PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Cavalho Atunes (ranked 2232 p4p, 2250 weight class) and Donnie Larkin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Atunes
vs
Larkin

185 cm
26
190
9 - 5 - 0

181 cm
43
188
29 - 20 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Cardio machine

Olympic wrestler
Good low kicks
Powerful

Hakaka La'au Performance

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 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Cavalho Atunes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 29 - 20 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Donnie Larkin!
The judges for this bout are Dean Styles, David Schapiro and John Roberts.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Atunes on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Nice shot lands for Atunes.
Larkin throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Atunes on the side of the head.
Atunes takes a jab right on the kisser.
Atunes slips a jab from Larkin.
Larkin lands with a thumping leg kick.
Larkin walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Atunes checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Atunes takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Atunes moves out of range of the body kick from Larkin.
Atunes was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Atunes throws a good cross that connects.
Atunes avoids a punch combination nicely.
Atunes tries to clinch but Larkin is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Larkin tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Atunes is able to avoid easily.
Atunes is looking to counter punch.
Larkin misses with a low kick.
Larkin throws out a leg kick but Atunes moves out of range and Larkin only half commits.
Atunes dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
An inside leg kick from Larkin misses.
Atunes looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Atunes throws a body kick that misses.
Larkin throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Larkin takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Larkin lands a really nice looking cross but Atunes seems unphased.
Donnie Larkin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Larkin looks to throw the jab but Atunes is out of range.
Larkin misses with a hook
and Atunes counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Larkin thinking.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Atunes lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Atunes uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Larkin.
Atunes throws a right hand that Larkin ducks under and follows up with a left that Larkin also avoids with ease.
Atunes scores with a decent looking hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Atunes smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Atunes swings for the body but Larkin moves out of range.
Larkin takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Larkin misses with a leg kick
letting Atunes counter with a right hand.
Atunes looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Larkin scores with a punch to the head.
Atunes works the jab nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Atunes moves out of range as Larkin throws a body kick.
And Atunes counters with a quick kick to the body but Larkin blocks it.
Larkin avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Larkin was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Larkin misses with a low kick.
Atunes throwing a counter right hand but Larkin manages to avoid it.
Atunes misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Larkin.
Larkin connects with a leg kick.
Atunes throws a low kick but it's checked well by Larkin.
Larkin looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Larkin missing with a left hand there. Atunes was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Atunes lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Atunes walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Atunes stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.

It looks like Donnie Larkin has been cut.
Larkin misses with a body kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Larkin blocks a low kick nicely.
Larkin keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Atunes.
Larkin throws a body kick that misses
and Atunes counters with an inside leg kick.
Atunes connects with a high kick.
Larkin throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Larkin throws a predictable looking body shot
enabling Atunes to counter with a crisp jab.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Larkin throws a front kick aimed at Atunes's knee but Atunes avoids it well.
Atunes is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Atunes is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Larkin.
A head kick misses from Larkin.
Atunes feinted there with a counter leg kick.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Cavalho Atunes will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Donnie Larkin's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

A looping hook to the body misses from Larkin. Atunes does a little dance to reset his feet.
A head kick by Atunes misses
and Larkin counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Larkin misses with a lunging right hand
and Atunes counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Atunes with the inside leg kick.
Atunes misses with a kick to the body.
Larkin let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Larkin loads up on a big right hand but Atunes slips the punch.
Danga de danga de dang - Atunes scores with a four punch combination!
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Larkin throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Larkin goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Larkin throws a low kick but it's checked well by Atunes.
Atunes was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Both fighters circling a little - Atunes finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Larkin takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

Atunes gets a clinch.
Atunes tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Atunes missing with knees to the body.
Atunes slows down the pace here.
Larkin wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Atunes utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Atunes tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Atunes lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Larkin is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

Larkin escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Larkin misses with a left hand
and Atunes counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Larkin misses with a straight right.
Atunes tries to close the distance and clinch but Larkin swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Larkin swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Atunes throws the kick towards the body but Larkin avoids it.
A shot to the body from Larkin misses
and Atunes counters with a leg kick.
Atunes is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Larkin can do to turn this around?
Larkin chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Atunes can pounce on him.
Larkin throws a leg kick
and Atunes cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Larkin takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Cavalho Atunes is winning the standup battle so far.
Atunes misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Larkin.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A nice leg kick lands there from Atunes.
Atunes lands a body shot.
Atunes ducks under a wild hook from Larkin.
Larkin gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Atunes keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Atunes scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Atunes bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Larkin misses with a hook.
Atunes appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Atunes lands a leg kick that knocks Larkin off balance momentarily.
Atunes bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Atunes closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Larkin scores with a shoulder strike.

Larkin breaks from the clinch.
Atunes misses with a double jab
letting Larkin counter with a right hand.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Atunes connects with the punch.
Atunes tries to clinch but Larkin moves out of range.
Larkin throws an off balance right hand
and Atunes connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Larkin throws a leg kick which misses Atunes's front leg but catches the back leg as Atunes tries to avoid it.
Larkin misses with a leg kick.
Atunes misses with a body shot.
Despite the aggression on Larkin's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Cavalho Atunes dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Donnie Larkin's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

A looping hook to the body misses from Atunes. Larkin does a little dance to reset his feet.
An inside leg kick from Atunes misses.
Atunes with a nice calf kick.
Larkin wants to slow Atunes down by chopping away at his legs.
Atunes tries to clinch but Larkin moves away
letting Larkin counter with a right hand.
Atunes tries to clinch but Larkin is having none of it.
A countering left hand to the body from Larkin misses.
Atunes slips a jab from Larkin.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Atunes ducks under a wild hook from Larkin.
Larkin takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Atunes avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Atunes throws a quick counter kick to the body but Larkin avoids it.
Atunes lands a nice leg kick that just misses Larkin's sensitive parts.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Atunes moves out of range of the strikes.
Larkin throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Larkin's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
The fighters circling - Atunes throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Larkin sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Atunes lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
A slow jab from Larkin misses its intended target.
Atunes cracks Larkin with a right hand to the side of the head.
Atunes fakes the leg kick and cracks Larkin in the body.
Atunes scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Larkin doesn't seem bothered though.
Larkin works the jab nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A leg kick checked by Larkin.
Larkin checks a leg kick.
Larkin was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Larkin takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Atunes throws an overhand right that lands on Larkin's shoulder, as Larkin tries to avoid the shot.
Larkin on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Larkin scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Atunes is looking to slow Larkin down with leg kicks.
Atunes rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Larkin moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Atunes lands with a shot to the body.
Larkin misses with a jab to the body
and Atunes counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Larkin scores with a nice strike.
Atunes lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
A big right from Larkin misses.
Atunes swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Atunes misses with a body kick.

Atunes gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Donnie Larkin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Larkin looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Larkin is trying to break the clinch but Atunes is controlling him.
Atunes with an attempt at a knee that misses.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Atunes creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Atunes misses with some punches.
Atunes blocking some punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Atunes stalling in the clinch.
Atunes working aggressively here.
Atunes leaning against his opponent.
Atunes makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Larkin blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Atunes working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Atunes lands a hook that snaps the head of Larkin backwards.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Larkin breaks the clinch.
Larkin with the inside leg kick.
A slow jab from Larkin misses its intended target.
Atunes avoids the head kick by Larkin.

And that's the end of the fight!
Cavalho Atunes showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Atunes 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 Dean Styles scores the fight 30:27
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight 30:27
Judge John Roberts scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Cavalho Atunes!