PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Eric Stratton (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gunnar Nelson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighter's entrance songs getting the crowd jumping here.

Stratton
vs
Nelson

188 cm
31
201 lbs
16 - 10 - 0

188 cm
31
200 lbs
15 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Good knees
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 16 - 10 - 0, fighting out of New York, Eric Stratton!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Gunnar Nelson!
The judges for this bout are Columbo Gatti, Bruno Lombardi and Jorge Garcia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stratton throws a good cross that connects.
Nelson ducks under a wild hook from Stratton.
Stratton definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Nelson tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Stratton paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Stratton tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Nelson was well out of range. Poor timing from Stratton.
Stratton rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Nelson moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Stratton showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Nelson.

Stratton dives in and scores a takedown into Nelson's guard.
Stratton trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

Nelson is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Stratton slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Stratton preventing the sweep.
Nelson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Stratton controls the pace.
Nelson looking for a sweep. Not yet Nelson, not yet.
Stratton looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Eric Stratton has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Stratton swings for the body but Nelson moves out of range.
Nelson throws the left hand but Stratton avoids the punch easily.
Stratton throws a series of punches but Nelson moves out of range.
Stratton moves away from the strike by Nelson.
A jab from Stratton finds it's way through Nelson's defenses.
Nelson moves in looking to clinch but Stratton pushes him off.
Nelson tries to score a power double leg takedown but Stratton sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Nelson somewhat.
Nelson looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Nelson throws a low kick but it's checked well by Stratton.
Stratton misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nelson.
Stratton shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Nelson pinned against the cage. Nelson gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nelson misses with a looping right.
Stratton scores with a jab.
Nelson looks to score with a jab to the body but Stratton is just out of range.
Stratton scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Nelson misses the jab.
Nelson throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Stratton shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nelson moves into full guard.
Nelson looking for a sweep. Not yet Nelson, not yet.
Stratton's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Nelson trying to keep a closed guard but Stratton is proving a slippery customer.
Stratton stopping the sweep attempt from Nelson.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nelson pulls Stratton in close to his closed guard and prevents Stratton from doing any damage or advancing position.
Stratton content to stall in guard here.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Eric Stratton wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Stratton shoots in but Nelson avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Stratton misses with a looping left.
Stratton connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Stratton punishes Nelson's body with a nice straight punch.
We've been informed that Nelson has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Stratton lands a body shot.
Nelson tried to score with a low kick but Stratton checks it.
Nelson stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Eric Stratton. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nelson will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Nelson looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Stratton is fending him off so far but Nelson persists. Nope, Stratton circles away and we're back to standing.

Stratton gets a double leg takedown into Nelson's guard.
Stratton has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Stratton not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Stratton sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Nelson's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Stratton performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Nelson gets back to full guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Stratton is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Stratton has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eric Stratton dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Stratton dives in for a single leg takedown but Nelson sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Stratton is trying to stall.
Stratton swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A battle for position here, against the cage.

Stratton lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Nelson trying to hold on to Stratton's head to control him but Stratton postures up.
Nelson wants to get back to full guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Stratton in particular looking to stall.
Stratton prevents Nelson from improving his position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stratton is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.

Nelson is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Stratton pulls his head out easily.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Stratton works his foot free and advances to mount.
Nelson wants to hold on but Stratton pushes him away.
Nelson is trying to escape the mount.
Nelson is squirming around, avoiding Stratton's attempts to control the action.
Nelson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stratton content just to control the position here.
Nelson tries to reverse the position but Stratton maintains control.
Nelson tries to hold on but Stratton postures up.
Nelson really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Stratton sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Nelson can't escape the position.
Stratton looking to control and managing it successfully.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stratton seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Nelson for as long as he can get away with.

We're going to have a standup here because Eric Stratton wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Stratton misses with the combination.
Nelson throws out a loose jab but Stratton uses good head movement to avoid it.
Nelson misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Stratton.
Eric Stratton seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nelson loads up on a big right hand but Stratton slips the punch.
Nelson connects with a looping right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Stratton closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Nelson quickly recovers to half guard.
Stratton with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Nelson tries to get to full guard but Stratton has control of the leg.
Stratton stalling.
The fighters are battling for position here. Nelson manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
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!
Stratton engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Stratton wants to control from the top but Nelson keeps moving.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Stratton looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eric Stratton dominated that second round.
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. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Stratton closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Nelson manages to get to full guard.

Nelson is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Nelson is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Nelson trying to strike off his back.
Nelson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Stratton controls the pace.
Nelson keeping moving, preventing Stratton from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Eric Stratton.
Stratton stuffs the takedown.

Stratton scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
Nelson flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Stratton controlling the action here.
Nelson trying to control from the bottom.
Stratton is figuring out what he wants to do next.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Stratton trying to control the action but Nelson is working from the bottom.
Gunnar Nelson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Eric Stratton wasn't doing enough on the ground.

Stratton feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Nelson wants to sweep here but Stratton controlling him for the moment.
Stratton not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Nelson is trying to control the position but Stratton postures up.

Nelson has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Stratton can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Stratton slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Nelson 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.
Stratton seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Eric Stratton just wasn't active enough.

Stratton shoots in and bounces Nelson off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Nelson looking for a sweep. Not yet Nelson, not yet.
Stratton engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Nelson keeping moving, preventing Stratton from controlling successfully.
Nelson trying to strike off his back.
Stratton controls from within his opponent's guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

We're going to have a standup here because Eric Stratton wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Nelson misses with a low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nelson lands a nice leg kick that just misses Stratton's sensitive parts.
Stratton fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Nelson avoids it really well and circles away.
Nelson tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Stratton manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
A jab from Stratton finds it's way through Nelson's defenses.
Stratton lands with an overhand left.
Nelson dives in and grabs Stratton's left leg, looking for a takedown. Stratton pushes down on Nelson's head and hops out.
Stratton stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Nelson.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A cross from Nelson lands.
Nelson missing with a left hand there. Stratton was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Stratton tries to bum rush Nelson with a series of wild strikes but Nelson uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A jab from Nelson misses.
Stratton clobbers Nelson with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Nelson misses with a wild body shot.

And that's the end of the fight!
Eric Stratton showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Stratton has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Columbo Gatti scores the fight 30:27
Judge Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Eric Stratton!