PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Marcus Hansen (ranked 922 p4p, 2419 weight class) and Marco Bjurstrom (ranked 130 p4p, 318 weight class). Hansen kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Black Sabbath - Iron Man. Marcus Hansen has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.

Hansen
vs
Bjurstrom

182 cm
31
183
18 - 14 - 0

160 cm
25
173
9 - 4 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the welterweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 18 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Marcus Hansen!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Marco Bjurstrom!
The judges for this bout are Dean Styles, Columbo Gatti and Russell Pearce.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bjurstrom buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Bjurstrom tries to land a leg kick but Hansen saw it coming and moves away.
Bjurstrom throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Hansen counters with a one-two to the body.
Bjurstrom misses with a wild body shot.
Hansen misses with a double jab
and Bjurstrom counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Hansen is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Bjurstrom tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bjurstrom tests Hansen's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Hansen avoids the head kick by Bjurstrom.
Hansen blocks a head kick by Bjurstrom.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Bjurstrom.
Hansen jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bjurstrom wants to land a leg kick but Hansen is out of range.
Hansen moves out of range as Bjurstrom strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bjurstrom throws the left hand but Hansen avoids the punch easily.
Bjurstrom throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Hansen's head.
Bjurstrom thumps Hansen with a low kick.
Hansen throws a one two combo.
Hansen throws a looping overhand right but Bjurstrom ducks down to avoid it.
Hansen throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Bjurstrom throws an overhand right that lands on Hansen's shoulder, as Hansen tries to avoid the shot.
Hansen lands a jab-cross combination.
Bjurstrom with the inside leg kick.
Hansen shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Bjurstrom pinned against the cage. Bjurstrom gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Marco Bjurstrom seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hansen checks a leg kick nicely.
Hansen avoids the head kick by Bjurstrom.
Bjurstrom works Hansen's body with a nice hook.
Hansen swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Nice cross by Hansen.
A lazy left from Hansen finds it's target.
Bjurstrom tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Hansen throws a series of punches but Bjurstrom avoids them all with ease.
Bjurstrom tries a head kick but it misses.
Hansen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Bjurstrom manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Marco Bjurstrom is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hansen avoids the head kick by Bjurstrom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bjurstrom throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Hansen on the side of the head.
Bjurstrom throws a right hand that misses

and Hansen counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Bjurstrom had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Hansen defends it easily.
Hansen stands and throws Bjurstrom's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Hansen is putting a hurting on Bjurstrom here, landing some big shots from side control.
Bjurstrom takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Hansen landing strikes.
Bjurstrom takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Bjurstrom is trying to control Hansen's posture but Hansen avoids it.
Hansen 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.
Hansen wants to control but Bjurstrom is keeping him busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hansen working the ground and pound from side control.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Bjurstrom takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
You can see the frustration on Bjurstrom's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Hansen is looking to take a break and control but Bjurstrom is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Hansen tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Hansen lands a few punches from side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Hansen looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Bjurstrom wants to control but Hansen postures up.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Hansen dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Hansen tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Bjurstrom was well out of range. Poor timing from Hansen.
Bjurstrom throws a head kick that misses.
Bjurstrom misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Bjurstrom lands a head kick!
Bjurstrom tried to score with a low kick but Hansen checks it.
Marcus Hansen is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Hansen pushes Bjurstrom up against the cage in a clinch.
Hansen's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Bjurstrom tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Hansen just stands there and leans against the cage.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bjurstrom scores with a nice hook to the head.

Hansen lands a takedown into guard.

Bjurstrom is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Bjurstrom trying to keep a closed guard but Hansen is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hansen wants to pass the guard but Bjurstrom is keeping the position.
Bjurstrom not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Bjurstrom has momentary wrist control but Hansen slips an elbow through the middle.
Hansen will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Hansen scoring with some ground and pound.

Bjurstrom is looking for a triangle here but Hansen uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Hansen connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Bjurstrom some visible discomfort.
Bjurstrom is trying to get back to half guard.

Hansen thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Hansen is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Bjurstrom can do to turn this around?
Hansen grinds an elbow into Bjurstrom's temple.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bjurstrom tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Hansen working the head with strikes.
Marcus Hansen overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Bjurstrom is trying to get back to half guard.
Hansen is working Bjurstrom over with some ground and pound from side control.
Hansen lands a nice forearm strike.
Bjurstrom is looking for a sweep.
Hansen creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
Hansen is putting a hurting on Bjurstrom here, landing some big shots from side control.
Bjurstrom is looking for a sweep.
Bjurstrom is not content to let Hansen control the position.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hansen grinds an elbow into Bjurstrom's temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hansen scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Bjurstrom to see if he's OK.
Bjurstrom tries to bench press Hansen off him but Hansen keeps the position.
Hansen lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Bjurstrom tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Hansen working the ground and pound from side control.
Bjurstrom manages to get back to half guard.
Hansen slows the pace down in half guard.
Bjurstrom trying to control but Hansen postures up.

Hansen is looking for a kimura. It's pretty deep but Bjurstrom still has the half guard so he's probably OK. Oh, Bjurstrom has exploded into a beautiful escape there and after a quick scramble, he's ended up in side control on top! Nice work!
Hansen tries to buck Bjurstrom off but Bjurstrom is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Hansen's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Bjurstrom is staying tight to Hansen's torso, preventing him from escaping.
Hansen tries to improve position but can't.
Hansen gets back to half guard.
Hansen moves into full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Hansen wants to sweep but no luck.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Hansen dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Bjurstrom tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Marco Bjurstrom seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Bjurstrom throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Hansen is looking for a counter combo.
Bjurstrom missing with a left hand there. Hansen was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Hansen ducks under a wild hook from Bjurstrom.
Hansen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Hansen throws a jab but it's blocked by Bjurstrom.
Hansen avoids the head kick by Bjurstrom.
Bjurstrom throws a lazy uppercut
and Hansen counters with a two punch combo.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hansen ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Bjurstrom pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Bjurstrom throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A nice combination there by Hansen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hansen misses the jab.
Bjurstrom was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Bjurstrom throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bjurstrom delivers a nice body kick.

Hansen closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Bjurstrom's guard.

Bjurstrom looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Hansen is pushing down on Bjurstrom's leg trying to pass to half guard. Bjurstrom is fighting to maintain full guard but Hansen has managed to sneak the leg through.
Hansen lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Hansen looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Bjurstrom with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Hansen trying to mount his opponent but Bjurstrom defends it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Bjurstrom is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Hansen pulls his head out easily.

Hansen is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Bjurstrom on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Hansen lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

Bjurstrom looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Hansen is trying to work for a kimura but Bjurstrom is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hansen drops an elbow to the side of Bjurstrom's head.
Bjurstrom is refusing to be controlled, as Hansen sits in half guard.
Bjurstrom works his way to full guard. Good work.
Bjurstrom is trying to control the position but Hansen postures up.
Hansen scoring with some ground and pound.

Bjurstrom is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Hansen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Bjurstrom swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Hansen chips away with some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hansen showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

Bjurstrom has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Hansen can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

Bjurstrom is looking for a triangle but Hansen pushes his legs off easily.
Bjurstrom takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Bjurstrom is looking for a triangle but Hansen pushes his legs off easily.
Hansen stays in close to Bjurstrom's body and controls the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hansen postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.

Bjurstrom looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Hansen scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Hansen clearly takes that round.
That's time! Hansen's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Hansen blocks a head kick by Bjurstrom.

Hansen instigates a clinch.
Bjurstrom fails to pull guard.
Hansen is looking for a takedown.
Bjurstrom is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Hansen misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Hansen drops down looking for an ankle pick but Bjurstrom pulls his leg out and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Marcus Hansen. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bjurstrom tries a head kick but it misses.
Bjurstrom swings widly with a right hand
and Hansen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hansen blocks a head kick by Bjurstrom.
An attempted straight right counter from Hansen misses the target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bjurstrom misses with a hook to the body
and Hansen cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Bjurstrom misses with a hook
and Bjurstrom takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Hansen moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hansen throws the left hand but Bjurstrom avoids the punch easily.
Bjurstrom slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Hansen thuds his right hand into Bjurstrom's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
A head kick from Bjurstrom lands but Hansen takes it in his stride.
Bjurstrom misses with a head kick.
Bjurstrom misses with a low kick as Hansen jumps back.
A head kick misses from Bjurstrom.
Hansen throws a big counter combination but Bjurstrom scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
A slow jab from Bjurstrom misses its intended target.
Hansen throws a right and a left that both miss.
Hansen sets himself, and Bjurstrom steps forward looking for the clinch! Hansen avoids it this time.
Hansen takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Hansen lands with an overhand left.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bjurstrom misses with a head kick.
Bjurstrom throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Hansen.
Hansen went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
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!
Hansen misses with the combination.
It looks like Hansen has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
Bjurstrom plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Bjurstrom misses with a head kick.
Hansen went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Bjurstrom shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Hansen swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Bjurstrom is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Hansen misses with a double jab.
Bjurstrom throws a hook but Hansen blocks it.
Hansen went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hansen misses with a double jab
and Bjurstrom counters with an outside leg kick.

Hansen gets a double leg takedown into Bjurstrom's guard.
Hansen stands up over Bjurstrom, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Bjurstrom working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Hansen.

Bjurstrom looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Hansen looking to pass the guard.
Bjurstrom avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Hansen 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.

Bjurstrom is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hansen content to stall in guard here.
Hansen trying to control but Bjurstrom is working from the bottom.
Bjurstrom is trying to control the position but Hansen postures up.
Hansen working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Bjurstrom's head.
Hansen not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Hansen stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Bjurstrom swivels though and keeps the full guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Marcus Hansen had his way with Marco Bjurstrom in that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Bjurstrom plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!

It looks like Marcus Hansen has been cut.
Hansen avoids the head kick by Bjurstrom.
Hansen misses with a takedown
and Bjurstrom counters with a head kick. That will keep Hansen thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

Hansen is rocked!
Bjurstrom throws a sloppy head kick and Hansen moves out of range easily.
Oh Hansen is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Bjurstrom lands a big head kick that sends Hansen to the canvas! Bjurstrom follows up with strikes from the mount that forces the ref to step in and stop the fight!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:37 of round 5, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Marco Bjurstrom!
Marco Bjurstrom is the new welterweight champion!
Marco Bjurstrom seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.