PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between James Polk (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Harley Royale (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Royale has chosen Empire X by Dubtraction as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Polk
vs
Royale

178 cm
25
184 lbs
13 - 10 - 0

183 cm
30
183 lbs
11 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Very quick

Olympic wrestler
Decent boxing
Granite chin

White Gorilla Nutrition
White Gorilla Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 10 - 0, fighting out of New York, James Polk!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Harley Royale!
The judges for this bout are Trevor Gratis, Gregory Folan and Steve Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Polk is looking to clinch.

Polk pushes Royale up against the cage in a clinch.
Royale has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Polk avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Polk tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Royale smiles and moves away.

Polk moves into the clinch.

Royale pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Polk has Royale up against the cage in a clinch.
Royale can't get the takedown.
Royale is looking to control Polk's arms but Polk gets an underhook and turns him. Now Royale has his back to the cage.
Knees in the clinch landing for Polk.

Polk turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Polk lands a decent elbow from side control.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Royale tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Royale avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Polk.
Polk throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Royale wants to get back to his feet.
Royale sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Polk trying to control from half guard but Royale is working away.
Royale tries to roll over but Polk keeps him under control.
Polk prevents Royale from standing back up.
Polk is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Royale is trying to stand back up but Polk is controlling him
Polk takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Polk with the ground and pound but Royale uses the opportunity to regain guard.

Royale is working an open guard so Polk takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Polk misses with a wild combination.

Polk clinches.
Polk blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Polk tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Royale smiles and moves away.
Polk shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Royale pinned against the cage. Royale gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Polk. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Royale moves into the clinch.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Royale wants a takedown but no success here.
Polk is pressed up against the cage. Royale has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Polk down to the mat. Polk avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Royale misses with a series of wild punches.

Polk closes the distance and pushes Royale back into the cage.
Polk drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Royale gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Polk blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Polk using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Royale looks gassed!
Royale misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Royale tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Polk avoids it.
Polk prevents a body shot from Royale.
Royale drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Polk tries to pull guard but Royale holds him up against the cage and eventually Polk drops back down to his feet.

Polk manages to break the clinch.

Polk looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Royale!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Royale is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Polk lands a heavy elbow.
Polk in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Royale sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Polk thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Royale's head.
Polk slips a nice elbow through Royale's hands, connecting with Royale's forehead.

Polk is looking for a kimura but Royale is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Polk to get the leverage.
Polk is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Royale is staying active underneath Polk, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Polk working the head and body with strikes.

Royale actively working from the bottom here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Royale is trying to get back to full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Polk scoring with strikes to the body and head.

Royale is defending against the submission attempts here by Polk.
Royale is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Polk is looking to take a break and control but Royale is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Royale is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Polk takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.

Polk is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Royale doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Polk.
Royale keeps control of the position for the meantime.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Polk decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Polk with the ground and pound but Royale uses the opportunity to regain guard.

Royale working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Polk doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Polk manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Royale is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Polk is controlling him.
James Polk overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Royale pushes Polk off and gets back to his feet.
Royale fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Polk avoids it really well and circles away.
Royale keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Polk shoots in and gets a takedown into Royale's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Royale trying to control the position.
Royale is breathing heavily.
Polk is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.

Polk drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Polk jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Polk stops Royale from standing up.
Polk chips away with some ground and pound.

Royale looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Polk is in close to Royale's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Royale is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Polk with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Polk throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Royale pulls Polk in close to his closed guard and prevents Polk from doing any damage or advancing position.
Polk landing with the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Polk lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Polk is in close to Royale's body, working some short punches and elbows.
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!
Polk trying to control but Royale is working from the bottom.
Polk connects with a couple of short punches.
Royale looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Polk wants to control from the top but Royale keeps moving.
Polk is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Royale working a defensive guard here.

Royale pushes Polk off and gets back to his feet.
Royale closes the distance and clinches up with Polk, looking for a takedown. Royale pushes Polk against the cage but Polk circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Royale instigates a clinch.
Royale gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Polk.
Polk tries to land knees in the clinch but Royale avoids the damage to the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Polk.
Polk drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Royale gets the underhooks and prevents it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Polk. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Royale tries for a takedown but Polk manages to get underhooks.

Polk jumps guard.
Royale makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Polk trying to control the position.
Royale trying to control but Polk is working from the bottom.

Polk pushes Royale off and gets back to his feet.
James Polk is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Polk lands with a right hand.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Polk is defended easily by Royale.
Royale has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Polk throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Polk.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Polk.

Royale has managed to clinch.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Polk lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.

Royale manages to escape and get back to his feet!

Royale moves into the clinch successfully.
A nice left hand lands by Royale.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Polk dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Polk changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Royale tries to avoid it but Polk manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Royale to the ground. Royale escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Royale moves into range and clinches up with Polk.
Royale has Polk pressed against the cage.
Royale tries to throw a body punch but Polk avoids it by throwing Royale back against the cage.
Polk wants a takedown.
A nice left hand lands by Royale.
Royale gets underhooks to prevent Polk's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for James Polk. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Polk drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Royale lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Polk backwards.
Royale misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Polk is trying to drag Royale to the mat but Royale just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Stalling in the clinch from Royale.
Royale lands a hook to the side of the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Royale on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Royale.

Royale has picked Polk up - he's going for a ride! Royale dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Polk has hold of Royale's hands but Royale slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Royale working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Royale working the head and body with strikes.
Polk is looking for a sweep. Royale is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Royale slips a nice elbow through Polk's hands, connecting with Polk's forehead.
Royale controlling the action here.
Polk is looking to improve his position.
Royale looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Polk with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Polk gets back to full guard.
Royale trying to control but Polk is working from the bottom.
Royale is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Royale stopping the sweep attempt from Polk.
Royale throws a strike but Polk rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Polk wants to control from the top but Royale keeps moving.
Royale is adopting a defensive guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Polk prevents Royale from getting back to his feet.

Royale has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Polk off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Polk has a takedown stuffed.
Polk fails with a takedown attempt.

Royale moves into the clinch successfully.
Harley Royale has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
James Polk is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Royale missing with knees to the body.
Royale swings wildly with an uppercut but Polk uses good head movement to avoid it.
Royale tries to throw a body punch but Polk avoids it by throwing Royale back against the cage.
Royale misses with a punch to the body.
Royale can't find room to land a body shot as Polk controls the action.
Polk jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Royale walks away with a smile on his face. Polk gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Polk fails to land with a series of punches.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Royale has closed the distance and engaged Polk in a clinch.
Royale misses with a body punch.
Royale is working for takedown but Polk is calmly controlling the position for now.

Royale pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Royale clinches with his opponent.
Royale misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Polk gets underhooks to prevent Royale's takedown attempt.
Polk gets underhooks to prevent Royale's takedown attempt.
Royale misses with a punch on the inside.
Royale wants to break free but Polk has control.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Royale drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Polk prevents the takedown attempt.
Royale stops a takedown attempt from Polk.

And that's the end of the fight!
Harley Royale comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Polk has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Trevor Gratis scores the fight 29:28
Judge Gregory Folan scores the fight 29:28
Judge Steve Smith scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... James Polk!