PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Paul Stewart (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Lance Nasri (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Paul Stewart has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Stewart
vs
Nasri

178 cm
21
145 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

173 cm
18
155 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Paul Stewart!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Lance Nasri!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stewart goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Nasri lands with a nice body punch.
Stewart changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Nasri tries to avoid it but Stewart manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Nasri to the ground. Nasri escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Stewart turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Stewart fails with an attempt to clinch.
Nasri misses with a double jab.
Nasri lunges at Stewart with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Stewart's hand.
Stewart fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Stewart doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Nasri counters with a two punch combo.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Stewart. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nasri misses with the combination.
Nasri misses with a two punch combination.
Stewart takes one on the chin but seems OK.

It looks like Paul Stewart has been cut.
Nasri throws a right and a left that Stewart avoids nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A nice combination there by Nasri.
Nasri lands a jab to the head.

Stewart is rocked!
Nasri throws a nice looking combination but Stewart bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Some wild striking there from Nasri.
Stewart shoots in looking for a takedown but Nasri manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Stewart's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Nasri lands a really nice looking cross but Stewart seems unphased.
Nasri misses with a double jab.
Nasri misses with a series of wild punches.
Lance Nasri seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nasri scores with a nice head shot.
Nasri leaves Stewart with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.

Nasri drops Stewart with a beautiful combination! Stewart stares up at his opponent, who ushers him back to his feet - Nasri is looking for the KO!
Oh Stewart is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Stewart showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nasri.
Nasri swats away the attempt to clinch by Stewart.
Stewart seems to have got his legs back now.
Nasri scores with a jab.
A right-left combo lands from Nasri.
Sloppy strikes from Nasri. Those never looked like landing.
Nasri works over Stewart's head and body with a nice combination.
Nasri swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Stewart counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Nasri!
Nasri looks gassed!
Stewart controlling from the full mount.
Stewart is landing with some decent strikes but Nasri is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stewart lands a heavy elbow.
Nasri really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Stewart. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

Stewart is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Nasri has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Stewart throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Nasri because Stewart loaded up on that one.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stewart takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

Nasri bucks Stewart off and manages to get back to his feet!
Nasri scores with a three punch combo!

Paul Stewart's cut is getting worse.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A punch combination from Stewart misses.
Nasri throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Nasri punishes Stewart's body with a nice straight punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lance Nasri dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Stewart's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Stewart tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Stewart misses with a few strikes there.
Stewart closes the distance and clinches up with Nasri, looking for a takedown. Stewart pushes Nasri against the cage but Nasri circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
No joy there for Nasri, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Stewart closes this distance looking for a takedown but Nasri circles away.
Nasri fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Stewart looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Nasri misses with the combination.
Nasri lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Nasri rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stewart moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Nasri avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Nasri throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Stewart on the side of the head.
Stewart shoots for a double leg takedown but Nasri sprawls well. He's pushed Stewart's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Stewart. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sloppy strikes from Nasri. Those never looked like landing.
Stewart has a takedown stuffed.
Stewart is looking to slow Nasri down with leg kicks.
Nasri ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Nasri stalks Stewart and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Stewart's face. Stewart staggers backwards, shaken.
Danga de danga de dang - Nasri scores with a four punch combination!
Nasri rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stewart moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Nasri throws a left and a right that both miss

and Stewart counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Stewart.
Nasri is breathing heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Stewart throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Nasri works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Stewart trying to control the position from guard on top but Nasri is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Stewart works a leg free and moves into half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Stewart sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Nasri is staying active underneath Stewart, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Paul Stewart.
Stewart tries to clinch but Nasri is having none of it.
Nasri slaps away a takedown attempt from Stewart, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Stewart wants to clinch.
Nasri checks the leg kick.
A combination from Nasri does no damage.
Nasri lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Stewart circles away quickly and effectively.
Lance Nasri is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Nasri lands with a straight right. Stewart didn't see that one coming.
Nasri lands with a nice combination. Stewart backs away looking to recover.

Paul Stewart's cut is bleeding quite badly. He's got to try and protect it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stewart showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nasri.
Nasri looks to land a combination but Stewart avoids it well.
Stewart tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Nasri manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Stewart shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Stewart fails with the takedown.
Stewart fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Lance Nasri seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nasri lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Stewart circles away quickly and effectively.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nasri misses with a series of wild punches.
Nasri looks to land a combination but Stewart avoids it well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lance Nasri showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Paul Stewart's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Nasri throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Stewart decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Nasri's guard.
Stewart trying to control the position from guard on top but Nasri is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Stewart is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Nasri is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.

We're going to have a standup here because Paul Stewart wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Stewart is trying hard to land a takedown here. Nasri sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Stewart shoots in looking for a takedown but Nasri manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Stewart's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

Stewart fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Nasri to the ground. Stewart is now in Nasri's guard.
Stewart trying to control but Nasri is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Nasri can do anything to dispel that myth.

We're going to have a standup here because Paul Stewart wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Nasri leaves Stewart with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Stewart. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nasri throws a series of punches but Stewart avoids them all with ease.
Nasri uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Stewart has time to react.
Nasri lands a nice shot that snaps Stewart's head back.
Nasri swinging wildly here.

Stewart looking to score a takedown here. Nasri is defending well but Stewart drives through and ends up in Nasri's guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nasri is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Nasri takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Stewart wants to pass the guard but Nasri is keeping the position.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Nasri ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Stewart shoots in looking for a takedown but Nasri manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Stewart's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Stewart takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nasri feints a jab promting Stewart to slip. Nasri then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Stewart slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Stewart wants to clinch.
Nasri misses with a few strikes there.
Nasri stuffs the takedown attempt from Stewart. Stewart gets slowly back to his feet.
Stewart fails with an attempt to clinch.
Some wild striking there from Nasri.
Nasri rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stewart moves out of range and avoids them all easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nasri keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Stewart has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Nasri swinging wildly here.
Stewart fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nasri with a nice cross.
Stewart tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Nasri paws at him with a jab and circles away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Stewart misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Stewart tries to clinch but Nasri moves out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Paul Stewart did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The cut man is working on Paul Stewart's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Stewart is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nasri fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Nasri tries to bum rush Stewart with a series of wild strikes but Stewart uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Nasri throws a right and a left that Stewart avoids nicely.

Stewart drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Nasri tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.
Stewart tries to control but Nasri wriggling away.
Nasri is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Stewart stands up from the dominant position. He obviously fancies his chances standing.
Paul Stewart is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Stewart shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Nasri pinned against the cage. Nasri gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Stewart throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Nasri's waist but Nasri gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Stewart off to one side.
Stewart shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Nasri defends it nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Stewart. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Some wild striking there from Nasri.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stewart shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Stewart dives in and grabs Nasri's left leg, looking for a takedown. Nasri pushes down on Stewart's head and hops out.
Nasri stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Nasri wants it to stay on the feet.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Nasri!
Nasri leaves Stewart with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Nasri lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Stewart backs up against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Stewart shoots in but no luck this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nasri scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Nasri shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Stewart eats them both and turns towards Nasri to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
A lazy left from Nasri finds it's target.
A combination from Nasri does no damage.
Stewart shoots in and drives through. Nasri sprawls well.
Stewart takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Nasri closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Nasri moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Jeez, Paul Stewart's cut is really nasty now. The referee must be thinking about getting that checked.
Nasri fails to land with a series of punches.
Stewart tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Nasri swivels and escapes.
Stewart misses with a head kick.
Stewart looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stewart takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Stewart showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nasri.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Stewart shoots in for a takedown but Nasri shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Nasri misses with the combination.
Nasri digs a good body shot into Stewart's ribs.
Stewart throws a head kick that misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nasri lands a nice hook to Stewart's body. Stewart takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Stewart fails in his attempt to clinch.
Stewart shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Nasri defends it nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lance Nasri dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Paul Stewart's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Stewart shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Nasri as he jumps to the side.
Nasri lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Stewart shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Nasri sprawls well. Nasri wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Stewart gets slowly back to his feet.
Nasri throws a right and a left that both miss.
Nasri fails to land with a series of punches.
Stewart looks for a takedown but Nasri sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Stewart. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Nasri throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and Stewart counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Nasri's guard now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stewart trying to control the position from guard on top but Nasri is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

We're going to have a standup here because Paul Stewart wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Nasri lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Stewart circles away quickly and effectively.
Nasri works Stewart's body with a nice hook.
Stewart shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Nasri as he jumps to the side.
Nasri feints a jab promting Stewart to slip. Nasri then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Stewart slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Nasri rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stewart moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Stewart shoots for a double leg takedown but Nasri sprawls well. He's pushed Stewart's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stewart shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Nasri as he avoids it easily.
Nasri darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Nasri lands a slapping body shot.
Nasri lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Stewart at a distance.
Nasri misses with a few strikes there.
Nasri scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Stewart shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Nasri as he jumps to the side.
Nasri throws a one two combo.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Stewart.
Nasri misses with a double jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A right-left combo lands from Nasri.
Stewart misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Nasri misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Nasri comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Nasri throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Stewart counters with a nice uppercut.

Nasri gets caught napping as Stewart dives in and scores a takedown. Nasri manages to retain guard.
Stewart not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Paul Stewart wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Stewart misses with a takedown attempt - Nasri sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nasri stuns Stewart with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Nasri lands a right hook to the body.
Nasri jabs Stewart to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Nasri misses with a jab, cross combination.
Nasri displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Stewart.
Stewart changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Nasri tries to avoid it but Stewart manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Nasri to the ground. Nasri escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Paul Stewart has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
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!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nasri lands the left hand.

And that's the end of the fight!
Lance Nasri comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Nasri 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight for Lance Nasri!
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight for Lance Nasri!
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight for Lance Nasri!

Lance Nasri wins by unanimous decision!