PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Tobias Funke (ranked 2267 p4p, 285 weight class) and Chief Stalker (ranked 2712 p4p, 327 weight class). Chief Stalker is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Funke
vs
Stalker

190 cm
25
195 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

190 cm
25
198 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

FinnFighter Nutrition (Five 160Q supps!)

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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Tobias Funke!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Chief Stalker!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Fujiwara, Kenichi Hosakawa and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Funke has taken the fight to the clinch.
Stalker is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Stalker has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Funke takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Stalker working hard to break the clinch.

Funke pulls Stalker into guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.

Funke is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Stalker is aware though and is defending well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Funke lands a couple of decent looking body shots there.

Stalker decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.

Oooooh!!! Stalker has knocked Funke down with a huge combo! Stalker steps away and waves a wobbly Funke back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Funke instigates a clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Stalker's face as he tries to break the clinch.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Funke.
Stalker fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Stalker is trying to break the clinch but Funke is controlling him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Stalker.

Funke pulls guard.
Funke wants to sweep here but Stalker controlling him for the moment.

Stalker stands up and waves to Funke to follow him.

Funke closes the distance and pushes Stalker back into the cage.
Funke softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Funke working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A short right from Funke on the inside.
Funke scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Stalker is trying to drag Funke to the mat but Funke just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stalker is trying to break free.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Funke.
Funke lands a body shot in the clinch.
A right hand to the body from Funke.
Stalker tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A short right from Funke on the inside.
Stalker jumps guard but Funke stands there with Stalker around his waist. Stalker gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
A short right from Funke.
A right hand to the body from Funke.
Funke working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Funke is trying to pull guard but Stalker turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Funke scores with a shot to the side of Stalker's head.
Funke working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A right hand to the body from Funke.
Funke misses with a hook to the ribs.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Funke.
Funke lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Stalker backwards.
Stalker's coach down at Kalashnikov ELITE MMA Gym (ALL ELITE COACHES) was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Stalker's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Stalker has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
A short right from Funke.

Funke jumps into guard, dragging Stalker to the mat.
Stalker wants to get up but he can't break Funke's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Funke is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.

Stalker stands and steps away. Funke gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
A looping hook to the body misses from Funke. Stalker does a little dance to reset his feet.
Funke slips a jab and a cross from Stalker.

Funke clinches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Stalker is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
A short uppercut from Funke.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Funke as Stalker tries to tie him up.
Funke lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Stalker is trying to push Funke away but Funke has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Funke creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Funke.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Stalker lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Funke backs up against the cage.
Stalker lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Funke circles away quickly and effectively.
Chief Stalker is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Nice uppercut there from Stalker.
Stalker wants to clinch up but Funke keeps it at a distance.

Funke moves into the clinch.
Funke lands a hook to the side of the head.

Funke pulls Stalker into guard.
Funke looking to hit a scissor sweep but Stalker is one step ahead there.
Funke throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Stalker is looking to stand up but Funke won't let him.
Stalker preventing the sweep.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Funke is on top in guard.

The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Stalker wants to get back to his feet but Funke is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Funke is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Stalker can do to turn this around?

That's one minute gone in the round.
Funke throws a strike but Stalker rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Stalker wanted to stand there but Funke had control of the position.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Funke is on top in guard.

A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Funke accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Funke throws a big right hand that misses.
Stalker preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Stalker working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Funke.
Funke missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Stalker wants to stand up but Funke is controlling him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stalker utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Funke tries to free his leg and advance position but Stalker is retaining full guard.
Funke throws an elbow that misses. Stalker uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Funke's guard. Nice move by Stalker!

Stalker stopping the sweep attempt from Funke.
Funke looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Stalker puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.
Funke is looking for a sweep. Stalker is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Funke is working hard here to advance position.
Funke makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Funke.
Funke wants to improve his position but instead Stalker has moved into half guard.
Funke tries to get to full guard but Stalker has control of the leg.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Funke has a hand on Stalker's thigh, trying to get back to full guard. Stalker takes advantage of the position though and mounts him!
Funke keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Funke tries to hold on but Stalker postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Funke can't escape the position.
Funke on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Funke tries to get out of the position.
Stalker blocks Funke's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.

Stalker stands up from mount. Strange move.
Stalker will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
A jab from Stalker finds it's way through Funke's defenses.
Stalker misses with a head kick.
A combination from Stalker does no damage.
An inside leg kick from Stalker misses.
Stalker throws an overhand right that lands on Funke's shoulder, as Funke tries to avoid the shot.
Funke is looking to counter punch.
Funke looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.

Funke moves into the clinch successfully.
Funke keeps control of Stalker as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Funke stalling.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Chief Stalker showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Funke lands with a left to the head.

Funke pulls guard successfully.
Funke wants to sweep but no luck.
Stalker wanted to stand there but Funke had control of the position.

Stalker gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.

Funke instigates a clinch.
Funke misses with a punch to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Funke lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Funke lands a right hand that snaps the head of Stalker backwards.
Funke lands a nice uppercut.
Funke tries to work over Stalker's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Funke lands with a right to the head.
The referee calls for Funke to work.
Stalker is looking to break free of the clinch but Funke has double underhooks.

Funke manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Stalker trying to stand up but can't free himself from Funke's guard.
Stalker stopping the sweep attempt from Funke.
Funke is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Funke missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Funke throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Stalker tries to kick Funke off but Funke keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Funke throws a strike but Stalker avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
Funke throwing strikes but missing.
Stalker avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Funke in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Tobias Funke overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Funke throws a big elbow that misses.
Stalker wants to stand up but Funke is controlling him.
Funke knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Stalker on the ground.
Funke has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Funke throws a big right hand that misses.
Funke missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Funke accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Stalker utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Funke trying to control the position from guard on top but Stalker is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Funke is looking to work some ground and pound but Stalker has wrist control.
Funke trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Funke accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Funke chips away with some ground and pound.
Funke throwing strikes from guard but Stalker blocks nicely.
Stalker working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Funke.
Funke postures up in Stalker's guard and throws a big left but Stalker blocks it.
Funke passes Stalker's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Funke stops Stalker from getting back to his feet.

Stalker kicks Funke off and gets back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Funke takes a swing at Stalker's ribcage but misses.
Stalker throws a right and a left that Funke avoids nicely.
Funke cracks Stalker with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.

Funke instigates a clinch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Funke creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Stalker has had enough of the clinch but Funke keeps him there for the moment.
Funke lands a hook that snaps the head of Stalker backwards.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Funke lands a hook that snaps the head of Stalker backwards.
Funke is leaning against Stalker and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Funke.
Stalker tries to break the clinch but Funke is controlling the position.
Funke lands a body shot.
Stalker takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Funke works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
A shot in the inside from Funke.

And that's the end of the fight!
Tobias Funke showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Funke 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 Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 29:28
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 29:28
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Tobias Funke!
A very excited looking Tobias Funke rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.