PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Jimbo Stapelstaden (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Hughes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Stapelstaden
vs
Hughes

184 cm
22
183 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

176 cm
22
181 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

recos laboratory

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jimbo Stapelstaden!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Matt Hughes!
The judges for this bout are Johanna Lukiainen, Roosa Järviläinen and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Hughes drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Stapelstaden keeping moving, preventing Hughes from controlling successfully.
Stapelstaden knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Hughes on the ground.
Stapelstaden on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Stapelstaden tries to get out of the position.
Stapelstaden trying to control the position.
Hughes trying to control the position from guard on top but Stapelstaden is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hughes stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Stapelstaden swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Stapelstaden keeping moving, preventing Hughes from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hughes controls from within his opponent's guard.
Stapelstaden has Hughes pulled in close to control his posture.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Hughes misses with an attempted mid kick.
Stapelstaden tries to close the distance and clinch but Hughes swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Stapelstaden tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hughes swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Hughes misses with a straight left.

Stapelstaden takes the fight into the clinch.
Hughes misses with a punch to the body.
Hughes wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Stapelstaden blocks a body shot from Hughes.

Stapelstaden manages to break the clinch.
Jimbo Stapelstaden seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Stapelstaden lands with a hook. Hughes tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Stapelstaden moves in looking to clinch but Hughes pushes him off.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch but Hughes is having none of it.
Stapelstaden is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Stapelstaden is looking to clinch but Hughes is avoiding it.
Stapelstaden is looking to clinch but Hughes is avoiding it.
Stapelstaden fails in his attempt to clinch.
Stapelstaden tries to close the distance and clinch up but Hughes swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Stapelstaden tries to close the distance and clinch but Hughes swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch up.
Stapelstaden is looking to clinch but Hughes is avoiding it.
Stapelstaden avoids a kick to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stapelstaden tries to close the distance and clinch but Hughes swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Stapelstaden doesn't manage to clinch there - Hughes circles away.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch up.
Stapelstaden is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Jimbo Stapelstaden is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hughes misses with a hook. Stapelstaden ducked under it nicely.
Hughes wants to clinch.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch
and Hughes counters with a right hand to the body.
Stapelstaden tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Hughes counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch but Hughes moves away

and Hughes holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Hughes trying to land knees to the body.

Stapelstaden breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Hughes fails in his attempt to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch up

and Hughes counters by moving into the clinch.
Stapelstaden controlling the action here for a moment.
Hughes is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.

Stapelstaden pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch but Hughes moves away

and Hughes counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Stapelstaden!
Hughes throwing strikes but Stapelstaden recovers to half guard. A much better position.
Stapelstaden is staying active underneath Hughes, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Hughes controlling the action here.
Hughes tries to pass to full mount but Stapelstaden defends it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Hughes dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Stapelstaden tries to clinch but Hughes moves away

and Hughes counters with a nice double leg into side control. Stapelstaden won't be happy with that.
Hughes working the head and body with strikes.
Hughes wants to lay and pray for a moment but Stapelstaden keeps working.
Hughes misses with the ground and pound.
Hughes misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Hughes wants to lay and pray for a moment but Stapelstaden keeps working.
Stapelstaden managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Hughes.
Hughes landing strikes.
Hughes scores with punches from side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Hughes is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Stapelstaden is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Hughes is working Stapelstaden over with some ground and pound from side control.
Stapelstaden is looking to reverse the position.
Hughes working the ground and pound but Stapelstaden is defending the strikes.
Hughes lands some shots froms side control.
Hughes working the head with strikes.
Hughes lands a few punches from side control.
Hughes wants to control but Stapelstaden is keeping him busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stapelstaden defending against the ground and pound.
Hughes has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Hughes remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Hughes scores with punches from side control.
Hughes sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Stapelstaden is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Stapelstaden defending against the ground and pound.
Hughes in side control lands a decent elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hughes working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Hughes goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Stapelstaden rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Hughes's guard! Nice work there by Stapelstaden!
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Hughes can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Stapelstaden controls the pace.
Hughes wants to sweep but no luck.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Hughes holds on and takes a little breather.
Stapelstaden preventing the sweep.

Hughes keeping busy on the bottom but Stapelstaden has passed one foot through into half guard.
Hughes tries to roll over but Stapelstaden keeps him under control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Matt Hughes showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Stapelstaden clinches up against the cage.

Stapelstaden breaks from the clinch.
Hughes throws a nice looking combination but Stapelstaden bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Stapelstaden closes the distance looking to clinch

and Hughes counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Hughes throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Stapelstaden works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Hughes postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Hughes controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hughes forces his way into half guard.
Hughes trying to control from Stapelstaden's half guard. Stapelstaden has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Hughes trying to control the position from guard on top but Stapelstaden is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Hughes looking to pass the guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Stapelstaden keeping moving, preventing Hughes from controlling successfully.
Hughes trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Stapelstaden working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Hughes.
Hughes wants to control from the top but Stapelstaden keeps moving.
Hughes is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Hughes ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hughes wants to clinch.
Stapelstaden tries to grapple but his opponent circles

and Hughes counters by clinching up.
Hughes misses with a punch on the inside.

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

Stapelstaden moves into range and clinches up with Hughes.
Stapelstaden lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Stapelstaden lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Stapelstaden lands with a short shot to the head.
Hughes can't break the clinch.
A nice left hand lands by Hughes.
Hughes looking for a takedown.
Stapelstaden keeps control of Hughes as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Stapelstaden breaks the clinch.
Stapelstaden tries to clinch but Hughes moves away

and Hughes counters with a takedown into side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Hughes is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Stapelstaden has escaped the position, nice work there.
Hughes wants to control but Stapelstaden is keeping him busy.
Jimbo Stapelstaden has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Hughes sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Stapelstaden is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Stapelstaden managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Hughes.
Hughes taking a break here but Stapelstaden is having none of it and regains half guard.
Matt Hughes is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Hughes stalling.

And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Hughes comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Hughes winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Roosa Järviläinen scores the fight 27:30
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Hughes!