PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Henrik Larsson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Darnielle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Larsson comes to the cage accompanied by Now I Lay Thee Down. John Darnielle will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Larsson
vs
Darnielle

180 cm
32
196 lbs
28 - 13 - 0

197 cm
30
196 lbs
24 - 11 - 0

Good wrestling
World class MT
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

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 28 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Henrik Larsson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 24 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, John Darnielle!
The judges for this bout are Ian Loll, Alec Ball and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Darnielle misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Darnielle tries to bum rush Larsson with a series of wild strikes but Larsson uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Darnielle moves out of range of the body kick from Larsson.
Darnielle misses with a head kick.

Darnielle shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Larsson wants to get back to full guard.

Darnielle is looking for a kimura but Larsson is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Darnielle to get the leverage.

Darnielle is looking for a kimura but Larsson is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Darnielle to get the leverage.
Darnielle prevents Larsson from improving his position.
Darnielle sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Darnielle is trying to control the action in half guard but Larsson is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Darnielle stalling.
Darnielle throwing shots but Larsson is blocking nicely.
Larsson wants to improve his position but Darnielle is controlling well.

Larsson is defending against the submission attempts here by Darnielle.
Larsson moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Larsson looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Darnielle drops back, looking for a kneebar! Larsson looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Larsson looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Larsson!
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Larsson tries to score with some ground and pound. Darnielle controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Darnielle gets back to half guard.
Darnielle trying to hold on to Larsson's head to control him but Larsson postures up.
Larsson wants to lay and pray for a moment but Darnielle keeps working.
Darnielle trying to control here.
Larsson missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Larsson has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Darnielle tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Larsson avoids the attempt from Darnielle to control.
Darnielle working to try and regain half guard.
Larsson is landing with some decent strikes but Darnielle is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Larsson lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Larsson scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Darnielle?
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Darnielle wants to hold on but Larsson pushes him away.
Darnielle can't escape the position.
Larsson controlling from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle is trying desperately to improve position.
Darnielle wants to control but Larsson is having none of it.
Larsson takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Darnielle regains half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Larsson controlling the pace.
Darnielle is trying to get back to full guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Henrik Larsson will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Darnielle fails to land with a series of punches.
Darnielle scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Larsson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Larsson.

It looks like John Darnielle has been cut.
Darnielle shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Larsson eats them both and turns towards Darnielle to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Darnielle scores with a push kick.
Darnielle feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Larsson's calf.
Darnielle scores with a hook to the body. Larsson takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Darnielle thumps Larsson with a low kick.
A clash of legs there as Darnielle blocks the low kick.
Darnielle tried to score with a low kick but Larsson checks it.

Darnielle has closed the distance and engaged Larsson in a clinch.
Larsson tries to break the clinch but Darnielle is controlling the position.
Larsson tries to stall but Darnielle uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Darnielle throws an elbow but it's blocked.

Larsson breaks from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Darnielle.
John Darnielle is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Darnielle scores with a crisp jab that stopped Larsson in his tracks.
Larsson misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Darnielle shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Larsson counters with a nice uppercut.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Larsson.
Larsson looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Darnielle throws a leg kick but Larsson sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Darnielle misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Darnielle ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Darnielle avoids the body shot from Larsson.
Darnielle throws a low kick but it's checked well by Larsson.
Darnielle rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Larsson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Darnielle throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle looks to clinch
and Larsson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
John Darnielle seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A looping hook to the body misses from Darnielle. Larsson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Darnielle scores with the left hand. Larsson knows he should have avoided that one.
Darnielle closes the distance looking to clinch
enabling Larsson to counter with a crisp jab.
Darnielle shoots in for a takedown but Larsson shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Darnielle ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Larsson moves away.
Larsson moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Henrik Larsson is winning the standup battle so far.
Darnielle is breathing heavily.
Larsson throws a shot from downtown. Darnielle moves away and avoids it.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Larsson.
Darnielle throws a chopping leg kick but Larsson manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Darnielle misses with a takedown attempt
and Larsson counters with a stiff right hand.
Henrik Larsson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Darnielle.
Larsson throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle throws a jab but it's blocked by Larsson.
A good leg kick by Larsson.
Larsson scores with a spinning back kick!
Larsson pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Larsson ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Darnielle moves away.
Darnielle takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
Larsson pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Larsson misses with a head kick.
Darnielle shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Larsson as he jumps to the side.
Darnielle tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Larsson throws a big shot that misses.
A good leg kick by Larsson.
Larsson scores with a hook to the body. Darnielle takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Larsson misses with a hook. Darnielle ducked under it nicely.
Larsson lands a front kick.
Larsson with a nice cross.
Larsson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Darnielle cracks Larsson with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Larsson tries to land a front kick but Darnielle steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Darnielle changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Larsson tries to avoid it but Darnielle manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Larsson to the ground. Larsson escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Larsson cracks the inside of Darnielle's front leg.
Larsson tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Larsson bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Darnielle misses with a two punch combination.
Larsson connects with a single shot there.
Larsson turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Henrik Larsson dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on John Darnielle's cut.
That's time! Larsson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Darnielle moves out of range as Larsson throws a body kick.
Larsson wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Larsson moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Larsson digs a good body shot into Darnielle's ribs.
Larsson looks to throw the jab but Darnielle is out of range.
Larsson bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Larsson feints and then cracks Darnielle's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Darnielle down.
A slapping leg kick lands for Larsson.
Darnielle has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Larsson.
An inside leg kick lands from Larsson.
Larsson scores with a one two! Darnielle had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Larsson jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.

Darnielle is rocked!
Darnielle takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Darnielle blocks the body kick.
Darnielle is still on wobbly legs! Can Larsson finish him?
Larsson staying out of range there.
Darnielle seems to have recovered his senses.
Larsson fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice inside leg kick there by Larsson. That's going to slow Darnielle down.
A slapping leg kick lands for Larsson.
Larsson explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Larsson feints and then cracks Darnielle's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Darnielle down.
Larsson fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Darnielle ducks right into an uppercut from Larsson.
Larsson ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

Larsson cracks Darnielle with a big right hand that sends him crashing to the floor. Larsson has the opportunity to follow him to the ground but instead he's beckoning Darnielle to stand back up!
Larsson thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Darnielle if he has to take too many more of those.
Larsson misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Larsson misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Darnielle rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Larsson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Nice defenses there by Larsson.
Henrik Larsson is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Larsson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A low kick from Darnielle misses
and Larsson counters with a straight right hand.
Larsson throws a nice inside leg kick.
Donk. Larsson catches Darnielle right on the button with a cross.
Nice defenses there by Larsson.
Larsson scores with a crisp jab that stopped Darnielle in his tracks.
Larsson is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Darnielle can do to turn this around?
Larsson throws a lazy right hand but Darnielle sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Darnielle looks for the body kick but Larsson saw that one coming.
Larsson dodges the punch combination from Darnielle.
Larsson thumps Darnielle with a low kick.
Darnielle tries to clinch there but Larsson circles away.
Darnielle misses with a left hand
and Larsson counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Henrik Larsson is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Darnielle lands a nice leg kick that just misses Larsson's sensitive parts.
Larsson uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Darnielle.
Nice body kick there by Larsson.
Darnielle chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Darnielle is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Darnielle with a lazy takedown attempt
and Larsson counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Larsson.
Darnielle throws out a loose jab but Larsson uses good head movement to avoid it.
Darnielle shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Larsson as he jumps to the side.
Jab by Larsson.
Larsson pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Darnielle on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Darnielle looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Henrik Larsson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of John Darnielle.
Darnielle moves to clinch but Larsson breaks away
and Larsson counters with a low kick, right behind Darnielle 's knee.
Darnielle closes the distance looking to clinch
and Larsson counters with a head kick.
A cross from Larsson lands.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
An inside leg kick lands from Darnielle.
John Darnielle has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Good standup being displayed there by Larsson as he connects with a hook.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Larsson scores with a nice body kick.
Larsson slips a jab from Darnielle.
Darnielle throws a leg kick that misses.

And that's the end of the fight!
Henrik Larsson showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Larsson 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 Ian Loll scores the fight 30:27
Judge Alec Ball scores the fight 30:27
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Henrik Larsson!
Henrik Larsson took to the microphone after his victory and thanked his sponsors, TFP Graphics - Pit Inc for their support in the buildup to the fight.