PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Eric Staal (ranked 418 p4p, 53 weight class) and Jason Sturd Jr (ranked 290 p4p, 38 weight class). Sturd Jr has chosen Waka Flocka Flame - 50K (Neon Dreams Remix) as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. I don't know about you partner, but I'm pumped for this one!

Staal
vs
Sturd Jr

180 cm
32
192 lbs
21 - 8 - 1

181 cm
35
191 lbs
33 - 12 - 2

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Zenith Nutrition (160q/$200)

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 21 - 8 - 1, fighting out of New York, Eric Staal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 33 - 12 - 2, fighting out of Los Angeles, Jason Sturd Jr!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Dean Styles and Joseph Jones.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Staal slips under a jab.
Staal scores with a sloppy right hand. Sturd Jr should have avoided that one.
Sturd Jr pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Staal attempts a counter takedown but Sturd Jr avoids it well and moves away.
Sturd Jr lands with a kick to the temple. Staal shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
That kick from Staal tenderised Sturd Jr's leg. Sturd Jr is trying to keep his angry face on.
Staal tries to move into range but Sturd Jr moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
That kick from Sturd Jr tenderised Staal's leg. Staal is trying to keep his angry face on.
A looping hook to the body misses from Staal. Sturd Jr does a little dance to reset his feet.
It seemed like Sturd Jr was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Sturd Jr scores with a jab.
Sturd Jr misses with a takedown
and Staal counters with a stiff right hand.
Staal blocks a leg kick.
Staal displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Sturd Jr throws out the jab.
We can't be sure of the tactics at this early stage but we have heard that Sturd Jr has been working on his takedowns a lot in the buildup to the fight and we can only assume he's going to look to take this to the mat.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sturd Jr throws a right and a left that both miss.
Sturd Jr takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sturd Jr takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Sturd Jr takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Sturd Jr uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Staal.
Staal feints and then cracks Sturd Jr's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Sturd Jr down.
Staal takes one on the button.
Staal steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sturd Jr.
Sturd Jr throws the kick towards the body but Staal avoids it.
Sturd Jr connects with a right hand. Staal shakes it off.
Staal throws a leg kick that misses.
Staal stuffs the takedown attempt from Sturd Jr. Sturd Jr gets slowly back to his feet.
Staal just misses with a punch to the body.
Staal wants to slow Sturd Jr down by chopping away at his legs.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Sturd Jr! But no joy.
Sturd Jr lands a jab-cross combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sturd Jr checks a low kick from Staal.
Staal avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Staal moves out of range of the strikes.
Sturd Jr swings for the body but Staal moves out of range.
Staal connects with a high kick.

It looks like Jason Sturd Jr has been cut.
A looping hook to the body misses from Staal. Sturd Jr does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sturd Jr connects with a solid leg kick.
Sturd Jr shoots in for a takedown but Staal shows good takedown defense.
Eric Staal has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jason Sturd Jr.
Sturd Jr rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Staal counters with a nice body shot.
Sturd Jr tries a head kick but it misses.
Staal throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Sturd Jr sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Sturd Jr tries a quick counter leg kick but Staal is wise to it.
Sturd Jr stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sturd Jr wants it to stay on the feet.
Sturd Jr scores with a hook.
Sturd Jr tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A shot to the liver by Staal. Beautiful body shot.
Sturd Jr thows a leg kick but Staal checks it

and Staal counters with a single leg into guard. Sturd Jr didn't expect that.
Staal slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Sturd Jr looking to hit a scissor sweep but Staal is one step ahead there.
Staal is looking to work some ground and pound but Sturd Jr has wrist control.
Sturd Jr wants to stand and escape but Staal is having none of it.
Sturd Jr keeping moving, preventing Staal from controlling successfully.
Staal scoring with some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Staal looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Staal 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.
Sturd Jr avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Staal trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Staal trying to control but Sturd Jr is working from the bottom.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Sturd Jr wants to sweep here but Staal controlling him for the moment.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

Staal closes the distance and clinches.
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 Eric Staal will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jason Sturd Jr's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Sturd Jr bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Staal is looking to regain half guard here but Sturd Jr keeps moving and retains side control.
Staal gets back to half guard.
Staal is looking for a sweep. Sturd Jr is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Sturd Jr throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Staal wants to control but Sturd Jr is keeping busy.
Staal is refusing to be controlled, as Sturd Jr sits in half guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Staal is trying to get back to full guard.
Staal is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sturd Jr scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sturd Jr prevents Staal from improving his position.
Well, if Sturd Jr is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Staal is looking for a sweep. Sturd Jr is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Staal slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Staal bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Sturd Jr's guard.

Staal in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Sturd Jr looking to hit a scissor sweep but Staal is one step ahead there.
Sturd Jr looking to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Staal seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Sturd Jr has his hands on Staal's head, controlling the position.
Sturd Jr looking to control but Staal passes into half guard.
Staal thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Sturd Jr's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Staal seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Sturd Jr trying to hold on to Staal's head to control him but Staal postures up.
Eric Staal overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Staal not doing much here.
Sturd Jr is refusing to be controlled, as Staal sits in half guard.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Sturd Jr wants to get back to full guard.
Staal tries to pass to full mount but Sturd Jr defends it.

That's four 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.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Staal connects with a nice short shot to Sturd Jr's temple.
Sturd Jr wants to improve his position but Staal is controlling well.
Sturd Jr has his hands clasped together around Staal's back. He's all about the action.
Sturd Jr trying to hold on to Staal's head to control him but Staal postures up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Staal misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
A little jabbing left from Sturd Jr on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
A big right from Sturd Jr misses.
Staal throws a body shot but no joy.
Nice defenses there by Staal.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Eric Staal will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jason Sturd Jr's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Sturd Jr looks to land a body kick but Staal moved away.
Staal is looking to wear down Sturd Jr with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Staal is looking to score with low kicks.

Sturd Jr drives through with a takedown into Staal's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Sturd Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Staal is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sturd Jr preventing the sweep.
Staal manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Sturd Jr manages to get himself to full guard.

Sturd Jr controlling the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sturd Jr wants to sweep here but Staal controlling him for the moment.
Staal trying to control but Sturd Jr is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Staal missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sturd Jr preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Staal scoring with some ground and pound.
Sturd Jr tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Staal working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Sturd Jr is on top in guard.

Staal looking for a sweep. Not yet Staal, not yet.
Staal lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Staal trying to control the position from guard on top but Sturd Jr is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Sturd Jr holds on and takes a little breather.
Sturd Jr not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Staal throwing strikes but missing.
Sturd Jr tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Staal working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Staal content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Staal wants to control from the top but Sturd Jr keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sturd Jr trying to keep a closed guard but Staal is proving a slippery customer.
Sturd Jr preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Staal postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Sturd Jr is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Staal stopping the sweep attempt from Sturd Jr.
Staal wants to control from the top but Sturd Jr keeps moving.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Sturd Jr tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Horrible takedown attempt by Sturd Jr or perhaps it was just good defense by Staal, which made it look bad.
Eric Staal is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four 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.

Staal throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Sturd Jr tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Staal is in Sturd Jr's guard.
Staal stays in close to Sturd Jr's body and controls the position.
Sturd Jr tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Sturd Jr has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Staal off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Sturd Jr ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Staal moves away.
Horrible takedown attempt by Staal or perhaps it was just good defense by Sturd Jr, which made it look bad.
Jason Sturd Jr seems to be getting the better of the standup.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sturd Jr scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Eric Staal.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Staal, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 30:29
Judge Dean Styles scores the fight 28:29
Judge Joseph Jones scores the fight 30:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Eric Staal!