PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ron Murphy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mark St Pierre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying St Pierre's choice of entrance music: Saturday- Basshunter. The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Murphy
vs
St Pierre

150 cm
21
130 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

170 cm
27
146 lbs
5 - 1 - 1

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Brawler
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ron Murphy!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Mark St Pierre!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Vladimir Khabensky and Viktor Lagutenko.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

St Pierre dives in and scores a takedown into Murphy's guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Murphy is trying to control the position from the bottom.
St Pierre is looking to work some ground and pound but Murphy has wrist control.
St Pierre stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Murphy swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Murphy working a defensive guard here.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

Murphy had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. St Pierre defends it easily.
St Pierre scoring with some ground and pound.

Murphy looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
St Pierre is looking to work some ground and pound but Murphy has wrist control.

Murphy is looking for a triangle but St Pierre pushes his legs off easily.
St Pierre lands a couple of decent looking shots.
St Pierre pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Murphy is keeping the position for now.
St Pierre must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Murphy trying to keep a closed guard but St Pierre is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St Pierre trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Murphy manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
St Pierre lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Murphy!
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
Murphy is trying to escape the mount.
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
St Pierre is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Murphy can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
St Pierre scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Murphy?
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Murphy holds on for dear life, controlling St Pierre's posture momentarily.
St Pierre punishing his opponent with strikes.
Murphy manages to regain half guard. Good work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphy has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. St Pierre is working away from the top position though.
St Pierre uses his free foot to push down on Murphy's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Murphy.
St Pierre avoids the attempt from Murphy to control.
St Pierre landing punches.
St Pierre pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Murphy taking shots to the head.
St Pierre avoids the attempt from Murphy to control.
St Pierre with a couple of short strikes.
Murphy working to try and regain half guard.
Murphy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
St Pierre lands a big elbow.
St Pierre raining down shots from the mount!
Murphy might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Murphy is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Murphy looks a forlorn figure.
St Pierre lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre postures up.
St Pierre with a couple of short strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Murphy is desperately trying to improve his position but St Pierre has a good base and remains in mount.
St Pierre punishing his opponent with strikes.
Murphy regains half guard.
St Pierre uses his free foot to push down on Murphy's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Murphy.
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
St Pierre putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
St Pierre has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Murphy's face.
Murphy is bucking up trying to escape but St Pierre cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Murphy?
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Murphy is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
St Pierre is in the full mount, landing strikes.
St Pierre lands a nice shot to the head.
St Pierre postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Murphy looks a forlorn figure.
Murphy sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Murphy blocking the ground and pound attempt from St Pierre.
St Pierre lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Murphy won't allow St Pierre to pass to mount.
Murphy is trying to get back to full guard.
St Pierre takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Murphy slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
St Pierre works a leg free and moves into half guard.
St Pierre looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

St Pierre shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Murphy manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
St Pierre passes into half guard.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. St Pierre lands a nice short elbow.
St Pierre prevents Murphy from standing back up.
Murphy tries to roll over but St Pierre keeps him under control.
St Pierre wants to pass to mount but Murphy is defending the position.
St Pierre passes to side control.
St Pierre tries to move into full mount but can't pass Murphy's legs.
St Pierre moves into full mount!
Murphy working to try and regain half guard.
Mark St Pierre has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
BOOM! St Pierre connects with a massive shot to the dome!
St Pierre with shots to the head and body - Murphy looks very uncomfortable down there.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
St Pierre working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Murphy is looking to get to half guard.
St Pierre scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Murphy?
St Pierre lands a nice shot to the head.
St Pierre has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
St Pierre has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Murphy's face.
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre postures up.
St Pierre landing punches.
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!
St Pierre putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
St Pierre with the ground and pound from mount.
Murphy is desperately trying to improve his position but St Pierre has a good base and remains in mount.
Murphy is working hard here to advance position.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre postures up.
St Pierre landing strikes from the mount and Murphy is in trouble!
Murphy is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Murphy is in a horrible position here. St Pierre smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Murphy tries to lock up and control but St Pierre gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
St Pierre landing strikes from the mount.
Murphy wants to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
St Pierre putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
St Pierre lands a heavy elbow.
St Pierre fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Murphy is in a horrible position here. St Pierre smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
St Pierre is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Murphy can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
St Pierre landing strikes from the mount.
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Murphy's face.
St Pierre pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre postures up.
St Pierre is landing with some decent strikes but Murphy is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
St Pierre scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Murphy?
A nice elbow there by St Pierre.
Murphy is trying to stand up.
Murphy taking shots to the head.
St Pierre dominating with strikes here.
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
St Pierre lands a big shot there that rocks Murphy but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.

Murphy is rocked!
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!
Murphy is trying to escape the mount.
Murphy taking shots to the head.
Oh Murphy is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
BOOM! St Pierre connects with a massive shot to the dome!
St Pierre has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Murphy's face.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre avoids the attempt from Murphy to control.
Murphy seems to have got his legs back now.
Murphy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
St Pierre landing shots from mount.
St Pierre breaks from Murphy's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Murphy wants to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
St Pierre looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Murphy wants to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
St Pierre fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
St Pierre unloading with bombs!
Murphy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
St Pierre lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Murphy hang on?
Murphy takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
St Pierre lands a big shot there that rocks Murphy but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Murphy is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Murphy is looking to improve his position but St Pierre isn't that keen on the idea.
Murphy tries to lock up and control but St Pierre gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mark St Pierre showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Murphy dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

St Pierre darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
St Pierre is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Murphy reverses the position - he's now on top in St Pierre's guard.
Murphy trying to control the position from guard on top but St Pierre is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
St Pierre looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
St Pierre is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
St Pierre lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Murphy!
St Pierre scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Murphy?
Murphy wants to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
Murphy tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St Pierre working away from the top, dropping strikes.
St Pierre landing strikes from the mount and Murphy is in trouble!
Murphy tries to hold on but St Pierre postures up.
Murphy is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
St Pierre raining down hammerfists from mount.
St Pierre connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Murphy tries to reverse the position but St Pierre maintains control.
St Pierre looking to finish Murphy with some ground and pound. This is bad for Murphy!
St Pierre avoids the attempt from Murphy to control.
Murphy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
St Pierre has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Murphy's face.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
St Pierre is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre scores with a couple of good head shots there.
St Pierre unloading with bombs!
St Pierre fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Murphy sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Murphy is trying to control but can't.
St Pierre uses his free foot to push down on Murphy's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Murphy.
Murphy is bucking up trying to escape but St Pierre cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
St Pierre working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Murphy keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Murphy in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
St Pierre pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
St Pierre lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Murphy hang on?
St Pierre with the ground and pound from mount.
Murphy is wriggling around trying to escape.
St Pierre lands a heavy elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre cracks Murphy with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
St Pierre with good strikes from the mount here!
Murphy keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
St Pierre lands a big shot there that rocks Murphy but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
St Pierre is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Murphy can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
St Pierre in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
St Pierre avoids the attempt from Murphy to control.
St Pierre landing punches.
Murphy is in a horrible position here. St Pierre smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Murphy is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Murphy takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
St Pierre unloading with bombs!
Ron Murphy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Murphy is bucking up trying to escape but St Pierre cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
St Pierre postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Murphy looks a forlorn figure.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Murphy wants to hold on but St Pierre pushes him away.
St Pierre is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Murphy can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
St Pierre with shots to the head and body - Murphy looks very uncomfortable down there.
Murphy is desperately trying to improve his position but St Pierre has a good base and remains in mount.
Murphy slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
St Pierre tries to pass to full mount but Murphy defends it.
St Pierre lands with a punch from half guard.
St Pierre wants to pass the guard but Murphy is defending well.

Murphy looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Murphy is looking to control St Pierre's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Murphy avoid being mounted?
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
St Pierre drops an elbow to the side of Murphy's head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mark St Pierre comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well St Pierre has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Sergei Dronov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 27:30
Judge Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mark St Pierre!
A pretty intense looking Mark St Pierre took the opportunity post-fight to ask for a shot at the title.