PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Stewie Griffin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hans Gruber (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Gruber's choice of entrance music: Irwin Goodman - St. Pauli Ja Reeperbahn. Stewie Griffin has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Griffin
vs
Gruber

179 cm
20
200 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

180 cm
24
193 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Knockout power

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 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Stewie Griffin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Hans Gruber!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Johanna Lukiainen and Tarja Halkonen.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A nice inside leg kick there by Gruber. That's going to slow Griffin down.

Gruber tries to keep at a distance but Griffin has taken the fight into the clinch.

Gruber's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Griffin tries to clinch there but Gruber circles away.
Griffin is looking to clinch.
Griffin tries to close the distance and clinch but Gruber swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Gruber slips a straight right by Griffin.
Griffin lands with a nice body punch.

Griffin moves into the clinch.
Gruber on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Gruber goes for a takedown attempt but Griffin pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Gruber fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Griffin sprawls well initially but Gruber persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Gruber not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Gruber moves into full mount! Griffin won't be happy about that!
Griffin is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Poor strikes thrown by Gruber there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
Gruber trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Gruber working Griffin over with strikes here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gruber scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Griffin?
Griffin's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Gruber punching from mount but Griffin doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Gruber working some short elbows here. He postures up to throw some more ground and pound but Griffin slips a leg through to get back to half guard. Nice work.
Ground and pound from Gruber.
Griffin tries to kick Gruber off but Gruber keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Gruber lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Gruber landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Griffin is refusing to be controlled, as Gruber sits in half guard.
Griffin avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Gruber.
Gruber winds up and cracks Griffin with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Gruber not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gruber lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Gruber looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Griffin with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Ground and pound from Gruber.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gruber not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Griffin keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Griffin is breathing heavily.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Gruber lands a nice short elbow.
Gruber not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Gruber sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Griffin defending well though.
Gruber trying to control the action but Griffin is working from the bottom.
Gruber throwing shots but Griffin is blocking nicely.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet.
Gruber working Griffin over with strikes.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet.
Gruber working over Griffin with some ground and pound. Griffin looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gruber is looking to take a break and control but Griffin is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Gruber is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Gruber not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Gruber uses his free foot to push down on Griffin's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Griffin.
Gruber trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Griffin wants to use the cage to get back to his feet here.
Gruber lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Griffin hang on?
Gruber controlling his opponent.
Gruber looking to ground and pound but Griffin is blocking nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gruber has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Griffin's face.
Gruber unloading with bombs!
Gruber postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Griffin looks a forlorn figure.
Gruber scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Griffin?
Gruber landing strikes from the mount.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Gruber cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Gruber thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Gruber with a couple of short strikes.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gruber has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Griffin's face.
Gruber in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Gruber can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Griffin is looking to escape.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hans Gruber dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Griffin has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Griffin there as he acknowledges the shot.
Gruber finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Gruber, as that shot connected.
Griffin fails in his attempt to clinch.
A punch lands to the side of Griffin 's head but he takes it in his stride.
A decent looking cross lands there for Gruber.
Gruber shoots in looking for a takedown. Griffin tries to sprawl out of it but Gruber keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Griffin manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Griffin uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gruber.
Gruber moves out of range of the leg kick from Griffin.
Gruber throws a head kick but Griffin moves out of range.
Griffin closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Gruber has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Gruber throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Gruber loads up on a big right hand but Griffin slips the punch.
Griffin steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Gruber.
Griffin is looking to clinch but Gruber is avoiding it.
Griffin tries to clinch up but Gruber circles away and keeps his distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gruber misses the shot to the body.

Griffin rushes Gruber and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Griffin misses with a knee to the head.
Griffin tries a knee to the head but Gruber blocks it.
A frustrated look appears on Gruber's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Griffin doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Gruber wants a takedown.
Griffin missing with knees to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Gruber is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Griffin using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Gruber has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Griffin throws a knee to the head but misses.
Griffin has a couple of punches blocked by Gruber.

Griffin is fighting off a takedown attempt but Gruber is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Griffin to the mat. Griffin regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Griffin wants to get back to his feet but Gruber is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Gruber is looking to work some ground and pound but Griffin has wrist control.
Gruber scoring with some ground and pound.
Gruber in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Gruber trying to control but Griffin is working from the bottom.
Gruber won't allow Griffin to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gruber stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Griffin swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Gruber in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Hans Gruber has got the better of the ground game so far.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gruber accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gruber missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Gruber trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Griffin preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gruber accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gruber lands a couple of digs.
Gruber pushes down on Griffin's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Griffin looks like he's trying to stand up.
Gruber throwing shots but Griffin is blocking nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gruber winds up and cracks Griffin with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Gruber not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Gruber throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Gruber lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Gruber missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

Gruber is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Griffin keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Gruber seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Gruber thows a huge punch but Griffin dodges it nicely.
Gruber working Griffin over with strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gruber looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Griffin with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.

Griffin makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Gruber swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Gruber shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Griffin pinned against the cage. Griffin gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Stewie Griffin has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Hans Gruber.
The fight stays on the outside here - Griffin looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Gruber shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Griffin sprawls well. Griffin wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Gruber gets slowly back to his feet.
Stewie Griffin is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Gruber throws a looping overhand right but Griffin ducks down to avoid it.
Griffin moves out of range of the body kick from Gruber.
Griffin misses with a leg kick.
Griffin slips under a jab.
Gruber throws a big shot that misses.
Griffin on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hans Gruber showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! And we move into the final round!

Gruber throws a leg kick
and Griffin counters with a nice body shot.
Gruber tests Griffin's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Gruber works Griffin's body with a nice hook.
Griffin blocks a jab.

Gruber closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Griffin to the mat! Griffin manages to get full guard.
Gruber tries to free his leg and advance position but Griffin is retaining full guard.
Gruber scoring with punches to the head and body.
Griffin wants to stand but Gruber is controlling the position.
Gruber throwing strikes but missing.
Gruber with a nice head shot there.
Gruber is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Gruber lands a couple of elbows.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Gruber loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gruber works over Griffin with some ground and pound from guard.
Gruber postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Griffin is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Gruber throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Gruber missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Gruber is in close to Griffin's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Gruber lands a couple of elbows.
Gruber trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Gruber throws a big right hand that misses.
Griffin wants to stand but Gruber is controlling the position.
Stewie Griffin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gruber works over Griffin with some ground and pound from guard.
Gruber throws a big right hand that misses.
Gruber landing some decent shots from guard.
Gruber throwing strikes from guard but Griffin blocks nicely.
Gruber keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Griffin's head.
Gruber throws a big right hand that misses.
Gruber scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Gruber with a flurry of punches that miss.
Gruber distracts Griffin with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Gruber wants to control from the top but Griffin keeps moving.
Gruber postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gruber tries to free his leg and advance position but Griffin is retaining full guard.
Gruber lands a couple of digs.
Gruber working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Gruber landing with the ground and pound.
Gruber passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Griffin parries the strikes from Gruber easily there. Gruber is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Griffin to escape.
Gruber tries to score with some ground and pound. Griffin controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Hans Gruber is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Griffin being controlled for a moment.
Griffin tries to escape but Gruber is in control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Griffin is not content to let Gruber control the position.
Gruber scoring with punches and elbows.
Gruber working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Griffin prevents Gruber from improving position.
An elbow from Gruber crashes against the mat.
Griffin pushes Gruber away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Gruber gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Gruber throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Griffin takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Griffin is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Gruber has just dragged him back down to the mat.

And that's the end of the fight!
Hans Gruber comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Gruber winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 27:30
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Tarja Halkonen scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hans Gruber!