PBP Commentary

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

West
vs
Shaults

225 cm
24
151 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

180 cm
22
148 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Very confident

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Alden West!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Dan Shaults!
The judges for this bout are Konstantin Menshow, Vladimir Khabensky and Valeri Chadov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Shaults has West up against the cage in a clinch.
Shaults tries to pull guard but West won't allow it.
West avoiding damage.
Shaults wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but West has him pressed against the cage.

Shaults's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Shaults throws a series of punches but West avoids them all with ease.

Shaults moves into the clinch successfully.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Shaults wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Shaults tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and West avoids it.
West stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
West tries a knee to the head but Shaults blocks it.
Shaults tries to pull guard but West holds him up against the cage and eventually Shaults drops back down to his feet.

West escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's one minute gone in the round.
West moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Shaults gets in close and instigates a clinch.
West stalls.

Shaults pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Shaults circles away from the clinch attempt.
West really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.

Shaults rushes West and presses him up against the cage.
West holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Shaults is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
West putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Shaults in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
West has Shaults pressed against the cage, preventing Shaults from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Shaults softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.

West pulls guard effortlessly.

Shaults stands up and waves to West to follow him.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Shaults misses with a double jab

and West moves into the clinch.
Shaults is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Shaults is trying to break the clinch but West has him pressed against the cage.
Shaults tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Shaults throws a head punch that misses.
West effectively controlling the action here.
Shaults looking for a takedown.
Alden West has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dan Shaults.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
West has Shaults pressed against the cage, preventing Shaults from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Shaults tries for a takedown but West manages to get underhooks.
West is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Shaults misses with a short punch on the inside.
Shaults is looking for a takedown up against the cage. West gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Shaults working hard to break the clinch.
Shaults working hard to break the clinch.
West manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Shaults tries to stall but West uses the opportunity to gain a better position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shaults throws a head punch that misses.
West is pressed up against the cage. Shaults has hold of a leg and is looking to drag West down to the mat. West avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

West gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
West will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Shaults up against the cage.
Shaults tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
West has Shaults pressed against the cage.
West prevents Shaults from breaking the clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Shaults is looking for a takedown.

Shaults's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Dan Shaults dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Shaults looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Shaults throws a push kick but West slaps the foot to one side.
West tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Shaults throws a hook but West avoids it easily.
Shaults misses with a few strikes there.

West shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Shaults manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
West is looking to work some ground and pound but Shaults has wrist control.
Shaults is trying to hold West in close to prevent damage but West has managed to pass into half guard.
West tries to stand but can't do so whilst Shaults controls his leg.
West thows a huge punch but Shaults dodges it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
West throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
West tries to stand and escape but Shaults is controlling the position.
Shaults on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
West throwing shots but Shaults is blocking nicely.
Shaults wants to get back to his feet.
West sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Shaults defending well though.

West stands up and beckons Shaults to join him on the feet.
Shaults misses with a wild combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shaults throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped

and West moves into the clinch.

West has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Shaults uses from the top position.

West looking for a guillotine here but Shaults defends easily.
West keeping moving, preventing Shaults from controlling successfully.
West will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shaults is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Dan Shaults hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
West ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Shaults throws a series of punches but West avoids them all with ease.
Alden West is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nice jab there from West.
West works the jab nicely.

Shaults has managed to clinch.
Shaults looks to throw an elbow but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shaults trying to stall but West improves his position.
West is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Shaults.
West effectively controlling the action here.
Shaults looking to slow down the pace here.

West breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Shaults has closed the distance and engaged West in a clinch.
Shaults leaning against his opponent.
Shaults tries a knee to the head but West blocks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alden West dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

A telegraphed takedown attempt from Shaults is defended easily by West.

West closes the distance and clinches.
Shaults is trying to drag West to the mat but West just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
The referee calls for West to work.

West pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Shaults fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with West, pushing him back against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by West.
West holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Shaults swings wildly with an uppercut but West uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shaults misses with a short punch on the inside.
Shaults misses with a punch on the inside.
West is struggling to control the position.
Shaults is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
West has Shaults pressed against the cage, preventing Shaults from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
West slows down the pace here.
West gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.
Shaults tries to stall but West uses the opportunity to gain a better position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
West prevents the takedown attempt.
Alden West has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Dan Shaults.
Shaults is trying to force a seperation but West has the dominant position.
Shaults wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Shaults has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. West is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

West manages to break the clinch.

West closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

West manages to break the clinch.

Shaults closes the distance and clinches.
Shaults wants a takedown but no success here.

West gets control of Shaults's arms and successfully pulls guard. West will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Shaults gets to his feet. West looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shaults throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
West throws a series of punches but Shaults moves out of range.

Shaults has West up against the cage in a clinch.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
West lands a hook that snaps the head of Shaults backwards.
West leaning his opponent against the cage.

West's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Shaults misses with a jab, cross combination.

West clinches up against the cage.
West will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Shaults up against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
West prevents Shaults from breaking the clinch.
Shaults has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. West avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Shaults wants to break free but West has control.
Shaults is trying to force a seperation but West has the dominant position.
West keeps control of Shaults as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Shaults fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

West has double underhooks and is working for a body lock takedown. He's got it. The fighters land in half guard but Shaults regains guard immediately.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
West trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
West throws a big right hand that misses.

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 Alden West.
I think West 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 Konstantin Menshow scores the fight 29:28
Judge Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 29:28
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alden West!