PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Luigi Marshall (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Dan Hardy (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dan Hardy will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Marshall
vs
Hardy

206 cm
18
177 lbs
3 - 4 - 0

183 cm
22
170 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Luigi Marshall!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Dan Hardy!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Stewart Dunkirk and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hardy shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Marshall but Marshall pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Marshall fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hardy manages to avoid it.
Hardy fails to land the takedown.
Hardy throws a sloppy head kick and Marshall moves out of range easily.
Marshall looks to throw the jab but Hardy is out of range.
Hardy gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Marshall counters by moving into the clinch.
Luigi Marshall has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dan Hardy.
Hardy tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Marshall just stands there and leans against the cage.

Hardy drags the fight down to the ground.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Marshall wants to stand but Hardy has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Marshall throws a big right hand that misses.
Marshall distracts Hardy with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Marshall with a flurry of punches that miss.

Hardy looking for a guillotine here but Marshall defends easily.
Marshall missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

Hardy wriggles free and stands up.

Marshall rushes Hardy and presses him up against the cage.
Marshall pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

Marshall manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Marshall is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Marshall tries to strike from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marshall is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Marshall 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.
Hardy looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Horrible takedown by Hardy or perhaps it was just good defense by Marshall which made him look bad.
Marshall looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Hardy is fending him off so far but Marshall persists. Nope, Hardy circles away and we're back to standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice takedown defense from Marshall. No joy for Hardy on that attempt.
Hardy lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Marshall at a distance.
Hardy tests Marshall's chin there with a solid looking shot.

Hardy gets a clinch.

Hardy breaks from the clinch.

Marshall closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Hardy's guard.
Marshall working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Hardy's head.
Marshall scoring with punches to the head and body.
Marshall scoring with punches to the head and body.
Hardy utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Marshall stands and steps away. Hardy gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Marshall closes the distance and clinches up with Hardy, looking for a takedown. Marshall pushes Hardy against the cage but Hardy circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

Hardy clinches with his opponent.
Hardy blocks an uppercut.
Nice body punch from Hardy.
Hardy on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Marshall taking a breather.

Hardy's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hardy uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Marshall.
Dan Hardy seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Marshall swings for the body but Hardy moves out of range.
Hardy misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Marshall wants to clinch up but Hardy keeps it at a distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luigi Marshall dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Hardy delivers a nice body kick.

Hardy clinches up against the cage.
Marshall pushes off an throws an elbow but Hardy leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Hardy lands a body punch.
Marshall can't find room to land a body shot as Hardy controls the action.
Hardy jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Marshall walks away with a smile on his face. Hardy gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Hardy shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Marshall as he jumps to the side.
Hardy throws a sloppy head kick and Marshall moves out of range easily.
Hardy shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Marshall but Marshall pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Luigi Marshall has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dan Hardy.
Hardy avoids the body shot from Marshall.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hardy misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Marshall defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Hardy.
Hardy is breathing heavily.
Hardy misses with a two punch combination.
Hardy closes the distance and clinches up with Marshall, looking for a takedown. Hardy pushes Marshall against the cage but Marshall circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Dan Hardy is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Marshall clinches.
Marshall pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Marshall trying to land knees to the body.

Hardy pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Hardy avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Marshall swings widly with a right hand
and Hardy counters with a body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Horrible takedown by Marshall or perhaps it was just good defense by Hardy which made him look bad.
Marshall is trying hard to land a takedown here. Hardy sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Hardy dives in and grabs Marshall's left leg, looking for a takedown. Marshall pushes down on Hardy's head and hops out.
Nice sprawl there from Marshall as Hardy shoots in.
Hardy swats away the attempt to clinch by Marshall.

Marshall closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Hardy quickly recovers to half guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hardy tries to roll over but Marshall keeps him under control.

Marshall is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Hardy sees it coming and defends easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Marshall thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Hardy's head.

Marshall is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.

Hardy is defending against the submission attempts here by Marshall.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Marshall is trying to work for a kimura but Hardy is defending well.
Hardy trying to control from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Marshall will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Marshall not landing any meaningful shots this time.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Marshall lands a nice short elbow.
Marshall throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Hardy avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Marshall.

Marshall is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Hardy keeps control of the position for the meantime.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Marshall is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Hardy is just riding it out for now. Marshall eventually gives up the hold.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luigi Marshall dominated that second round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Marshall shoots for a takedown but Hardy saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Marshall stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Marshall wants it to stay on the feet.
Hardy defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Marshall.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Marshall is defended easily by Hardy.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Luigi Marshall. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Marshall looking to score a takedown here. Hardy is defending well but Marshall drives through and ends up in Hardy's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Marshall got a little sloppy there for a moment and Hardy has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Marshall has managed to get both his arms back between Hardy's legs - danger averted.
Hardy wants to stand and escape but Marshall is having none of it.
Marshall really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Marshall postures up in Hardy's guard and throws a big left but Hardy blocks it.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Marshall accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Marshall distracts Hardy with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Hardy is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Hardy takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Hardy utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

Marshall postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Hardy is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Marshall, into his guard.
Marshall is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Hardy is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marshall trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Marshall keeping moving, preventing Hardy from controlling successfully.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Dan Hardy was stalling too much, according to the referee.

Hardy forces Marshall back against the cage and clinches.
Hardy blocks the elbow strike.
Hardy is stalling here.

Hardy pulls guard.
Marshall throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Hardy works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Hardy looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

Hardy working for a triangle but Marshall defends it easily.
Marshall would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Marshall throwing strikes from guard but Hardy blocks nicely.

Hardy looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Luigi Marshall overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Marshall trying to stand up but can't free himself from Hardy's guard.
Marshall trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Marshall is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Dan Hardy has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Luigi Marshall is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Marshall drops back, looking for a kneebar! Hardy looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Hardy looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Hardy!

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Luigi Marshall.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Marshall, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Gwen Towbar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 29:28
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Luigi Marshall!