PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Steve Jones (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Paul Ernst (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.

Jones
vs
Ernst

213 cm
27
198 lbs
7 - 9 - 0

186 cm
25
190 lbs
7 - 4 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Very strong

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

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 7 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Steve Jones!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Paul Ernst!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Ernst pushes Jones up against the cage in a clinch.
Jones tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Ernst obliges.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Ernst obliges.
Ernst throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Jones blocks it with crossed arms.
Jones tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ernst just stands there and leans against the cage.
Ernst scores with a knee to the head.
Ernst landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Jones is breathing heavily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Jones jumps guard but Ernst stands there with Jones around his waist. Jones gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Jones tries to pull guard but Ernst holds him up against the cage and eventually Jones drops back down to his feet.
Ernst lands a knee to the head.
Ernst is working Jones over against the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ernst.
Ernst lands an elbow that stopped Jones in his tracks for a moment.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ernst.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Ernst.
Ernst lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Jones or not.
Ernst lands an elbow just above Jones 's eye.
Ernst throws a knee to the head but misses.
Ernst comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Ernst lands an elbow just above Jones 's eye.
Ernst lands an elbow inside.
Ernst creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Jones's defenses.
Ernst lands an elbow that stopped Jones in his tracks for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Knees to the body from Ernst.
Ernst lands a nice knee to the body.
Ernst gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
A nice left hand lands by Ernst.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Ernst lands a hook to the side of the head.
Ernst lands a damaging elbow.
Ernst lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Ernst lands a knee to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ernst.
Ernst lands a hook that snaps the head of Jones backwards.
Ernst working Jones over with knees to the body.
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!
Ernst connects with a nasty looking knee right to Jones's face.
Ernst lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A knee to the head by Ernst.
Ernst working Jones over with knees to the body.
Ernst with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

Jones is rocked!
Jones takes a knee right on the jaw!
Oh Jones is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Ernst landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Ernst landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Jones seems to have got his legs back now.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section. Jones lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ernst lands a damaging elbow.
Ernst utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ernst misses with a knee to the head.
Ernst with a knee to the head.
Ernst landing knees to the head.
Ernst lands a knee to the head.
Jones tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ernst smiles and moves away.
Jones doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Ernst counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Ernst.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section. Jones lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
Ernst misses with a knee strike.
Ernst tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Ernst lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
Jones tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ernst smiles and moves away.
Jones pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Ernst clinches.
Ernst lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
A knee to the head by Ernst.
Ernst lands a nice elbow.
Ernst connects with a nasty looking knee right to Jones's face.
Jones jumps guard but Ernst stands there with Jones around his waist. Jones gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ernst.
Ernst lands an elbow inside.
Ernst scores with a knee to the head.
Ernst utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Knees to the body from Ernst.
Ernst lands a nice elbow.
Knees to the body from Ernst.
Knees in the clinch landing for Ernst.
Jones really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Ernst landing knees to the body.
Ernst lands a knee to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ernst using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Ernst landing knees to the body.
Jones jumps guard but Ernst stands there with Jones around his waist. Jones gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Still in the clinch, Ernst scores with a nice short uppercut.
Ernst landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Ernst lands an elbow that stopped Jones in his tracks for a moment.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section. Jones lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Ernst lands a nice elbow.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section. Jones lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Jones tries to pull guard but Ernst won't allow it.
Ernst with an attempt at a knee that misses.

Jones jumps into guard, dragging Ernst to the mat.

Jones working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Ernst doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Ernst manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Ernst must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Jones tries to land a sweep but no joy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Ernst dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Ernst closes the distance and clinches.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Knees to the body from Ernst.
Ernst lands a good knee to the midsection. Jones won't want to take too many of those.
Ernst tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Ernst lands a nice knee to the body.
Jones takes a knee to the side of the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Ernst creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Jones's defenses.
Paul Ernst seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Ernst lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Ernst lands an elbow that stopped Jones in his tracks for a moment.
Ernst landing some nice looking knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Ernst.
Ernst comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Jones takes a knee to the side of the body.
Ernst lands an elbow just above Jones 's eye.
Ernst landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Jones tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ernst smiles and moves away.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Ernst tries to clinch up but Jones circles away and keeps his distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ernst takes the fight into the clinch.
Ernst lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Jones backwards.
Ernst lands a nice knee to the body.
Ernst throws a knee to the head but misses.
Ernst landing knees to the body.
Ernst using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Ernst lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ernst lands a knee to the body.
Ernst landing knees to the body.
Ernst with a knee to the head.
Jones takes an elbow to the temple.
Ernst cracks Jones with a nice body shot.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Jones jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Ernst walks away with a smile on his face. Jones gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Ernst fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Jones, pushing him back against the cage.
A knee to the head by Ernst.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ernst working Jones over with knees to the body.
Ernst connects with a nasty looking knee right to Jones's face.
Ernst lands a nice knee to the body.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Ernst trying to land knees to the body.
Jones avoids the elbow strike from Ernst, against the cage.
Ernst landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Ernst has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Ernst using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Ernst landing knees to the head.
Ernst throws a knee to the head but misses.
Ernst lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Ernst throws a knee to the head but misses.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Jones fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ernst misses with a knee strike.
Jones tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Ernst creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Jones's defenses.
Jones wants to break free but Ernst has control.
Ernst lands an elbow just above Jones 's eye.
Ernst lands an elbow that stopped Jones in his tracks for a moment.
Ernst landing knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ernst creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Jones's defenses.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Jones tries to pull guard but Ernst holds him up against the cage and eventually Jones drops back down to his feet.
Ernst lands an elbow inside that Jones shrugs off.
Ernst lands a good knee to the midsection. Jones won't want to take too many of those.
Ernst crunches a lovely knee into Jones's ribcage.
A short right from Ernst.
Jones jumps guard but Ernst stands there with Jones around his waist. Jones gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Ernst is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Jones is defending well for now.
Ernst landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Jones takes an elbow to the temple.
Ernst with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Jones blocks the elbow strike.
Ernst missing with knees to the body.
Jones tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ernst just stands there and leans against the cage.
Jones fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Ernst crunches a lovely knee into Jones's ribcage.
Ernst lands a body punch in the clinch.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Ernst gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

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.
Jones tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ernst smiles and moves away.
Jones with a lazy takedown attempt

and Ernst counters by moving into the clinch.
Ernst pushes Jones back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Ernst gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Nice elbow from Ernst.
Ernst lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
Ernst lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Ernst is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Jones takes an elbow to the forehead.
Ernst misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Jones.
Ernst is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Jones is defending well for now.
Jones working hard to break the clinch.
Ernst working Jones over with knees to the body.
Jones's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Jones blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Jones on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Jones fails to pull guard.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section. Jones lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Ernst misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Jones.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Paul Ernst showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Jones misses with a takedown attempt

and Ernst holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Ernst gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Ernst landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Ernst crunches a lovely knee into Jones's ribcage.
Jones fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Ernst connects with a knee to the head.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Ernst with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Ernst landing knees to the head.
Jones fails to pull guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Steve Jones. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Ernst crunches a lovely knee into Jones's ribcage.
Jones fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Ernst tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Jones tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Ernst just stands there and leans against the cage.
Ernst lands with a short shot to the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Ernst connects with a knee to the head.
Ernst lands a damaging elbow.
Ernst throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Ernst lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Jones or not.
Jones tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Ernst smiles and moves away.
Jones has his takedown stuffed

and Ernst holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jones fails to pull guard.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Ernst obliges.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Still in the clinch, Ernst scores with a nice short uppercut.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Ernst.
Ernst using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Jones has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Jones tries to pull guard but Ernst won't allow it.
Ernst with a knee to the head.
A knee to the head by Ernst.
Jones jumps guard but Ernst stands there with Jones around his waist. Jones gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Ernst throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Jones blocks it with crossed arms.
Ernst scores with a hook to the body.
Ernst unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Ernst misses with a knee strike.

Jones jumps guard and drags Ernst to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.

Jones has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Ernst can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Paul Ernst is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jones bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Ernst's guard.

Jones thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Jones will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Ernst holds on and takes a little breather.

Jones postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Ernst is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Jones, into his guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ernst is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Jones wants to sweep here but Ernst controlling him for the moment.
Ernst wants to pass the guard but Jones is keeping the position.
Steve Jones has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

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.
Jones wants to sweep here but Ernst controlling him for the moment.
Jones is working hard here to advance position.
Ernst sitting in guard here, content to control.

And that's the end of the fight!
Paul Ernst comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Ernst winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 25:30
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 25:30
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Paul Ernst!