PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Moises Baird (ranked 5455 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jamal Stevens (ranked 5454 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Baird
vs
Stevens

160 cm
18
214 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

178 cm
18
210 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Inexperienced

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Moises Baird!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Jamal Stevens!
The judges for this bout are Wesley Smith, Tiny Johnson and Gwen Towbar.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Baird fails with a takedown attempt.
Stevens wants to counter the offense by Baird and move into the clinch position.

Stevens gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Stevens pushes Baird off and scrambles back to his feet.
Stevens throws a half hearted mid kick.

Stevens looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Baird wants to improve his position but Stevens is controlling well.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Stevens escapes and gets back to his feet.

Stevens drives through with a takedown into guard.

Baird uses the cage to get back to his feet.

Stevens looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Baird!
Baird tries to improve position but can't.
Stevens looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Baird is avoiding damage well.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Baird tries to buck Stevens off but Stevens is having none of it.

Stevens tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Baird defending against the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baird tries to bench press Stevens off him but Stevens keeps the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The strikes coming from Stevens are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Baird is looking to reverse the position.
Baird tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Stevens presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Baird is working to get back to half guard.
Baird is breathing heavily.
Baird bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Baird has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Baird scoring with punches to the head and body.
Baird with a nice head shot there.

Baird got a little sloppy there for a moment and Stevens has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Baird has managed to get both his arms back between Stevens's legs - danger averted.
Baird postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Stevens is looking for a triangle but Baird pushes his legs off easily.

Stevens had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Baird defends it easily.
Baird distracts Stevens with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Stevens pulls Baird in to control the position.
Baird loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Baird throws a big right hand that misses.
Stevens looking to control.
Baird with a nice head shot there.

Stevens looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Baird postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Baird really is a fat lump.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stevens pulls Baird in close to his closed guard and prevents Baird from doing any damage or advancing position.
Baird throws a big right hand that misses.
Baird in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Baird throwing strikes from guard but Stevens blocks nicely.
Baird working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Stevens looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Stevens stuffs the takedown attempt from Baird. Baird gets slowly back to his feet.

Stevens gets a clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Jamal Stevens will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Stevens drives through with a takedown into Baird's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Stevens makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

Baird is working an open guard so Stevens takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

Stevens looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Baird!
Stevens has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Baird dodges the ground and pound from Stevens.
Baird tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Baird being controlled for a moment.
Baird is trying to control Stevens's posture but Stevens avoids it.
Stevens looks up at the clock and then as Baird takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Stevens smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Baird is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Stevens is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Baird can't escape the position.
Stevens punching from mount but Baird doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Baird is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Stevens controlling his opponent.
Baird is working to get back to half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Stevens throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.

Stevens gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!
Baird shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Stevens but Stevens pushes him off and we're back to square one.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Baird looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Stevens throws a head kick that misses.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Baird enables Stevens to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Baird manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Stevens sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Stevens's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Baird gets tackled into the cage by Stevens. Stevens maintains the clinch.
Baird tries to pull guard but Stevens holds him up against the cage and eventually Baird drops back down to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Moises Baird. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Baird looking to stall.

Stevens gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Baird wants to hit a switch here but Stevens passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Baird there!
Stevens controlling his opponent.
Baird tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Baird is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.

Stevens has hold of Baird's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Baird manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.

Stevens is working for a guillotine from mount but Baird frees his head quite easily.
Stevens controlling the pace for now.
Baird might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Stevens with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.

Stevens jumps to side control looking for an arm triangle but Baird manages to avoid the submission attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jamal Stevens showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

The fight stays on the outside here - Baird looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Stevens misses with a low kick.

Stevens fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Baird to the ground. Stevens is now in Baird's guard.
Stevens stays in close to Baird's body and controls the position.
Baird looking for a sweep. Not yet Baird, not yet.
Baird working a defensive guard here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stevens's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Baird looking for a sweep. Not yet Baird, not yet.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stevens tries to free his leg and advance position but Baird is retaining full guard.

Baird is working an open guard so Stevens takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

Baird gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Stevens stopping the sweep attempt from Baird.
Stevens wants to control from the top but Baird keeps moving.

Stevens avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Stevens not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stevens preventing the sweep.
Baird is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Baird is looking for a kimura here.

Stevens looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stevens wants to improve his position but Baird is controlling well.
Stevens has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Baird is working away from the top position though.
Stevens is pressing down on Baird's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Baird scoring with punches to the head and body.
Baird with a flurry of punches that miss.
Stevens wants to stand and escape but Baird is having none of it.
Stevens controls Baird momentarily but Baird frees himself.
Stevens working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Baird.

Stevens working for a triangle but Baird defends it easily.

That's four 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.
Baird postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Baird working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Baird throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Baird postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Stevens looking to hit a scissor sweep but Baird is one step ahead there.
Baird scoring with some ground and pound.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Stevens avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Baird accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Moises Baird has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Jamal Stevens is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

Stevens has Baird up against the cage in a clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jamal Stevens comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Stevens has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 27:30
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jamal Stevens!