PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Evan Better (ranked 1743 p4p, 235 weight class) and Gustaf Stenbeck (ranked 1751 p4p, 238 weight class). Better comes to the cage accompanied by Mother by Danzig. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Better
vs
Stenbeck

188 cm
36
181 lbs
26 - 21 - 0

180 cm
29
192 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

KAISER Nutrition - Q160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 26 - 21 - 0, fighting out of New York, Evan Better!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Gustaf Stenbeck!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Anthony Taglia and Dean Styles.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Better misses with the body kick
and Stenbeck makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Better throws a low kick but it's checked well by Stenbeck.
A big left from Stenbeck misses.
Better appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Better moves out of range of the strikes.
Stenbeck is looking to chop away at Better's legs.
Better drops down looking for a counter takedown but Stenbeck sprawls and moves away.
Stenbeck fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Better manages to avoid it.
Better lands with a shot to the body.
Stenbeck throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.

Better closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Stenbeck looks like he's trying to stand up.
Stenbeck is trying to get back to full guard.
We've been hearing that Better has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stenbeck pushes Better off looking to stand but Better dives back in and keeps control.
Better wants to take a breather but Stenbeck is having none of it.
Better wants to advance to full mount but Stenbeck doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
Stenbeck looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Stenbeck is adopting a defensive guard.
Stenbeck working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Better.

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.
Better passes Stenbeck's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Better takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Stenbeck wants to improve his position but Better is controlling well.
Stenbeck is staying active underneath Better, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Better thows a huge punch but Stenbeck dodges it nicely.
Better is trying to control. Stenbeck wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Better is pressing down on Stenbeck's thigh, looking to free his foot. Stenbeck is holding on for now.
Stenbeck moves into full guard.
Better 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.
Stenbeck bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Better's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Better is pulling down on Stenbeck's head. It's preventing any offense from Stenbeck, at least for the moment.
Stenbeck is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Stenbeck is continuing to stall.

Better working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Stenbeck doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Stenbeck manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Stenbeck sitting in guard here, content to control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

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.
Stenbeck's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.
Better looking for a sweep. Not yet Better, not yet.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Better rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Stenbeck moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
And Stenbeck responds with a good body kick, but Better manages to step out the way in time.
Stenbeck ducks under a wild hook from Better.
Stenbeck tries to work over Better's front leg with a kick but Better checks it.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Stenbeck attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Better is looking to score with low kicks.

Better darts in and clinches Stenbeck up against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Evan Better will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

A head kick misses from Better.

Better looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Stenbeck!
Stenbeck is looking to reverse the position.

Better goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Stenbeck has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Better but great work by Stenbeck.
Better manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Stenbeck works his way to full guard. Good work.
Stenbeck controlling the position.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Stenbeck pushes Better off and scrambles back to his feet.
Better lands a jab to the nose.
Stenbeck pivots, looking for a leg kick but Better is out of range and Stenbeck settles back down.
Better feinted there with a counter leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Better takes a swing at Stenbeck's ribcage but misses.
Stenbeck flicks out a counter leg kick but Better steps away.
Stenbeck throws a poor cross that misses
and Better cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Better throws the kick towards the body but Stenbeck avoids it.
Stenbeck looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Stenbeck connects with a looping right hand.
Better gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Stenbeck.
Better misses with a leg kick.
Gustaf Stenbeck seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Better lands with a hook. Stenbeck tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Stenbeck scores with a decent looking hook.
A big right from Better misses.
Stenbeck throws a leg kick but Better checks it.
Stenbeck throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Better sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Better looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Stenbeck swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Stenbeck rushes Better and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Better.
Stenbeck avoiding damage as Better throws knees to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Stenbeck lands a body punch.

Better breaks from the clinch.
Better checks the leg kick.
Better misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
A nice side step and Stenbeck releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Stenbeck misses with a left hand
and Better counters with a thumping low kick.
Better checks a leg kick nicely.
Stenbeck misses with a leg kick.
Better throws a big counter combination but Stenbeck scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Better feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Stenbeck's calf.
Stenbeck throws out a loose jab but Better uses good head movement to avoid it.
Stenbeck lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Better ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Better scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Stenbeck misses with a low kick as Better jumps back.
Stenbeck misses with a looping left.
Better slips under a jab.
Gustaf Stenbeck is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Better tries for a takedown but Stenbeck circles away easily
and Stenbeck makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Better scores with a hook to the body. Stenbeck takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Better has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Better there as he acknowledges the shot.
Better has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Stenbeck.
Better misses with a low kick.
Stenbeck does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Better throws a leg kick
and Stenbeck counters with a thumping low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stenbeck wants to land a leg kick but Better is out of range.
Stenbeck tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Better fails in his attempt to clinch.
Stenbeck lands a jab to the nose.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Better checks the leg kick.
Better thows a left - swing and a miss!
Better fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Stenbeck.
Better lands a leg kick that knocks Stenbeck off balance momentarily.
Stenbeck throws a jab when Better was well out of range.
Stenbeck keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Better swings for the body but Stenbeck moves out of range.
Stenbeck misses with a body kick.
Better appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gustaf Stenbeck showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, 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.

Better misses with an uppercut.
Better misses with a low kick.
Stenbeck throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Better appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Better swats away the attempt to clinch by Stenbeck.
Better tries for a takedown but Stenbeck sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Better throws a body punch but Stenbeck moves out of range.
A left and a right from Stenbeck both land. Nice combination.

It looks like Evan Better has been cut.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Better lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Stenbeck has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Stenbeck and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Decent striking displayed by Better there.
Better throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Better takes one to the chin there.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Stenbeck, right into the meat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stenbeck throws a body punch but Better moves out of range.
Stenbeck misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Better.

Better closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Stenbeck's guard.
Stenbeck looking to control.
Stenbeck pulls Better in close to prevent any damage.
Gustaf Stenbeck has got the better of the ground game so far.
Better trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Stenbeck wants to sweep but no luck.
Better stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Stenbeck swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Better is working hard here to advance position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Stenbeck manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.
Better tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Stenbeck's elbow.

Better breaks the clinch.
Better fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Stenbeck manages to avoid it.
Better throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Stenbeck misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Better moves into the clinch successfully.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Better pushes Stenbeck back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Better scores a nice knee to the body.
Stenbeck blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Stenbeck tries to work over Better's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A short right from Better on the inside.
Better throws a punch but it's blocked by Stenbeck.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stenbeck digs a right hand underneath Better's ribcage. Better let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Stenbeck digs a right hand underneath Better's ribcage. Better let out a lung full of air as it connected.
A left hand lands to the body for Better.
Better content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Better prevents a body shot from Stenbeck.
Stenbeck working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Stenbeck scores with an uppercut up the middle.

Better breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Stenbeck throws a half hearted mid kick.
Stenbeck misses with a body kick.
Better feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Better fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Better finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Stenbeck jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Better takes one to the chin there.
Stenbeck takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Stenbeck stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Stenbeck wants it to stay on the feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Evan Better. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Better throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Better throws a leg kick but Stenbeck sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Stenbeck fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Better throws a hook but Stenbeck avoids it easily.
Better on the wrong end of a nice jab.

Better looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Stenbeck trying to control the position.
Stenbeck tries to land a sweep but no joy.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Gustaf Stenbeck.
I think Stenbeck 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 John Roberts scores the fight 28:30
Judge Anthony Taglia scores the fight 28:29
Judge Dean Styles scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gustaf Stenbeck!
In defeat, Evan Better stepped up to the mic, saying 'Lucky, lucky, lucky.'.