PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Quincy Shepard (ranked 7774 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Marshall (ranked 5210 p4p, 0 weight class). Fingers crossed for an exciting fight - I'm sure both fighters are looking for a nice under the table bonus!

Shepard
vs
Marshall

188 cm
18
151 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

180 cm
19
145 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Quincy Shepard!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, James Marshall!
The judges for this bout are Colin Fotheringham, Donald Grub and Phil Schofield.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice takedown defense from Shepard. No joy for Marshall on that attempt.
Marshall takes a kick to the side of the head.

Marshall has taken the fight to the clinch.

Shepard pulls guard effortlessly.
Marshall stopping the sweep attempt from Shepard.
Shepard is adopting a defensive guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Shepard is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Shepard controlling the position.
Marshall won't allow Shepard to sweep him here.

Marshall avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Shepard looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

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.
Shepard is working hard here to advance position.
Marshall wants to get up but he can't break Shepard's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Shepard has clasped his hands together around Marshall's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.

Shepard has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Marshall shoots in for a double leg but Shepard sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Shepard really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Shepard throws a head kick but Marshall moves out of range.
Marshall shoots in for a takedown but Shepard shows good takedown defense.
Quincy Shepard has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of James Marshall.
Marshall misses with a takedown
and Shepard counters with a head kick.
James Marshall seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Marshall looks winded!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Marshall closes the distance and pushes Shepard back into the cage.
Shepard jumps guard but Marshall stands there with Shepard around his waist. Shepard gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Shepard pulls Marshall into guard.
Shepard pulls Marshall in close to prevent any damage.
Shepard has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

Shepard is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Marshall is aware though and is defending well.
Shepard seems keen to control Marshall's posture.
Marshall stops Shepard from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shepard pulls Marshall in to control the position.

Shepard is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Shepard is on top in guard.

Shepard gets to his feet - Marshall follows without any prompting.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Marshall clinches up against the cage.

Shepard manages to pull guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Quincy Shepard dominated that round.
That's time! Shepard's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Marshall shoots and misses
and Shepard counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
James Marshall is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Marshall forces Shepard back against the cage and clinches.

Shepard jumps guard.
Shepard is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Marshall is controlling him.
Quincy Shepard overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Shepard seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Marshall slips nicely into half guard, despite the strikes coming from Shepard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Shepard works his way to full guard. Good work.
Shepard tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shepard pulls Marshall in close to prevent any damage.
Shepard is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Marshall is controlling him.

Shepard has his foot on Marshall's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Marshall works his way back into a safe position though.
Marshall has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Shepard is proving hard to escape from.
Shepard has Marshall pulled in close to control his posture.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two 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.

Shepard is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Shepard wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

Marshall tries to keep at a distance but Shepard has taken the fight into the clinch.

Shepard successfully pulls guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Shepard is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Shepard is pulling down on Marshall's head. It's preventing any offense from Marshall, at least for the moment.

Shepard has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Marshall can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Marshall tries to stand but Shepard is controlling from the bottom.

Shepard is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.

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.
Shepard pulls Marshall in to control the position.

Shepard working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Marshall doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Marshall manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Marshall has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Shepard is proving hard to escape from.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Quincy Shepard dominated that second round.
That's time! Shepard's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Marshall avoids the head kick by Shepard.

Marshall rushes Shepard and presses him up against the cage.

Shepard pulls guard effortlessly.

Shepard working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Marshall doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Marshall manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Shepard pulls Marshall in close to prevent any damage.
Marshall prevents Shepard from getting back to his feet.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Shepard has a closed guard, preventing Marshall from standing up.
Shepard looking to hit a scissor sweep but Marshall is one step ahead there.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Shepard had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Marshall defends it easily.
Shepard is controlling Marshall's posture.
Marshall really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Shepard. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Marshall tries to stand but Shepard is controlling from the bottom.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.

Marshall forces Shepard back against the cage and clinches.

That's two 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.
Marshall wants to stall.
Marshall is trying to force a seperation but Shepard has the dominant position.
Marshall has had enough of the clinch but Shepard keeps him there for the moment.
Shepard digs a right hand into Marshall's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Marshall's gas tank.

Shepard gets control of Marshall's arms and successfully pulls guard. Shepard will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Marshall has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Shepard is proving hard to escape from.
Shepard is pulling down on Marshall's head. It's preventing any offense from Marshall, at least for the moment.

Shepard looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Marshall must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shepard is controlling Marshall's posture.

Shepard looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Shepard trying to control the position.
Shepard lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Shepard loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

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.

Shepard drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Marshall dives on top into guard.

Shepard has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Marshall can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Marshall would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Shepard is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Marshall stops Shepard from standing up.

And that's the end of the fight!
Quincy Shepard showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Shepard, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 30:27
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 30:27
Judge Phil Schofield scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Quincy Shepard!