PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Lee Stroud (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Shawn Michaels (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Michaels has chosen Sexy Boy as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Stroud
vs
Michaels

190 cm
22
220 lbs
7 - 3 - 0

185 cm
24
218 lbs
7 - 4 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Knockout power

Hellbent, Inc.

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Lee Stroud!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of New York, Shawn Michaels!
The judges for this bout are Anthony Taglia, Jorge Garcia and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stroud fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Shawn Michaels seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Stroud checks a leg kick.
Stroud fails to land the takedown.
No luck for Stroud with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lee Stroud. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Michaels scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Stroud shoots in but Michaels avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Michaels moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

It looks like Lee Stroud has been cut.
A bone on bone clash there as Stroud blocks the leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stroud slips a jab from Michaels.
Stroud looks for a takedown but Michaels sprawls well.
Michaels throws a jab but it's blocked by Stroud.
Michaels sizes up Stroud with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

Michaels moves into range and clinches up with Stroud.
Michaels makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Michaels swings wildly with an uppercut but Stroud uses good head movement to avoid it.
Michaels misses with some punches.
Michaels content to slow the pace in the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Michaels.
Michaels lands a right hand.
Michaels tries to land knees in the clinch but Stroud avoids the damage to the body.
Michaels leaning his opponent against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Michaels tries to throw a body punch but Stroud avoids it by throwing Michaels back against the cage.
Stroud has Michaels pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Michaels manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Michaels is looking to control Stroud's arms but Stroud gets an underhook and turns him. Now Michaels has his back to the cage.
Michaels swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Michaels is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Stroud is keeping busy.
Michaels missing with knees to the body.
Michaels cracks Stroud with a nice body shot.
Michaels throws an elbow but it misses.
Stalling in the clinch from Michaels.
Stroud goes for a takedown in the clinch but Michaels prevents it.
Stroud blocks an uppercut.
Stroud wants to break the clinch but can't.
Michaels is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Michaels tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Stroud's elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stroud goes for a takedown attempt but Michaels pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Stroud just misses with a punch to the body.
Michaels is looking to clinch.
Michaels throws a hook but Stroud blocks it.
A jab from Michaels finds it's way through Stroud's defenses.
Nice sprawl there from Michaels as Stroud shoots in.
Michaels tries to bum rush Stroud with a series of wild strikes but Stroud uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Stroud closes this distance looking for a takedown but Michaels circles away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stroud uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Michaels lands a jab to the nose.
Stroud avoids the body shot from Michaels.
Stroud misses with a double jab
and Michaels counters with an inside leg kick.
Stroud is breathing heavily.

Stroud bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Michaels is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Stroud's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Michaels won't allow Stroud to pass to mount.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Michaels is trying to stand back up but Stroud is controlling him
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shawn Michaels dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Lee Stroud's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Stroud ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Stroud with a poor takedown

and Michaels counters by moving into the clinch.
Stroud on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Michaels swings wildly with an uppercut but Stroud uses good head movement to avoid it.
Michaels misses with a hook to the ribs.
Michaels cracks Stroud with a nice body shot.
Stroud blocks a body shot from Michaels.
Michaels is looking to control Stroud's arms but Stroud gets an underhook and turns him. Now Michaels has his back to the cage.
Stroud has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Michaels is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Michaels gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Stroud.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lee Stroud. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stroud is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Michaels gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Stroud tries to pull guard but Michaels won't allow it.
Stroud tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Michaels lands a hook that snaps the head of Stroud backwards.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stroud pushes off an throws an elbow but Michaels leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Stroud.
A short right from Michaels.
Michaels is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Stroud tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Michaels just stands there and leans against the cage.
Michaels prevents a takedown attempt there.
Stroud wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Michaels displaying some good clinch control by pressing Stroud up against the cage.
Stroud leaning his opponent against the cage.
Stroud blocking some punches.
Michaels softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Michaels using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Stroud has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
A bit of stalling here from Michaels.

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.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Stroud.

Stroud breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Michaels moves in looking to clinch but Stroud pushes him off.
Stroud with a poor takedown
and Michaels connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Michaels tries to clinch but Stroud moves out of range.
Michaels throws a body punch but Stroud moves out of range.
Shawn Michaels is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Michaels throws a hook to the side of Stroud's head but Stroud sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Michaels thows a body shot but no joy.
Michaels doesn't manage to clinch there - Stroud circles away.
Stroud doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Michaels counters with a straight right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Michaels tries to close the distance and clinch up but Stroud swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Michaels fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Stroud moves out of range of the leg kick from Michaels.
Stroud gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Michaels.
Stroud slips under a jab.
Michaels tries to clinch but Stroud is having none of it.
Stroud avoids a punch combination nicely.
Stroud takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.

Lee Stroud's cut is getting worse.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Michaels tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Stroud jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Stroud slips under a jab from Michaels.
Michaels swings and misses with a shot to the body

and Stroud counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Michaels wants to get back to his feet.
Stroud missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Stroud lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Stroud trying to pass the guard but Michaels defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shawn Michaels showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Lee Stroud's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Stroud ducks under a wild hook from Michaels.
Michaels looks to throw the jab but Stroud is out of range.
Michaels wants to clinch up but Stroud keeps it at a distance.
Horrible takedown by Stroud or perhaps it was just good defense by Michaels which made him look bad.
Michaels ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Stroud moves away.
Shawn Michaels seems to be getting the better of the standup.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stroud gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Michaels counters with a straight right hand.
Michaels throws the left hand but Stroud avoids the punch easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Michaels misses with a double jab.
Stroud with a poor takedown
enabling Michaels to counter with a crisp jab.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lee Stroud. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Michaels dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Stroud chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Michaels can pounce on him.
Michaels misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Michaels misses with a hook.
Michaels wants to clinch up but Stroud keeps it at a distance.
Stroud tries for a takedown but Michaels circles away easily
and Michaels counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Michaels fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Stroud on the side of the head.
Michaels clobbers Stroud with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Stroud with a lazy takedown attempt
and Michaels counters with a three punch combo that has Stroud backing up. Stroud nods at Michaels to acknowledge the strikes.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Michaels tries to clinch up.
Stroud on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.

Lee Stroud's cut is bleeding quite badly. He's got to try and protect it.
Stroud fails with the takedown

and Michaels counters by moving into the clinch.
Michaels throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
A head punch on the inside from Michaels fails to land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Michaels - that landed with a thud.
A hook to the body from Michaels.
Michaels throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Strouds head.
Stroud tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Michaels just stands there and leans against the cage.
Michaels lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Michaels leaning his opponent against the cage.
Michaels cracks Stroud with a nice body shot.
Michaels lands a shot to the body.
Come on Michaels - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.

Stroud's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Stroud looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Stroud misses with a takedown attempt
and Michaels counters with a straight right hand.
Michaels dips down and scores with a jab to the body.

That's four 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!
Stroud gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Michaels tries to clinch there but Stroud circles away.
Michaels throws a body punch but Stroud moves out of range.
Michaels tries to clinch up.
Michaels misses with a jab, cross combination.
Stroud shoots and misses
and Stroud takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

Jeez, Lee Stroud's cut is really nasty now. The referee must be thinking about getting that checked.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A combination from Stroud does no damage.
Michaels lands with a thumping leg kick.
Stroud keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Michaels.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shawn Michaels really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Lee Stroud's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Michaels swats away the attempt to clinch by Stroud.
Michaels scores with a jab.
Michaels fails to land with a series of punches.
Stroud misses with a wild body shot.

Stroud drives through with a takedown into guard.
Stroud stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Michaels swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Michaels manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Stroud manages to get himself to full guard.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Stroud looking to hit a scissor sweep but Michaels is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stroud doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.
Michaels preventing the sweep.
Michaels must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Michaels stands and throws Stroud's legs to the side, diving into side control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Michaels wants to lay and pray for a moment but Stroud keeps working.
Stroud sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

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.
Michaels is trying to control the action in half guard but Stroud is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Michaels wants to get back to his feet.
Stroud tries to strike from the bottom but it doesn't land.
Stroud missing with punches from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Michaels tries to stand but can't do so whilst Stroud controls his leg.
Stroud 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.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Stroud tries for a takedown but Michaels circles away easily
and Michaels counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Stroud looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Stroud just misses with a punch to the body.
Michaels swings for the body but Stroud moves out of range.
Michaels has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Stroud misses with a takedown
and Michaels counters with a slapping leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Stroud walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Stroud shoots for a double leg takedown but Michaels sprawls well. He's pushed Stroud's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Lee Stroud. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Michaels keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Michaels tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Stroud paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Michaels throws a looping overhand right but Stroud ducks down to avoid it.
Stroud shoots in for a takedown but Michaels shows good takedown defense.
Lee Stroud is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Michaels tries a head kick but it misses.
Stroud shoots and misses
and Michaels connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shawn Michaels dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Lee Stroud's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Michaels connects with the punch.
Stroud gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Michaels counters with a two punch combo.
Stroud has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

The referee calls the doctor in to look at Lee Stroud's cut. Oh no, the doctor has called an end to the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:33 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Cut). Shawn Michaels!
Shawn Michaels is the new light heavyweight champion!