PBP Commentary

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

Stewart
vs
Blanchard

183 cm
21
185 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

184 cm
25
179 lbs
8 - 6 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 2 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Don Stewart!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Tully Blanchard!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stewart gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.

Stewart scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Stewart wants to control but Blanchard is keeping him busy.
Blanchard tries to improve position but can't.
Blanchard wants to control but Stewart postures up.
Stewart creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Blanchard sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Blanchard is not in a great position here, taking some shots.

Stewart tries for a kimura but Blanchard is defending well.
Blanchard is not content to let Stewart control the position.

Stewart goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Blanchard rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Stewart's guard! Nice work there by Blanchard!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stewart working a defensive guard but Blanchard passes into half guard.
Stewart wants to improve his position but Blanchard is controlling well.
Stewart is refusing to be controlled, as Blanchard sits in half guard.
Stewart is looking for a sweep. Blanchard is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Blanchard is keen to just control but Stewart is a slippery customer.

Stewart looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Stewart looking to force a kimura from the bottom here. He's concentrating on that move too much though and Blanchard pushes past his half guard into mount!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Stewart is looking to escape.
Stewart is trying desperately to improve position.
Stewart is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Blanchard content just to control the position here.
Stewart wants to hold on but Blanchard pushes him away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stewart is looking to get to half guard.
Stewart sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Blanchard is just content to waste time from the top position. Stewart takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Stewart trying to keep a closed guard but Blanchard is proving a slippery customer.
Blanchard trying to control the position from guard on top but Stewart is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Stewart is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Blanchard defends well.

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.
Stewart pulls Blanchard in close to prevent any damage.

Stewart is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

Stewart throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Blanchard trying to control but Stewart is working from the bottom.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Stewart seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Stewart dives in and grabs Blanchard's left leg, looking for a takedown. Blanchard pushes down on Stewart's head and hops out.
Blanchard looks to throw the jab but Stewart is out of range.
Blanchard throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Stewart feinted with a counter takedown.
Stewart shoots and misses
and Stewart takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Don Stewart seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Blanchard misses with a hook. Stewart ducked under it nicely.

Stewart fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Blanchard sprawls well initially but Stewart persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Blanchard has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Stewart is working away from the top position though.
Blanchard is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Blanchard controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard is looking to control Stewart's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Blanchard avoid being mounted?
Blanchard is trying to get back to full guard.
Blanchard tries to kick Stewart off but Stewart keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Stewart wants to pass the guard but Blanchard is defending well.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Ground and pound from Stewart.

Stewart is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Blanchard sees it coming and defends easily.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Stewart works his foot free and advances to mount.
Blanchard is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Stewart lands a couple of good shots and Blanchard has given up his back, trying to escape the position!
Stewart missing with strikes.
Blanchard looking very determined here, making life difficult for Stewart.
Stewart loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Blanchard hold on?
Blanchard is keeping busy.
Stewart lands a shot to the body.
Blanchard is in a world of trouble here. He's outmatched on the ground here and he'd better get Stewart off his back sharpish unless he wants to be submitted.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Stewart loading up with punches from the back mount - how long can Blanchard hold on?
Stewart missing with strikes from the back.
Stewart has his opponent trapped and is landing shots. Not a good position for Blanchard.
You can see the frustration on Blanchard's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Blanchard keeps trying to improve his position.
Blanchard looking very determined here, making life difficult for Stewart.
Blanchard wants to control his opponent's hands but Stewart gets his hands free.
Blanchard tries to escape the position.

Stewart tightening his grip on Blanchard, looking for the choke.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard tries to break free.

Stewart tightening his grip on Blanchard, looking for the choke.
Stewart punishes Blanchard with strikes from the back mount.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Blanchard is in bad spot here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Don Stewart dominated that round.
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. This is the final round!

Good standup being displayed there by Stewart as he connects with a hook.

Stewart shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Blanchard's guard.
Blanchard wants to sweep but no luck.
We've been hearing good reports from Stewart's training camp. Apparently he has been rolling around with some good quality BJJ practitioners and has been sharpening his skills. Let's see if that has an impact on the fight today.
Blanchard wants to stand but Stewart is controlling the position.
Stewart lands a couple of digs.
Blanchard not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Don Stewart overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Stewart slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Stewart postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stewart pushing down on Blanchard's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Stewart wants to take a breather but Blanchard is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Stewart is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Blanchard doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Stewart.
Blanchard is trying to control but can't.
Blanchard is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Stewart throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Stewart seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Blanchard controlling the position for now.
Stewart is keen to just control but Blanchard is a slippery customer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Stewart scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Blanchard is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Stewart's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Stewart's back!
Blanchard keeps control of the position easily here as Stewart tries to buck him off.
Stewart trying to control the hands but Blanchard breaks the grip.
Stewart tries to escape but Blanchard has the hooks in and won't let him break free.
Blanchard misses with punches from the back.
Stewart rolls, trying to escape but Blanchard keeps control of the position.
Stewart rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stewart wants to control but Blanchard is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Stewart is in a bad position, trying to hold on for dear life but he is really struggling to maintain any sort of control.
Blanchard is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Stewart wants to improve his position but Blanchard is controlling well.
Stewart is trying is best to control the position here.

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.
Stewart trying to control here.
Stewart is refusing to be controlled, as Blanchard sits in half guard.
Stewart is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Stewart uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Blanchard.
Stewart changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.

Stewart gets a takedown into half guard.

Blanchard manages to create a bit of space in order to work his way back to his feet. Stewart keeps hold of his opponent and drives him back against the ropes.

Stewart manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Stewart looking to control.
Blanchard is stalling in the full guard.
Stewart trying to control the position.

Stewart is looking for a triangle here but Blanchard uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Stewart sneaks back into half guard.

That's six 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.
Stewart is refusing to be controlled, as Blanchard sits in half guard.
Stewart is looking for a sweep. Blanchard is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Stewart works his way to full guard. Good work.
Stewart is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Blanchard can do to turn this around?
Stewart trying to keep a closed guard but Blanchard is proving a slippery customer.
Blanchard trying to control but Stewart is working from the bottom.

Stewart looking for subs off his back but Blanchard has passed one foot through into half guard.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Blanchard wants to take a breather but Stewart is having none of it.
Blanchard not doing much here.
Blanchard is trying to control. Stewart wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Blanchard is the more experienced fighter here and he's going to need to draw on some of that experience if he's going to pull this one out the bag.
Stewart is trying to get back to full guard.
Stewart keeps control of the position for the meantime.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

That's eight 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.
Stewart misses with a left hand
and Blanchard counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Stewart misses with a takedown

and Blanchard counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Stewart has his foot on Blanchard's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Blanchard works his way back into a safe position though.
Blanchard trying to control the position from guard on top but Stewart is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Stewart looking to control but Blanchard passes into half guard.
Blanchard missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Stewart manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.

Stewart has his foot on Blanchard's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Blanchard works his way back into a safe position though.
Blanchard trying to control but Stewart is working from the bottom.
Stewart wants to hit a switch here but Blanchard passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Stewart there!
Stewart slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Stewart looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Blanchard sitting and controlling from the half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Tully Blanchard.
I have no idea who won that fight. Let's wait and see whether the judges are as confused as me! Time for a split decision perhaps?!. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight for Don Stewart!
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight for Don Stewart!
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight for Don Stewart!

Don Stewart wins by unanimous decision!
Don Stewart seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.