PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Paul Henderson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jay Sponseller (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.

Henderson
vs
Sponseller

198 cm
18
270 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

185 cm
20
225 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Self confident

BJJ White Belt
Counter striker
Knockout power

Das Labor

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Paul Henderson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Jay Sponseller!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Henderson tries to clinch up.
Sponseller should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Sponseller looks to clinch
and Henderson counters with a two punch combo.
Sponseller circles away from the clinch attempt

and Sponseller counters with a single leg into guard. Henderson didn't expect that.
Sponseller has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Henderson is proving hard to escape from.
Henderson looking to hit a scissor sweep but Sponseller is one step ahead there.
Henderson looking to control.

Sponseller gets to his feet - Henderson follows without any prompting.
Henderson tries to clinch

and Sponseller counters by clinching up.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Henderson with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller connects with a knee to the head.
Sponseller landing knees to the body.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sponseller blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sponseller looking to throw knees to the head but Henderson is blocking nicely.
Sponseller looking to throw knees to the head but Henderson is blocking nicely.
Sponseller looks gassed!
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller looking to throw knees to the head but Henderson is blocking nicely.
Henderson lands a knee to the body.
Henderson lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Henderson misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sponseller.
Sponseller blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sponseller using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Henderson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Henderson lands an elbow inside that Sponseller shrugs off.

Henderson wants the takedown. Sponseller is fighting it off but Henderson persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Sponseller's guard against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sponseller keeping moving, preventing Henderson from controlling successfully.
Henderson is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Henderson will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Henderson looking to pass the guard.
Sponseller wants to stand but Henderson is controlling the position.
Henderson trying to control the position from guard on top but Sponseller is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sponseller wants to get back to his feet but Henderson is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Henderson trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Sponseller is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Henderson is controlling him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Henderson has his takedown stuffed

and Sponseller counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Sponseller is looking to stand up but Henderson won't let him.
Sponseller must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Sponseller is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Henderson trying to control the position.
Sponseller wants to stand but Henderson is controlling his posture from full guard.
Henderson wants to sweep but no luck.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Sponseller closes the distance looking to clinch

and Henderson holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Henderson misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson takes a knee right on the jaw!
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jay Sponseller dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Henderson wants to clinch

and Sponseller holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Henderson throws a punch but it's blocked by Sponseller.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Henderson crunches a lovely knee into Sponseller's ribcage.

Henderson pulls guard successfully.
Sponseller would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Henderson looking to control.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Henderson is really struggling to control Sponseller but he's trying to hold on to the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sponseller wants to stand but Henderson is controlling his posture from full guard.
Sponseller postures up.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Sponseller tries to clinch up

and Henderson counters by clinching up.
Sponseller landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Sponseller connects with a nasty looking knee right to Henderson's face.

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.
Henderson fails to pull the fight into his guard.
The step up in weight doesn't seem to be a problem for Sponseller. He's performing admirably here against the bigger man.
Henderson is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Sponseller pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Sponseller misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Henderson.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Henderson takes a knee right on the jaw!
Sponseller unloads a knee to the mid-section. Henderson lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Henderson gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Henderson wants a takedown but no success here.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Henderson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sponseller landing knees to the head.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson misses with an elbow strike.
Knees to the body from Sponseller.
Sponseller scores with a knee to the head.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.

Henderson successfully pulls guard.
Sponseller postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Sponseller decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Paul Henderson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Henderson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sponseller clinches but Henderson breaks the clinch

and Henderson holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Henderson lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sponseller scores with a knee to the head.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Henderson misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller landing knees to the head.
Sponseller managing to block the knees to the body from Henderson.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Henderson looking to throw knees to the head but Sponseller is blocking nicely.
Henderson trying to land knees to the body.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller avoids a wild elbow strike from Henderson.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
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 Paul Henderson will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Henderson tries to clinch but Sponseller moves away

and Sponseller counters by moving into the clinch.
Sponseller looking to throw knees to the head but Henderson is blocking nicely.
Henderson tries a knee to the head but Sponseller blocks it.
Sponseller lands a nice knee to the body.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sponseller lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Henderson lands an elbow inside that Sponseller shrugs off.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson lands an elbow inside that Sponseller shrugs off.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson throws a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Sponseller managing to block the knees to the body from Henderson.
Sponseller misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Henderson.
Sponseller on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sponseller using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Henderson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Henderson lands an elbow inside.
Sponseller landing knees to the body.
Sponseller on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Sponseller on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Henderson looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sponseller's face.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Henderson.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Sponseller looking to throw knees to the head but Henderson is blocking nicely.
Henderson using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sponseller has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Henderson misses with an elbow over the top.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson is trying to drag Sponseller to the mat but Sponseller just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Henderson tries a knee to the head but Sponseller blocks it.

That's two 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.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Henderson blocks it with crossed arms.
Sponseller blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sponseller using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Henderson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Henderson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sponseller's face.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Sponseller's defenses.
Sponseller misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Sponseller trying to land knees to the body.
Sponseller blocks an elbow strike from Henderson.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Henderson lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Henderson misses with a knee to the head.
Henderson missing with knees to the body.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Sponseller misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Henderson.
Henderson misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sponseller.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Sponseller misses with a knee strike.
Henderson connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sponseller's face.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Sponseller using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Henderson has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Henderson tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sponseller just stands there and leans against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Henderson.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Henderson landing knees to the body.
Henderson on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Henderson comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Henderson throws a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson looking to throw knees to the head but Sponseller is blocking nicely.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but Henderson blocks with his arms.
Henderson goes for a takedown in the clinch but Sponseller prevents it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Paul Henderson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson scores with a knee to the head.
Sponseller avoiding damage as Henderson throws knees to the body.
Sponseller landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

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.
Sponseller throws a knee to the head but misses.
Henderson tries to land knees in the clinch but Sponseller avoids the damage to the body.
Sponseller unloads a knee to the mid-section. Henderson lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Sponseller tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Sponseller with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Henderson misses with a knee strike.
Sponseller tries a knee to the head but Henderson blocks it.
Henderson with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sponseller connects with a nasty looking knee right to Henderson's face.

Henderson manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Sponseller trying to stand up but can't free himself from Henderson's guard.
Sponseller postures up.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Henderson looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Henderson is working hard here to advance position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jay Sponseller comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Sponseller has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 28:29
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 28:29
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jay Sponseller!