
Bernard looks to throw an elbow but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bernard throws a head punch that misses.
Bernard throws an elbow but it's blocked.

Hall pulls guard successfully.

Hall is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hall working a defensive guard but Bernard manages to pass into side control anyway.
Hall is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hall gets back to half guard.
Hall wants to get back to full guard.
Hall wants to control but Bernard is keeping busy.
Hall moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Bernard advances position into side control!
The referee asks Bernard politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Bernard prefers to stall for the moment though.
Hall is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hall sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rob Bernard dominated that fourth round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. And we move into the final round!

Hall shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Bernard but Bernard pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Hall slips a straight right by Bernard.
Hall tries to counter by clinching up but Bernard breaks away and moves out of range.
Bernard throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Hall counters by clinching up.
Hall doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Ralph Hall has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Bernard blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Hall is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Bernard to keep the fight standing.
Hall stalling in the clinch but Bernard improves position.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Bernard.
Hall lands an uppercut.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hall is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Bernard is keeping busy.
Bernard blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Hall blocks an elbow strike.
Bernard comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

It looks like Ralph Hall has been cut.
Bernard misses with a hook from the clinch.
Bernard lands with a short head shot on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bernard lands a body shot in the clinch.
Bernard misses with a punch to the body.
Bernard working aggressively here.
Bernard pushes off an throws an elbow but Hall leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

Bernard breaks from the clinch.

Bernard rushes Hall and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Hall pulls guard successfully.
Bernard wants to control from the top but Hall keeps moving.
Hall is pulling down on Bernard's head. It's preventing any offense from Bernard, at least for the moment.
Bernard wants to pass the guard but Hall is keeping the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bernard wants to control from the top but Hall keeps moving.
Bernard stays in close to Hall's body and controls the position.
Hall is trying to hold Bernard in close to prevent damage but Bernard has managed to pass into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hall is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

Hall looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Hall takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Bernard throws a hook to the side of Hall's head but Hall sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Hall tries to close the distance and clinch but Bernard swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Bernard scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.

Hall shoots in and gets a takedown into Bernard's guard.
Bernard working a defensive guard here.
Bernard keeping full guard, as Hall tries to pass.
Hall looking to sit in guard and control but Bernard gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rob Bernard comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Bernard 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.

Judge Konstantin Menshow scores the fight for Rob Bernard!
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight for Rob Bernard!
Judge Igor Prikhodko scores the fight for Rob Bernard!

Rob Bernard wins by unanimous decision!
Rob Bernard is the new welterweight champion!
Rob Bernard was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.