PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Marcus Short (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Phillip Musick (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Short
vs
Musick

175 cm
18
278 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

225 cm
18
275 lbs
0 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Marcus Short!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of London, Phillip Musick!
The judges for this bout are Chris Edwards, Paul Tew and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Short stuffs the takedown.
Musick wants to clinch up but Short keeps it at a distance.
Short throws a right and a left that both miss.
Short looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Short tries to bum rush Musick with a series of wild strikes but Musick uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
The fight stays on the outside here - Musick looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Musick.
Short misses with a jab, cross combination.
Short throws a nice looking combination but Musick bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Musick fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Marcus Short has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Phillip Musick.
Musick looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Short is fending him off so far but Musick persists. Nope, Short circles away and we're back to standing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Musick looks to clinch
and Short counters with a series of strikes. Musick will be more careful next time no doubt.
Short looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Musick with a poor takedown
and Short counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Musick tries to clinch but Short moves out of range.
Musick dives in and grabs Short's left leg, looking for a takedown. Short pushes down on Musick's head and hops out.
Musick looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Musick shoots in for a double leg but Short sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Musick looks winded!

Short looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Musick!
Short misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Musick is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Musick dodges the ground and pound from Short.
Short throws a strike aimed at the side of Musick's head but Musick avoids it well.
Short looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Musick is avoiding damage well.
Short misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Musick tries to bench press Short off him but Short keeps the position.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Musick is not content to let Short control the position.
Short throws a strike aimed at the side of Musick's head but Musick avoids it well.
Musick tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Short presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Short looking to finish with strikes here!
Musick tries to hold on but Short postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Musick is in all sorts of trouble here.
Short thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Musick is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Short tries to control but Musick wriggling away.
Short is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Short landing strikes, looking to finish!
Short is landing with some decent strikes but Musick is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Short throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Musick because Short loaded up on that one.
Short content just to control the position here.
Musick blocking the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Short fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Short has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Musick's face.
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!
Musick is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Musick is squirming around, avoiding Short's attempts to control the action.
Musick tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Short controlling from the full mount.
Short fails to move to back control.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Short landing strikes from the mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Short dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Short closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Musick to the mat! Musick manages to get full guard.
Short has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Short with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Musick is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Short is controlling him.
Short could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.

Musick throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Short loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Short throws a big right hand that misses.
Musick lands a couple of shots from the bottom.
Musick is adopting a defensive guard.
Musick is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Short dives into side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Musick manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Marcus Short overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Short trying to control here.
Musick is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.

Short looking for submissions off his back.
Short might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Musick working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Musick is thwarting Short's attempts to control the position.
Short is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Short is trying is best to control the position here.
Musick sitting and controlling from the half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Short is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Musick passes into side control, despite Short's attempt to control the position.
Musick wants to control but Short is keeping him busy.
Short tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.
Short is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Musick looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Musick looking to control but Short is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

Musick is going oldschool here, as he tries to force Short to tap using a forearm choke. This isn't 1993 though, so Short shrugs it off.
Musick is breathing heavily.
Short wants to hold on but Musick pushes him away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Musick breaks from Short's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Short is looking to get to half guard.
Musick trying to control but Short is having none of it.
The referee warns Short that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Musick avoids the attempt from Short to control.
Short is looking to get to half guard.
Short is squirming around, avoiding Musick's attempts to control the action.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Musick working Short over with strikes here.
Short taking shots to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Musick is standing up, even though he is in mount.
Musick is looking to clinch but Short is avoiding it.
Musick goes for a double leg but Short avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Short continues to drive forward.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Musick.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Short tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Musick just stands there and leans against the cage.
Musick is trying to pull guard but Short has him pressed against the cage.
Short takes an elbow to the forehead.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phillip Musick 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!

Short throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Short swats away the attempt to clinch by Musick.
Musick misses with a kick to the body.
Short lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Musick at a distance.
Short avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Musick shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Short pinned against the cage. Short gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Musick looks for a takedown but Short sprawls well.
Musick takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Musick fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Short misses with a series of wild punches.

Short fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Musick to the ground. Short is now in Musick's guard.
Musick trying to control the position here.
Short postures up in Musick's guard and throws a big left but Musick blocks it.
Musick looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Short throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Musick keeping moving, preventing Short from controlling successfully.
Short won't allow Musick to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Musick preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Musick preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Musick tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Musick keeps trying to improve his position.
Musick avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Short throwing strikes but missing.
Short with a flurry of punches that miss.
Short postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Short working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Short engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Musick looking to hit a scissor sweep but Short is one step ahead there.
Short throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Musick has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Short off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Short lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Short throws a right and a left that both miss.
Short takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Short shoots in looking for a takedown but Musick manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Short's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Musick shoots in for a takedown but Short shows good takedown defense.
Marcus Short has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Phillip Musick.
Musick tries to close the distance and clinch up but Short swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Sloppy strikes from Short. Those never looked like landing.
Short misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Short darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Short trying to control from Musick's half guard. Musick has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Musick wants to stand and escape but Short is having none of it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marcus Short showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Short 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 Chris Edwards scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 29:28
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 29:28

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