PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Joseph Stevenson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tony Jaa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Stevenson kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jaa is bobbing his head along to his entrance song: Anna Molly by Incubus. Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Stevenson
vs
Jaa

175 cm
29
185 lbs
18 - 19 - 1

172 cm
25
183 lbs
11 - 14 - 0

Good wrestling
Great elbows
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
World class MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 18 - 19 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Joseph Stevenson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Tony Jaa!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, William Peck and Gregory Folan.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jaa tries to clinch but Stevenson moves out of range.
Stevenson misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A big left from Stevenson misses.
Jaa misses with a series of wild punches.
Stevenson throws a head kick but Jaa moves out of range.
Stevenson shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Jaa eats them both and turns towards Stevenson to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Jaa avoids a punch combination nicely.
No joy there for Jaa, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Jaa ducks under a wild hook from Stevenson.
Stevenson blocks the body kick.
Stevenson works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Stevenson lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Stevenson.
Stevenson throws a head kick but Jaa moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jaa keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Stevenson throws a body kick that misses.
Jaa swings for the body but Stevenson moves out of range.
Stevenson throws a hook but Jaa blocks it.
Stevenson scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Jaa misses with a two punch combination.
A looping hook to the body misses from Stevenson. Jaa does a little dance to reset his feet.
Jaa jabs at Stevenson's body.

Jaa has Stevenson up against the cage in a clinch.
Stevenson blocking some punches.
Stevenson tries a knee to the head but Jaa blocks it.
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jaa lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Jaa gets underhooks to prevent Stevenson's takedown attempt.
Stevenson with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Stevenson misses with a knee strike.
Stevenson has a couple of punches blocked by Jaa.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Jaa.
Jaa utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but Jaa blocks with his arms.
Stevenson is breathing heavily.
Jaa unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Jaa lands a knee to the head.
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Stevenson trying to control the position but instead, Jaa has worked for underhooks and has pushed Stevenson into the cage.
Stevenson keeps control of Jaa as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Jaa breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Stevenson takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jaa looks to land a combination but Stevenson avoids it well.
Tony Jaa is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Stevenson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Jaa manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Tony Jaa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jaa scoring well with a low kick there.
Jaa throws a right hand that Stevenson ducks under and follows up with a left that Stevenson also avoids with ease.
Jaa moves out of range of the strikes.
Stevenson keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A nice leg kick lands there from Jaa.
Jaa throws a right and a left that both miss.
Jaa throws a head kick but Stevenson moves out of range.
Jaa throws a series of punches but Stevenson moves out of range.
Jaa paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Jaa misses with a wild body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Jaa. Stevenson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Jaa throws an off balance right hand
and Stevenson counters with a stiff right hand.
Jaa tries to clinch up but Stevenson circles away and keeps his distance.
Stevenson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Jaa manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
A looping hook to the body misses from Jaa. Stevenson does a little dance to reset his feet.
Jaa fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Stevenson.
Stevenson shoots in looking for a takedown. Jaa tries to sprawl out of it but Stevenson keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Jaa manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Stevenson scores with a body shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jaa misses with a jab, cross combination.
Jaa throws a left and a right that both miss
and Stevenson counters with a leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tony Jaa dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Jaa moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Stevenson wants to clinch
and Jaa counters with a two punch combo.
Jaa bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Jaa takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Stevenson takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Jaa misses with a double jab.

Jaa gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Jaa on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but Jaa blocks with his arms.

Jaa's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Jaa fails in his attempt to clinch.
Jaa throws a leg kick
and Stevenson counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jaa misses with the combination.
Tony Jaa seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Jaa lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Stevenson has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Stevenson and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Stevenson lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Jaa backs up against the cage.
Jaa smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Stevenson moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Stevenson takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Stevenson blocks a head kick by Jaa.
Stevenson misses with a two punch combination.
Stevenson throws a leg kick
and Jaa connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Nice straight punches there by Jaa. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Jaa.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jaa showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Stevenson.
Jaa fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Stevenson.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Jaa misses with a few strikes there.
Stevenson throws a head kick that misses.
Jaa lands with a kick to the temple. Stevenson shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Jaa fails in his attempt to clinch.
Jaa takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Stevenson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Jaa is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Stevenson throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jaa rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stevenson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Stevenson swats away the attempt to clinch by Jaa.
Jaa tries to bum rush Stevenson with a series of wild strikes but Stevenson uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Stevenson lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Jaa circles away quickly and effectively.
Stevenson swats away the attempt to clinch by Jaa.
Stevenson shoots in but no luck this time.
Jaa slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Some wild striking there from Jaa.
Stevenson misses with a hook. Jaa ducked under it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jaa pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Stevenson turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Stevenson tries to bum rush Jaa with a series of wild strikes but Jaa uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Stevenson throws a shot from downtown. Jaa moves away and avoids it.
Jaa scores with a spinning back kick!
The fighters circling - Jaa throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Jaa avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A big left from Stevenson misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jaa avoids the body shot from Stevenson.
Stevenson takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Jaa scores with a head kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Tony Jaa 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. This is the final round!

Stevenson throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Stevenson missing with a left hand there. Jaa was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
The fighters circle momentarily. Jaa darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Jaa dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Jaa throws a combination that misses
and Stevenson counters with a head kick.

Stevenson has managed to clinch.
Stevenson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but Jaa blocks with his arms.
A right hand to the body from Jaa.
Stevenson tries to throw a body punch but Jaa avoids it by throwing Stevenson back against the cage.
Stevenson prevents a body shot from Jaa.
Stevenson on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Stevenson with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Stevenson leaning against his opponent.
Jaa takes a knee to the side of the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jaa lands an elbow that stopped Stevenson in his tracks for a moment.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Stevenson just misses with a elbow thrown towards Jaa's brow.
Stevenson on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Stevenson tries to land a knee to the head but Jaa blocks with his arms.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Stevenson on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Jaa lands a knee to the head.
Stevenson's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Jaa lands a body shot.
Stevenson lands a hook that snaps the head of Jaa backwards.
Stevenson misses with a knee strike.

Jaa's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Jaa scores with a head kick. Stevenson tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Stevenson throws out a powerful jab.
Jaa blocks a jab.
Stevenson tries to clinch but Jaa is having none of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jaa misses with a two punch combination.
Jaa staying out of range there.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Jaa!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Jaa throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Jaa thows a body shot but no joy.
Jaa throws a head kick that misses.
Jaa tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Stevenson paws at him with a jab and circles away.
A big left from Jaa misses.
Stevenson tries to close the distance and clinch up but Jaa swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Stevenson misses the jab.
Jaa misses with a wild body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jaa fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Stevenson on the side of the head.
Jaa throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Stevenson counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Stevenson drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Jaa is trying to keep Stevenson in close.
Stevenson wants to stand and escape but instead Jaa has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Tony Jaa is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Stevenson wants to get back to his feet but Jaa is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Jaa looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Jaa really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Stevenson. 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 four minutes gone in the round.
Joseph Stevenson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Stevenson keeping moving, preventing Jaa from controlling successfully.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Tony Jaa wasn't active enough on the ground.
The crowd cheers as Stevenson lands an impressive looking overhand right. Jaa doesn't seem phased though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Jaa tries to clinch but Stevenson is having none of it.
Stevenson pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tony Jaa comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Jaa 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 Steve Smith scores the fight 27:30
Judge William Peck scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tony Jaa!
Tony Jaa tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.