PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Jake Weber (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Steve Russel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Steve Russel will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Weber
vs
Russel

163 cm
18
278 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

193 cm
18
238 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Tends to cut

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Jake Weber!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Steve Russel!
The judges for this bout are Steve Erwin, Ben Watson and Donatello Bradman.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Russel plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!

It looks like Jake Weber has been cut.
Russel thuds his shin into the meat of Weber's side.

Russel closes the distance and pushes Weber back into the cage.
Weber tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Russel just stands there and leans against the cage.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Weber is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Weber really is a fat lump.
Weber tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Weber wants to break the clinch but can't.
Weber jumps guard but Russel turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jake Weber. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Russel is trying to pull guard but Weber turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Russel working Weber over with knees to the body.
Russel tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Weber is trying to pull guard but Russel has him pressed against the cage.
Weber jumps guard but Russel turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Weber fails to pull the fight into his guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Russel stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Weber misses with a short punch on the inside.
Russel throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Weber blocks it with crossed arms.
Weber is trying to pull guard but Russel turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.

Russel breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Russel shoots for a double leg takedown but Weber sprawls well. He's pushed Russel's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Weber appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Russel goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Russel defending well as Weber loads up on a big left hand.
Weber displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Russel.
Weber throws a head kick but Russel moves out of range.
Steve Russel seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Russel blocking some punches.
Russel goes for a takedown attempt but Weber pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

Russel moves into the clinch successfully.

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

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

Russel successfully pulls guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Weber wants to control from the top but Russel keeps moving.
Weber postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Russel pulls Weber in close to prevent any damage.

Russel wriggles free and stands up.
Russel tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Weber paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Weber swings for the body but Russel moves out of range.
Russel shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Weber as he avoids it easily.
Weber half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Russel moves out of range as Weber strikes.
Russel goes for a double leg but Weber avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Weber continues to drive forward.
Weber attempts a counter takedown but Russel avoids it well and moves away.
Russel tries to clinch but fails miserably

and Weber counters with a single leg into guard. Russel didn't expect that.
Russel really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Weber. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Weber is looking to work some ground and pound but Russel has wrist control.
Russel wants to stand and escape but Weber is having none of it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Russel looks winded!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Weber won't allow Russel to sweep him here.
Weber showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Weber working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Weber trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Weber postures up in Russel's guard and throws a big left but Russel blocks it.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Russel bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Weber's guard.

This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Weber is on top in guard.

Weber showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Steve Russel dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Jake Weber's cut.
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.

Russel steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Weber.
Weber has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Weber doesn't manage to clinch there - Russel circles away.

Russel has closed the distance and engaged Weber in a clinch.
Weber is trying to pull guard but Russel has him pressed against the cage.
Russel is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Weber is defending well.
Weber with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Russel takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Weber swings wildly with an uppercut but Russel uses good head movement to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Weber has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Russel uses from the top position.
Weber looking to hit a scissor sweep but Russel is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Russel trying to control but Weber is working from the bottom.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Weber holds on and takes a little breather.
Russel controlling from the top position.
Russel must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Russel won't allow Weber to sweep him here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Russel controlling from the top position.
Steve Russel has got the better of the ground game so far.
Weber looking to hit a scissor sweep but Russel is one step ahead there.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Russel shoots in looking for a takedown but Weber manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Russel's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Russel. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Russel throws a head kick but Weber moves out of range.
Weber avoids the head kick by Russel.
Weber half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Russel wants to clinch up but Weber keeps it at a distance.
Russel wants to clinch but Weber slips to the side

and Weber counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Weber.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Russel is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Russel is breathing heavily.
Weber's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Weber works over Russel with some ground and pound from guard.
Weber might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Russel seems keen to control Weber's posture.
Weber working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Russel keeping moving, preventing Weber from controlling successfully.
Weber missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Weber throws a big right hand that misses.
Weber is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Weber 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.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Russel is trying to keep Weber in close.
Russel wants to get back to his feet but Weber is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Jake Weber is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Russel moves in looking to clinch but Weber pushes him off.

Weber clinches with his opponent.

Weber breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Weber stuffs the takedown.
Jake Weber has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Steve Russel.
Russel uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Weber.

Russel clinches up against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jake Weber dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Jake Weber's cut.
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!

Russel blocks a jab.
Russel avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Russel doesn't manage to clinch there - Weber circles away.
Russel shoots in for a takedown but Weber shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Weber throws a head kick but Russel moves out of range.
Weber throws out a loose jab but Russel uses good head movement to avoid it.

Weber gets tackled into the cage by Russel. Russel maintains the clinch.
Weber is trying to break the clinch but Russel has him pressed against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
The referee calls for Russel to work.
Weber tries to pull guard but Russel won't allow it.
Russel is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Weber is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Russel's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.

That's one minute gone in the round.
With the fighters up against the cage, Russel throws an elbow but misses.
Weber is trying to pull guard but Russel turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.

Weber jumps into guard, dragging Russel to the mat.
Russel is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Russel throwing strikes but missing.
Russel won't allow Weber to get back to his feet.
Russel advances position into side control!
Russel misses with the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Weber is being controlled here.
Weber is looking for a sweep.
Russel 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.
Weber is looking to regain half guard here but Russel keeps moving and retains side control.
Weber is trying to control Russel's posture but Russel avoids it.
Weber seems a little lost for a moment, as Russel dominates the positioning.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Russel working the head with strikes.
Weber wants to control but Russel postures up.
Russel wants to control for a moment but Weber uses the opportunity to move back to half guard.
Russel wants to pass the guard but Weber is defending well.
Russel takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Weber is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Russel jumps into side control!
Weber sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Weber is trying to stand.
Weber is looking to control Russel's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Weber avoid being mounted?

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Russel is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Russel closes the distance and pushes Weber back into the cage.
Russel holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Steve Russel seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Weber is trying to pull guard but Russel has him pressed against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jake Weber. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Russel is trying to drag Weber to the mat but Weber just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Weber drops down looking for an ankle pick but Russel pulls his leg out and moves away.

And that's the end of the fight!
Steve Russel comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Russel has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Steve Erwin scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ben Watson scores the fight 28:29
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Steve Russel!