PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Paul Waul (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Steve Austin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Paul Waul looks tired to me. Hopefully he has got enough gas left in the tank to put in a good performance.

Waul
vs
Austin

203 cm
22
265 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

187 cm
21
235 lbs
5 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Improved boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Decent boxing
Knockout power

Fighters Formula

Syndicate Drugs

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Paul Waul!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 4 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Steve Austin!
The judges for this bout are Aleksandr Martynov, Vladimir Khabensky and Sergei Dronov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Austin moves in looking to clinch but Waul pushes him off.
Austin motions for Waul to come forward. Austin throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Austin stuffs the takedown.
Waul throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Austin fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Austin changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Waul looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Austin working away.
Waul is breathing heavily.
Waul is looking to reverse the position.
Waul manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Austin wants to stand but Waul has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.
Austin is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
Waul wants to improve his position but Austin is controlling well.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Austin content to control rather than advance.
Waul is trying to stand back up but Austin is controlling him
Waul trying to hold on to Austin's head to control him but Austin postures up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Austin tries to stand and escape but Waul is controlling the position.
Waul wants to get back to full guard.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Waul throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Some wild striking there from Austin.
Austin fails to land with a series of punches.
Austin fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Waul checks it well.
Austin tries to clinch up.
Austin slow jab from Waul misses its intended target.
Austin stuffs the takedown.
Waul avoids a punch combination nicely.
Austin looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Waul is fending him off so far but Austin persists. Nope, Waul circles away and we're back to standing.
Waul misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Waul. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Austin tries to clinch up.
Austin fails in his attempt to clinch.
Danga de danga de dang - Waul scores with a four punch combination!
Waul thows a leg kick but Austin checks it
and Austin counters with a head kick.
Austin lands a nice looking kick to the body. Waul takes a step back to recover.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Waul blocks a jab.
Steve Austin seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Austin throws out a powerful jab.
Waul swings for the body but Austin moves out of range.
No joy there for Austin, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Austin misses with a jab to the body
and Waul cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Austin throws a low kick but Waul avoids it.
Austin jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Waul checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Waul moves out of range of the body kick.
Waul throws a series of strikes that have Austin backpedaling.
Waul slips under a jab.
Austin throws a left and a right that both miss
and Waul counters with a nice uppercut.
Austin throws a right and a left that both miss.
Waul does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

Waul scores a takedown into full mount!
Austin is trying desperately to improve position.
Waul misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Waul working for a submission but Austin is keeping him at bay.
Austin is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Austin has given up his back - I don’t know if this is a deliberate ploy to try and escape or if he is just struggling down there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Steve Austin will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Austin throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Austin throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Austin shoots and misses
and Waul counters with a one-two to the body.
Austin misses with a jab, cross combination.
Waul looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Austin tries to clinch up
and Waul counters with a three punch combo that has Austin backing up. Austin nods at Waul to acknowledge the strikes.
Austin misses with a two punch combination.
Waul keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Waul tries to keep at a distance but Austin has taken the fight into the clinch.

Austin breaks from the clinch.
Austin looks for a takedown but Waul sprawls well.
Paul Waul has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Steve Austin.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Nice body kick there by Waul.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Waul has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Austin.
Austin misses with a kick to the body.
Waul swats away the attempt to clinch by Austin.
Austin misses with a hook to the body
and Waul counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Waul shoots in looking for a takedown. Austin tries to sprawl out of it but Waul keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Austin manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Austin drops Waul with a right and a left! Austin comes rushing in but Waul regains his composure and manages to keep Austin in guard.

It looks like Paul Waul has been cut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Austin would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Waul working a defensive guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Austin tries to stand but Waul is controlling from the bottom.
Waul wants to control the position but Austin says "no thanks buddy" and passes to half guard.
It looks like Austin is going to stand back up.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fight is doing enough on the ground.
Waul looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Austin throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Austin throws a body kick, spinning off balance
enabling Waul to counter with a crisp jab.
Paul Waul is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nice shot by Waul.

Waul takes the fight into the clinch.

Austin manages to break the clinch.
Steve Austin seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Waul will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Austin throws a combination that misses

and Waul counters with a single leg into guard. Austin didn't expect that.
Austin has his hands on Waul's head, controlling the position.
Waul with a flurry of punches that miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Waul passes Austin's right leg, so he's now in half guard.

Waul is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Austin has managed to free his arm - good work.
Waul thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Austin to regain full guard.
Waul pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Austin is keeping the position for now.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Waul sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Austin's guard.

Waul is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Steve Austin showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Paul Waul's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Austin tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Waul swivels and escapes.
Austin avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Austin will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Austin falls off balance throwing a combination
and Austin takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Waul misses with a head kick.
Waul lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Austin tries a head kick but it misses.
Waul scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Waul shoots for a takedown but Austin saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Austin blocks a head kick by Waul.
Waul scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Waul checks a low kick from Austin.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Austin throws a combination that misses

and Waul counters by moving into the clinch.
Austin misses with some punches.
Austin jumps guard but Waul stands there with Austin around his waist. Austin gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Paul Waul has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Steve Austin.

Waul jumps guard and drags Austin to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

Waul throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

Waul is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Waul throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Austin stops Waul from standing up.
Austin wants to get up but he can't break Waul's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Waul trying to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Waul is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Waul is on top in guard.
Waul trying to control the position from guard on top but Austin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Waul postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Waul trying to control the position from guard on top but Austin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Austin preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Waul passes easily into side control. Nice work.

Waul goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Austin has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Waul but great work by Austin.
Waul is looking to reverse the position.
You can see the frustration on Waul's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Waul manages to get back to half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Waul clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Waul's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Austin.
Waul connects with the punch.
Waul throws a series of punches but Austin avoids them all with ease.
Austin falls off balance throwing a combination
and Austin takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Austin avoids the body shot from Waul.
Austin will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Austin with a poor takedown
and Waul counters with a nice body shot.

Waul closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Waul lands in his opponent's guard.
Paul Waul overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Waul wants to control from the top but Austin keeps moving.
Waul looking to sit in guard and control but Austin gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Waul working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Austin doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Austin manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Austin content to stall in guard here.
Austin would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.

Waul is looking for a triangle but Austin pushes his legs off easily.
Austin wants to stand but Waul has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

Waul had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Austin is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Waul Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Austin's back instead.
Austin is trying to get back to his feet but he's not managed it yet.

Austin showing good submission defense here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Austin controlling the position well but he knows he's in a bad position.
Waul somehow managing to miss with a strike from the back.
Austin looking to stop the rear naked choke attempt by controlling the hands.
Even with his hooks in, Waul manages to miss with strikes from the back.
Waul trying to control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.

Waul working for a choke but Austin is defending well.

Waul working for a choke but Austin reverses nicely into Waul 's guard.
Waul is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Waul had his way with Steve Austin in that round.
The cut man is working on Paul Waul'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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Waul shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
A jab from Austin does it's job there.
Austin misses with a wild combination.
Austin stuffs the takedown.

Austin fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Waul sprawls well initially but Austin persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Waul wants to get back to his feet.
Austin is thwarting Waul's attempts to control the position.
Waul works his way to full guard. Good work.
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.
Austin wants to stand but Waul has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Waul looking for a sweep. Not yet Waul, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Waul has an omoplata and is looking to use it perhaps as a submission or perhaps to transition. Austin is in a bit of discomfort here, but he's managed to free himself and has dived into side control! That didn't work out too well for Waul.
Waul is trying to improve his position.

Austin stands up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Austin tries to clinch up.
Austin throws a head kick that misses.
Waul has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Austin gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Waul counters with a straight right hand.

Waul drives through with a takedown into guard.
Austin avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Austin is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.

Waul decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Austin, up you get!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Austin wants to clinch but Waul slips to the side

and Waul counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Waul.

Austin pushes Waul off and gets back to his feet.
Austin wants to clinch but Waul slips to the side
and Waul counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Austin moves in looking to clinch but Waul pushes him off.
Austin throws a leg kick which misses Waul's front leg but catches the back leg as Waul tries to avoid it.
Waul uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Austin.
A low kick from Waul misses

and Austin counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for leaving it all in the cage!
Waul trying to get back to full guard but Austin takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
Waul is desperately trying to improve his position but Austin has a good base and remains in mount.
Waul is working hard here to advance position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Austin stands up from the dominant position. He obviously fancies his chances standing.
Some wild striking there from Austin.
Waul shoots in for a double leg but Austin sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Waul. That's going to take a lot out of him.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Austin throws a leg kick but Waul sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Waul misses with a few strikes there.
Austin has his takedown stuffed
and Waul counters with a one-two to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Steve Austin comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Austin 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 Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 47:48
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 47:48
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Steve Austin!
Steve Austin is the new heavyweight champion!