PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Elmo Stafford (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bryant Hatch (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Bryant Hatch has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Stafford
vs
Hatch

167 cm
18
278 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

190 cm
23
255 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Tends to cut

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Elmo Stafford!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Bryant Hatch!
The judges for this bout are Sergei Dronov, Ivan Kurochkin and Fedor Mirinova.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Good leg kick by Hatch there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Stafford tries to move into range but Hatch moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Stafford looks for a takedown but Hatch sprawls well.
Hatch scores with a nice strike.

It looks like Elmo Stafford has been cut.

Hatch clinches up with Stafford and pushes him back against the cage.
Stafford taking a breather.
Stafford letting Hatch take a breather here.
Stafford goes for a takedown in the clinch but Hatch prevents it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Hatch ties up his opponent against the cage and manages to drag the fight down to the ground. Hatch no doubt will be looking to work submissions from his guard.
Stafford could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Hatch not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Hatch working a defensive guard but Stafford manages to pass into side control anyway.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stafford postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Stafford gets to mount! Hatch was on the offensive and wasn't defending properly.
Hatch is trying to stand up.
Stafford breaks from Hatch's wrist control and lands an elbow.
Stafford wants to control the pace but Hatch is squirming around nicely.
Stafford lands a nice shot to the head.

That's two 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.
You get the feeling that Hatch really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Stafford looking to control but Hatch is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Hatch is working to get back to half guard.
Stafford pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Stafford tries to control but Hatch wriggling away.
Hatch working to try and regain half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stafford landing shots from mount.
Hatch is looking to improve his position but Stafford isn't that keen on the idea.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Stafford with a couple of short strikes.
BOOM! Stafford connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Stafford landing punches.
Stafford tries to control but Hatch wriggling away.
Stafford controlling the pace for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stafford landing strikes from the mount.
Hatch really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Stafford. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Stafford lands with some strikes.
Stafford landing shots from mount.
BOOM! Stafford connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Stafford scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Hatch?
Hatch is in a horrible position here. Stafford smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hatch taking shots to the head.
Stafford with a couple of short strikes.

Hatch is rocked!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Elmo Stafford dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Elmo Stafford's cut.
That's time! Stafford's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Hatch shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Hatch showed some decent athleticism there.

Stafford kicks Hatch off and gets back to his feet.
Hatch moves in looking to clinch but Stafford pushes him off.
Hatch fails with an attempt to clinch.
Stafford looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.

Hatch closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Stafford to the mat! Stafford manages to get full guard.
Elmo Stafford overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hatch working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Hatch stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Stafford swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hatch throws a big right hand that misses.
Hatch must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Hatch looking to sit in guard and control but Stafford gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Stafford 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.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Stafford wants to control from the top but Hatch keeps moving.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Hatch looks to land a combination. Stafford sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hatch feints a jab promting Stafford to slip. Hatch then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Stafford slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Hatch is breathing heavily.
Stafford stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Hatch.
Stafford shoots in looking for a takedown but Hatch manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Stafford's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Elmo Stafford is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hatch fails in his attempt to clinch.
Stafford is looking for a counter combo.
Stafford shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Hatch but Hatch pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Elmo Stafford. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Donk. Hatch catches Stafford right on the button with a cross.
Stafford takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Hatch throws a series of punches but Stafford moves out of range.
Bryant Hatch seems to be getting the better of the standup.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Stafford.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Hatch manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Stafford on his heels. He'll look to pass Stafford's guard now, I'm sure.

Stafford looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Stafford controlling the position.
Stafford keeping full guard, as Hatch tries to pass.
Stafford is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stafford tries to strike from the bottom.
Stafford has his hands on Hatch's head, controlling the position.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Hatch keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Hatch scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

Hatch is trying to get an arm triangle but Stafford is defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bryant Hatch showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Elmo Stafford's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

A combination from Hatch does no damage.
Stafford seemed to be looking to counter by closing the distance.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Hatch.
Hatch is looking to take a break and control but Stafford is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Stafford can't do much from the bottom here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hatch fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Stafford is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Hatch's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stafford is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Hatch's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Hatch's back!
Hatch takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Hatch wants to get back to his feet.

Stafford has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Stafford lands with a nice looking elbow that stuns Hatch.
Stafford scores with punches and elbows.

That's two 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.
Stafford lands a shot to the head.
Stafford lands a couple of good shots to his opponent's body and a final shot to the head. Good little attack there by Stafford.
I really don't envy Hatch right now.
Stafford biding his time, controlling Hatch.
Hatch covers up after that shot from Stafford.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stafford is punishing Hatch with strikes - can he finish him?!
Stafford is working the ground and pound. Can Hatch escape?
Hatch is trying to stand back up.
Stafford is punishing Hatch with some ground and pound.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Hatch. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Hatch is trying to get back to his feet but Stafford has full control of the position and if anything, Hatch has just worked his way into a worse spot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Stafford lands strikes to the head.
Stafford lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Hatch tries to roll but Stafford sticks to his back.
Stafford is landing with strikes from the back.
Stafford 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.
Stafford connects with a big shot to the side of Hatch's head.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Hatch is trying to remain composed but Stafford is hammering down strikes to the side of his head.
Hatch tries to break free.
Stafford lands a shot to the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
Elmo Stafford showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Stafford 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 Sergei Dronov scores the fight 29:28
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 29:28
Judge Fedor Mirinova scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Elmo Stafford!