PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Marcus Hester (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mariusz Pudzianowski (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Pudzianowski's choice of entrance music: Pudzian Band - Dawaj Na Ring. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Hester
vs
Pudzianowski

194 cm
24
270 lbs
7 - 6 - 0

186 cm
23
265 lbs
5 - 8 - 0

Good takedowns
Solid boxing
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Good low kicks
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Marcus Hester!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mariusz Pudzianowski!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Chris Downing and George Francis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pudzianowski misses with a series of wild punches.
Pudzianowski looks to land a combination but Hester avoids it well.
Pudzianowski tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Hester was well out of range. Poor timing from Pudzianowski.
Hester dives in and grabs Pudzianowski's left leg, looking for a takedown. Pudzianowski pushes down on Hester's head and hops out.
Pudzianowski swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Hester counters with a stiff right hand.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Pudzianowski misses with a series of wild punches.
Pudzianowski rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hester moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Hester fails in his attempt to clinch.
Hester tries to close the distance and clinch but Pudzianowski swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Pudzianowski throws a nice looking combination but Hester bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Pudzianowski falls off balance throwing a combination
and Hester makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Pudzianowski lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hester circles away quickly and effectively.
Hester wants to clinch.
Hester tries to score a power double leg takedown but Pudzianowski sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Hester somewhat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hester fails with an attempt to clinch.
Left hook, right uppercut from Pudzianowski.

It looks like Marcus Hester has been cut.
Pudzianowski falls off balance throwing a combination
and Hester counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Mariusz Pudzianowski seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Pudzianowski throws a head kick that lands with a deafening thwack! The crowd roars as Hester stumbles backwards and falls to the mat. Pudzianowski follows into mount!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Pudzianowski can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Hester is looking to escape.

Pudzianowski gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pudzianowski throws a right and a left that both miss.
Hester is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Pudzianowski avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Some wild striking there from Pudzianowski.
Pudzianowski lands with a straight right. Hester didn't see that one coming.

Marcus Hester's cut is getting worse.
Pudzianowski misses with a series of wild punches.
Hester tries to clinch but Pudzianowski is having none of it.
Pudzianowski throws a body kick that misses.
Pudzianowski tries to bum rush Hester with a series of wild strikes but Hester uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Hester doesn't manage to clinch there - Pudzianowski circles away.
Pudzianowski throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Hester sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Mariusz Pudzianowski is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Pudzianowski misses with a body punch
and Hester counters with a straight right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A punch combination from Pudzianowski misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Pudzianowski misses the target.
Pudzianowski looks winded!

Hester clinches with his opponent.
A short right from Hester.
Hester misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Hester misses with the head strike.
Hester keeps control of Pudzianowski as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Hester has a couple of punches blocked by Pudzianowski.

Pudzianowski breaks the clinch.
Pudzianowski fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Hester lands a glancing blow to the side of Pudzianowski's head.
Pudzianowski throws a left and a right that both miss

and Hester holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Pudzianowski wants to break the clinch but can't.
Hester has a couple of punches blocked by Pudzianowski.
Hester swings wildly with an uppercut but Pudzianowski uses good head movement to avoid it.

Pudzianowski's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pudzianowski swats away the attempt to clinch by Hester.
Pudzianowski tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Hester tries to close the distance and clinch up but Pudzianowski swats him away and circles back towards the center.
No joy there for Pudzianowski, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A punch combination from Pudzianowski misses.
Some wild striking there from Pudzianowski.
Pudzianowski throws a right and a left that Hester avoids nicely.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hester swinging wildly here.
Hester turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pudzianowski throws a half hearted mid kick.
Pudzianowski throws a combination that misses
and Hester counters with a left and a right that stings Pudzianowski.
Hester fails in his attempt to clinch.
Pudzianowski keeps the fight on the outside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mariusz Pudzianowski dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Marcus Hester's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Pudzianowski throws a right and a left that Hester avoids nicely.
Pudzianowski throws a combination that misses
letting Hester counter with a right hand.
Hester moves out of range of the body kick.
Pudzianowski lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Pudzianowski throws a series of punches but Hester moves out of range.

Hester pushes Pudzianowski up against the cage in a clinch.
Hester lands a hook to the side of the head.
Pudzianowski blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Pudzianowski tries to break the clinch but Hester is controlling the position.
Pudzianowski blocks a body shot from Hester.

Pudzianowski's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Mariusz Pudzianowski seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Pudzianowski scores with a body shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Hester takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab, cross combination.
Pudzianowski is breathing heavily.
Pudzianowski throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Pudzianowski misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hester.
Hester slips a straight right by Pudzianowski.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pudzianowski keeps the fight on the outside.
Pudzianowski misses with a straight right.
Hester tries to clinch there but Pudzianowski circles away.
Pudzianowski is looking to score with low kicks.
Hester tries to clinch but Pudzianowski moves out of range.
Pudzianowski is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Hester rather than just go for the knockout.
Hester bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Hester scores with a hook.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Hester showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Pudzianowski.
Hester is looking to clinch.
Pudzianowski lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A low kick from Pudzianowski is predictable there

and Hester counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Hester fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hester looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hester prevents Pudzianowski from breaking the clinch.
Hester slows down the pace here.

Pudzianowski breaks from the clinch.

Hester moves into the clinch.
Pudzianowski is trying to push Hester away but Hester has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Pudzianowski escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Pudzianowski is really struggling to land any decent head shots against his taller opponent.

Hester gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Pudzianowski manages to break the clinch.
Pudzianowski swats away the attempt to clinch by Hester.
Pudzianowski throws a combination that misses
and Hester cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Pudzianowski lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hester circles away quickly and effectively.
Some wild striking there from Pudzianowski.
Pudzianowski avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hester uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.

Hester is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Pudzianowski's half guard.
Pudzianowski blocking the ground and pound attempt from Hester.
Hester frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Hester lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Pudzianowski is bucking up trying to escape but Hester cracks him with another couple of good strikes.

Hester with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
Hester wants to control the pace but Pudzianowski is squirming around nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pudzianowski takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Hester wants to control the pace but Pudzianowski is squirming around nicely.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Pudzianowski can do anything to dispel that myth.
Hester landing strikes from the mount and Pudzianowski is in trouble!
Hester has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Pudzianowski's face.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Hester trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Hester fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Hester dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Marcus Hester's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Pudzianowski throws a series of punches but Hester moves out of range.
Nice jab there from Pudzianowski.
Pudzianowski throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.

Hester moves into the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Hester.
Hester swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Pudzianowski escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A swing and a miss from Pudzianowski.
Pudzianowski throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Pudzianowski pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Pudzianowski falls off balance throwing a combination
enabling Hester to counter with a crisp jab.
Pudzianowski misses with a jab, cross combination.
Pudzianowski misses with a right hand
and Hester counters with a nice uppercut.
Pudzianowski takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Hester tries to close the distance and clinch up but Pudzianowski swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hester fails with an attempt to clinch.
Pudzianowski throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hester.

Hester dives in and scores a takedown into Pudzianowski's guard.
Hester is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Hester slips nicely into half guard.
Hester perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Pudzianowski has hold of Hester's hands but Hester slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Hester seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Pudzianowski does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
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.
Hester not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Pudzianowski wants to get back to his feet.
Hester has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Pudzianowski won't allow Hester to pass to mount.
Hester is trying to control. Pudzianowski wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Hester uses his free foot to push down on Pudzianowski's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Pudzianowski.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hester in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Hester lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Hester scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Pudzianowski?

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hester looking to control but Pudzianowski is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Hester with shots to the head and body - Pudzianowski looks very uncomfortable down there.

Hester jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Pudzianowski manages to avoid the submission attempt.
A lull in the action here as Hester stalls from top position.
Hester working the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pudzianowski taking punishment in the form of punches.
Hester trying to control the action but Pudzianowski is working from the bottom.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Pudzianowski on the wrong end of some ground and pound.
Pudzianowski really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Hester. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Hester is trying to get an arm triangle but Pudzianowski is defending well.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marcus Hester showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Hester has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Frank Dennis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 29:28
Judge George Francis scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marcus Hester!