PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between mark munoz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Corey Stauner (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

munoz
vs
Stauner

196 cm
22
205 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

189 cm
25
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

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 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, mark munoz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Corey Stauner!
The judges for this bout are John Roberts, Russell Pearce and Bruno Lombardi.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
munoz throws a nice looking combination but Stauner bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Nice defenses there by munoz.
Nice takedown defense from Stauner. No joy for munoz on that attempt.
munoz misses with a wild combination.
Stauner tries a head kick but it misses.
munoz fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Stauner clinches up with munoz and pushes him back against the cage.
Stauner lands a knee to the head.

It looks like mark munoz has been cut.
Stauner lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Stauner prevents a takedown attempt there.

Stauner manages to break the clinch.
munoz dives in and grabs Stauner's left leg, looking for a takedown. Stauner pushes down on munoz's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for mark munoz. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Stauner swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and munoz connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Stauner slaps away a takedown attempt from munoz, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Stauner misses with a double jab
and munoz counters with a three punch combo that has Stauner backing up. Stauner nods at munoz to acknowledge the strikes.
Stauner falls off balance throwing a combination
and munoz counters with a one-two to the body.
munoz looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
munoz fails to land the takedown.
munoz misses with a takedown attempt - Stauner sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
munoz is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stauner lands a head kick!
Some wild striking there from munoz.
Stauner misses with a wild combination.
Stauner wants to clinch but munoz slips to the side
and munoz counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Stauner scores with a leg kick.
Stauner lands a body shot.
Stauner connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Stauner throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Stauner closes the distance and clinches.

Stauner pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Stauner rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but munoz moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Stauner misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Stauner tries to clinch but munoz moves out of range.

Stauner rushes munoz and presses him up against the cage.
A knee to the head by Stauner.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
munoz has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Stauner is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
munoz takes an elbow to the temple.
Stauner gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Stauner lands a damaging elbow.

Stauner pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
munoz fails to land with a series of punches.
Stauner throws a left and a right that both miss
and munoz counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Stauner misses with a double jab
and munoz counters with a straight right hand.
Nice straight punches there by munoz. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of munoz.
munoz scores with a hook.

Stauner moves into the clinch.
Stauner creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through munoz's defenses.
Stauner scores with a knee to the head.
Stauner prevents a takedown attempt there.
Stauner lands an elbow that stopped munoz in his tracks for a moment.
Stauner prevents the takedown attempt.

Stauner escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
munoz looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Stauner misses with a double jab

and munoz counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by munoz.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
munoz pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Stauner is keeping the position for now.
munoz stops Stauner from standing up.
munoz slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Stauner is looking to regain half guard here but munoz keeps moving and retains side control.
Stauner is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
You can see the frustration on Stauner's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

munoz tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Stauner is trying to buck munoz off.
Stauner is not content to let munoz control the position.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

munoz thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Stauner pushes munoz away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, munoz gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Corey Stauner dominated that round.
The cut man is working on mark munoz's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Good exchange - Stauner coming out on top.
Stauner throws a head kick that misses.
Stauner defends well against a solid takedown attempt from munoz.
Stauner pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Stauner fails to land with a series of punches.
Stauner looks to land a combination but munoz avoids it well.
Stauner pulls out of a head kick attempt.
munoz throws a series of punches but Stauner moves out of range.
munoz looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
munoz looks to land a combination but Stauner avoids it well.
Stauner swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and munoz counters with a lovely shot to the body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
munoz shoots in and drives through. Stauner sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for mark munoz. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Stauner moves into the clinch.
Stauner with an attempt at a knee that misses.
munoz tries for a takedown. No joy.
A knee to the head by Stauner.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Stauner lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Stauner gets through munoz's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
A short right from Stauner on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
munoz wants to break the clinch but can't.
Stauner creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through munoz's defenses.
munoz wants a takedown but no success here.
Stauner lands an elbow that stopped munoz in his tracks for a moment.
munoz tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
munoz is working for takedown but Stauner is calmly controlling the position for now.
Stauner scores with a knee to the head.
munoz tries to pull guard but Stauner holds him up against the cage and eventually munoz drops back down to his feet.
munoz takes an elbow to the forehead.
Stauner lands with a left to the head.
Stauner landing knees to the head.
munoz is trying to break the clinch but Stauner is controlling him.
Stauner gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Stauner stops a takedown attempt from munoz.
munoz has Stauner pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Stauner manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Stauner lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
munoz can't get the takedown.
Stauner scores with a knee to the head.
Stauner connects with a knee to the head.
munoz is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Stauner pulls him back up using the underhooks.
munoz goes for a takedown in the clinch but Stauner prevents it.
Stauner landing knees to the head.
munoz fails to pull guard.
Stauner with a knee to the head.
munoz is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Stauner.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stauner lands an elbow inside.
Stauner gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
munoz fails to pull guard.
Stauner lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Stauner lands an elbow inside that munoz shrugs off.
munoz is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Stauner keeps control of munoz as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Stauner landing knees to the head.
Stauner lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Stauner gets underhooks to prevent munoz's takedown attempt.
Stauner connects with a nasty looking knee right to munoz's face.
Stauner is pressed up against the cage. munoz has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Stauner down to the mat. Stauner avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Stauner falls off balance throwing a combination

so munoz counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
munoz trying to control but Stauner is working from the bottom.
Stauner is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Stauner keeping moving, preventing munoz from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

munoz is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
We get told so often about how wrestlers don't like to be on their backs. Let's see if Stauner can do anything to dispel that myth.
Stauner is pulling down on munoz's head to control his posture.
Stauner really doesn't want to stay on the ground with munoz. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
munoz wants to control from the top but Stauner keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
munoz wants to pass the guard but Stauner is keeping the position.

munoz thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

munoz thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Stauner wants to stand up but munoz is controlling him.
munoz pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Stauner is keeping the position for now.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Stauner fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Stauner misses with an uppercut.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from munoz.
Stauner misses with a series of wild punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Corey Stauner showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on mark munoz's cut.
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. This is the final round!

munoz shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Stauner as he jumps to the side.
munoz misses with a two punch combination.
Stauner throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Stauner throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and munoz makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Stauner throws a right hand that munoz ducks under and follows up with a left that munoz also avoids with ease.
munoz throws a right and a left that both miss.
Stauner tries to clinch
and munoz counters with a three punch combo that has Stauner backing up. Stauner nods at munoz to acknowledge the strikes.
munoz shoots in looking for a takedown. Stauner tries to sprawl out of it but munoz keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Stauner manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Stauner throws a combination that misses
enabling munoz to counter with a crisp jab.
Stauner tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
No luck for munoz with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for mark munoz. That's going to take a lot out of him.
munoz misses with a two punch combination.
munoz shoots in but Stauner avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Stauner throws a combination that misses
and munoz counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Stauner has closed the distance and engaged munoz in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
munoz can't break the clinch.
Stauner lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

Stauner breaks the clinch.
munoz fails to land with a series of punches.
munoz avoids the head kick by Stauner.
mark munoz is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
munoz throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Stauner tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but munoz paws at him with a jab and circles away.
munoz misses with a double jab.
munoz misses with a few strikes there.
Stauner throws a nice inside leg kick.
Stauner throws a combination that misses
and Stauner takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Stauner swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and munoz counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
munoz shoots in for a takedown but Stauner shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Stauner swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and munoz counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Stauner looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
munoz trying to control the position from guard on top but Stauner is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Stauner is controlling munoz's posture.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
munoz stopping the sweep attempt from Stauner.
munoz works a leg free and moves into half guard.

munoz is working for a submission of some sort.
Stauner tries to roll over but munoz keeps him under control.
Stauner trying to control from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
munoz content to control rather than advance.
munoz prevents Stauner from standing back up.
munoz is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Stauner!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
munoz wants to control the pace but Stauner is squirming around nicely.

munoz is working for a guillotine from mount but Stauner frees his head quite easily.
Stauner really trying hard to get back to half guard here.

munoz jumps to the side looking to secure the arm triangle…. Ooooh, that looks tight… Stauner is gargling but he's managed to escape! Nice work there by Stauner and munoz has given up the dominant position trying to land that submission.
mark munoz has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
munoz working the ground and pound but Stauner is defending the strikes.
munoz wants to control but Stauner is keeping him busy.
Stauner is trying to control munoz's posture but munoz avoids it.

munoz looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Stauner is pushing munoz's head away, looking to escape. munoz manages to hold on to the position though.

munoz looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Stauner wants to control but munoz postures up.

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 mark munoz.
I think Stauner has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 28:29
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 28:29
Judge Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Corey Stauner!