PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Felix Sturm (ranked 107 p4p, 14 weight class) and Raise Hell (ranked 471 p4p, 57 weight class). Hell has chosen Motörhead - Hellraiser as his entrance music. Raise Hell struggled to make weight for this fight. He only made it down to 157.6lbs at the first attempt and had to take the additional two hours to make the official bout weight. Let's see how much it's taken out of him. Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Sturm
vs
Hell

180 cm
31
158 lbs
28 - 11 - 0

183 cm
36
173 lbs
32 - 15 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Arcticus University: London
IniTech Nutrition

Aspire Clothing
Bullet Proof System

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Felix Sturm!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 32 - 15 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Raise Hell!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Donald Grub and Paul Tew.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hell throws a poor cross that misses
and Sturm counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Hell misses with a hook. Sturm ducked under it nicely.
A looping hook to the body misses from Hell. Sturm does a little dance to reset his feet.
Hell misses with a straight right.
Hell swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sturm fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Hell takes one on the button.
Hell misses with a hook
and Sturm counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Good exchange - Sturm coming out on top.
Hell misses with a lunging right hand
and Sturm counters with a straight right hand.
Sturm looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Sturm smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Hell misses with a wild body shot.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A swing and a miss from Hell.
Sturm misses with a few strikes there.
Hell ducks right into an uppercut from Sturm.
Sturm with a jab.
A jab from Sturm does it's job there.
Sturm on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Hell. Hell obviously looking to wear him down.
A low kick from Hell is predictable there
and Sturm counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Sturm throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Hell stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Hell throws a body punch but Sturm moves out of range.
Hell is looking to chop away at Sturm's legs.
It looked like Sturm wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hell keeps the fight on the outside.
Sturm throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Hell swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Sturm makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Hell is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Hell swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Sturm cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Sturm connects with a body shot that sends Hell's belly button to the back.
Hell works the jab nicely.
Hell throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Sturm misses with a hook. Hell ducked under it nicely.
Sturm misses with a hook. Hell ducked under it nicely.
Hell flicks out a counter leg kick but Sturm steps away.
Hell connects with a body shot that sends Sturm's belly button to the back.
Nice defenses there by Sturm.
Hell's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Sturm connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Hell scrambles back to his feet.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sturm slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Hell cracks a nice hook into Sturm's ribs.
Hell throws a solid leg kick but Sturm takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Hell.
Sturm is looking to counter punch.
Nice defenses there by Sturm.
Sturm is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.

Sturm drives through with a really nice takedown 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.
Hell is trying to improve his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sturm cracks Hell with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Sturm is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Hell holds on to Sturm's head and controls the position momentarily.
Hell stops Sturm from passing to mount.
Hell holds on tight, trying to prevent any damage.
Hell can't do much from the bottom here.
Sturm wants to lay and pray for a moment but Hell keeps working.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sturm staying calm.
Sturm seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Hell for as long as he can get away with.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Hell is trying to get back to half guard.

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.
Hell is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Sloppy strikes there by Sturm.
Hell can't do much from the bottom here.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Hell might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Sturm haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Hell misses with a hook
enabling Sturm to counter with a crisp jab.
Sturm fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hell manages to avoid it.
Sturm takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

Sturm is rocked!
Hell throws a jab but it's blocked by Sturm.
Sturm scores with a crisp jab that stopped Hell in his tracks.
Raise Hell is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sturm avoids the body shot from Hell.
Hell throws a leg kick which misses Sturm's front leg but catches the back leg as Sturm tries to avoid it.
Jab by Sturm.
Hell throws a leg kick but Sturm checks it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sturm fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Some bone on bone action there as Sturm checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Sturm moves away from the strike by Hell.
Sturm fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Hell looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Sturm lands a leg kick that knocks Hell off balance momentarily.
Hell is looking to score with low kicks.
Hell steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sturm.
Sturm smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Sturm checks a leg kick.
Donk. Hell catches Sturm right on the button with a cross.
Oh Sturm is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Hell lands a nice shot to the body.
Hell misses with a looping left.
Hell throws a lazy right hand but Sturm sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Sturm throws a jab when Hell was well out of range.
Sturm swings for the body but Hell moves out of range.
Sturm seems to have got his legs back now.
Hell throws the left hand but Sturm avoids the punch easily.
Raise Hell seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hell throws a lazy uppercut
letting Sturm counter with a right hand.
Hell ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sturm moves away.
Hell tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Sturm is able to avoid easily.
Sturm scores with a jab to the body.
Hell loads up on a big right hand but Sturm slips the punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sturm throws a shot to the body.
Hell misses with a jab to the body
and Sturm counters with a stiff right hand.
Sturm takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Hell throws a shot from downtown. Sturm moves away and avoids it.
Sturm checks a leg kick.
Sturm slips under a jab.
Hell misses with a hook.
Sturm catches Hell with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Hell throws a looping overhand right but Sturm ducks down to avoid it.
Good work by Sturm as he checks the leg kick.
Sturm scores with a decent looking hook.
Hell misses with an uppercut
letting Sturm counter with a right hand.
Sturm uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hell.
Sturm digs a good body shot into Hell's ribs.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sturm throws a head kick that misses.
Hell looks to land a left hand but Sturm moved out of range nicely.

Sturm closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Sturm lands in his opponent's guard.
Hell looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hell working a defensive guard but Sturm manages to pass into side control anyway.
Hell struggling a bit here.
Sturm has knee on belly momentarily but Hell bucks him off and regains half guard.
Hell is not content to let Sturm control the position.
Hell is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Sturm's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Sturm's back!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
What can Sturm do to escape this position? He's going to have to figure it out pretty quick if he wants to stay in the fight!
Hell is continuing to stall.
Hell is hanging on to Sturm's back as he tries to escape.
I would not like to be Sturm right now.
Let's hope that Hell has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Sturm is really stuck here.
Sturm is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Hell can do to turn this around?

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Hell is controlling his opponent, waiting for an opportunity to finish.
The adventures of Hell the control monster continue. Boring.
Sturm rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Sturm controlling the position for now.
Hell not doing much here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Felix Sturm will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

A shot to the body from Hell misses
and Sturm counters with a nice uppercut.
Hell lands with an overhand left.

Sturm fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Hell, pushing him back against the cage.
Sturm misses with a punch on the inside.
Sturm lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Hell or not.
Sturm blocks a body shot from Hell.
Hell can't break the clinch.
Sturm struggles to land a body shot inside as Hell controls his hands.
Sturm works on Hell's body with a couple of short punches.

Hell breaks from the clinch.
Hell closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Hell throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Sturm appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
A slapping leg kick lands for Sturm.
A swing and a miss from Hell.
Sturm slips a jab from Hell.
Sturm appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Hell throws a body shot but no joy.
Sturm doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hell is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Sturm.
Sturm scores with a leg kick.
Hell moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A telegraphed right hand from Sturm misses the target.
Sturm ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Sturm is looking to counter punch.
Sturm lands a nice shot to the body.
Sturm moves into range and connects with a jab.
Sturm works Hell's body with a nice hook.
Nice shot by Sturm.
Sturm misses with a body shot.
Hell swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Hell slips a jab from Sturm.
Hell tries to work over Sturm's front leg with a kick but Sturm checks it.
An inside leg kick from Hell misses.
Sturm just misses with a punch to the body.
Hell scores with the left hand. Sturm knows he should have avoided that one.
Felix Sturm is winning the standup battle so far.
Sturm connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Sturm uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hell.
Sturm uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Hell.
Sturm fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hell scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Sturm is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Hell.
Raise Hell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A head kick from Sturm lands but Hell takes it in his stride.
Hell steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sturm.
Hell keeps the fight on the outside.
Hell throws out a counter right but Sturm avoids it with no problem.
Hell missing with a left hand there. Sturm was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Sturm scores with a shot to the body.
Hell connects with a crisp jab.
Sturm misses with a wild body shot.
Sturm slips under a jab.
Hell on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Hell misses with a looping left.
Sturm on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Hell misses with a body punch
and Sturm counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Hell rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sturm connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Hell lands a lovely overhand right.
Sturm slips a jab from Hell.
Sturm throws a leg kick which misses Hell's front leg but catches the back leg as Hell tries to avoid it.
Sturm scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Hell doesn't seem bothered though.
Hell looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hell fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Sturm ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Sturm scores with a crisp jab that stopped Hell in his tracks.
Sturm lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Hell at a distance.

Sturm is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Hell's half guard.
Hell is looking to improve his position.
Hell tries to regain full guard. Instead though, Sturm has advanced to mount. Uh oh.
Hell is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sturm connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hell flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Hell tries to reverse the position but Sturm maintains control.
Hell tries to hold on but Sturm pushes him away.
Sturm scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Hell is looking to get to half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sturm blocks Hell's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
Felix Sturm showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Sturm has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 30:27
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Felix Sturm!
Felix Sturm tried to hype himself up post fight but didn't word it too well and it ended up with him sounding like a bit of a tool.