PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Logan Justis (ranked 4517 p4p, 1895 weight class) and Maxim Ward (ranked 518 p4p, 237 weight class). Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Justis
vs
Ward

189 cm
39
183
25 - 17 - 0

185 cm
27
172
9 - 4 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Urban Fighter

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 25 - 17 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Logan Justis!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Maxim Ward!
The judges for this bout are Stewart Dunkirk, Alan Glass and Tiny Johnson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ward throws a lazy uppercut
and Justis counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Ward thinking.

Justis lands a big head kick that sends Ward tumbling to the mat! Justis takes a step backwards and waves Ward back to his feet - he wants the finish!

Ward is rocked!

It looks like Maxim Ward has been cut.
Ward lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Ward is still on wobbly legs! Can Justis finish him?
Ward dives in for a single leg takedown but Justis sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
As Ward looks to move away, Justis throws a big counter combo but Ward just gets out of the way.
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!
Justis throws a head kick but Ward moves out of range.
A jab lands there for Ward.
Ward seems to have recovered his senses.

Ward closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

Ward breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
A telegraphed right hand from Ward misses the target.
Justis is looking to counter with head kicks.
Ward swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A big right from Ward misses.
Justis throws a counter high kick but Ward was just alert enough to avoid it.
Ward shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Justis pinned against the cage. Justis gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Justis swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Justis misses with a lunging right hand
and Ward counters with a straight right hand.
Maxim Ward seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ward swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Ward displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Justis throws out the jab.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Ward.
Ward shoots in but Justis avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Justis has been working on his boxing with his coaches at The Factory in the buildup to the fight.
Logan Justis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Maxim Ward.
Ward connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Ward with a lazy takedown attempt
and Justis counters with a stiff right hand.
Logan Justis is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Justis takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Good shot there by Ward.
Ward moves in looking to clinch but Justis pushes him off.
A quick step to the side and Justis tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ward closes this distance looking for a takedown but Justis circles away.
Justis slips under a jab from Ward.
Ward will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ward throws an off balance right hand
and Justis counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Ward avoids the body shot from Justis.
We've been informed that Ward has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Ward misses with a body shot.
Justis swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Ward shoots in for a takedown but Justis shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Justis was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Ward with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Ward throws a poor cross that misses
and Justis counters with a head kick.
Justis uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ward.
Justis appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Ward looks to score with a jab to the body but Justis is just out of range.
Justis swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Ward with a hook.
Ward is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Justis had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Ward closes the distance and clinches.
Justis blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Ward manages to break the clinch.
Ward shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Justis pinned against the cage. Justis gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Justis swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.

Ward dives in and scores a takedown into Justis's guard.
Justis wants to stand up but Ward is controlling him.
Ward distracts Justis with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Justis wants to get back to his feet but Ward is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ward is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ward's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Justis manages to wriggle out and sneak his way back up to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched up against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Ward.
Ward is looking to break free of the clinch but Justis has double underhooks.
Ward misses with a punch on the inside.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Ward wants to get back to striking at distance but Justis won't allow it.
Ward throws a head punch that misses.
Ward has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Justis is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Justis struggles to land a body shot inside as Ward controls his hands.
Justis blocks a body shot from Ward.
Ward being controlled against the cage.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Logan Justis will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Maxim Ward's cut.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ward shoots and misses
and Justis counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Ward thinking.
Ward shoots in for a double leg but Justis sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Ward closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Ward lands in his opponent's guard.
Justis is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Ward throwing strikes but missing.
Justis wants to stand up but Ward is controlling him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ward with a nice head shot there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Justis wants to get back to his feet but Ward is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Ward is working Justis over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Justis is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Ward is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Ward pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Justis is keeping the position for now.
Ward prevents Justis from getting back to his feet.
Ward works a leg free and moves into half guard.

Justis has one foot on Ward's thigh - he pushes off and manages to get back to his feet.
Ward misses with a lunging right hand
and Ward takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

That has opened up Maxim Ward's cut even more.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Justis connects with a crisp jab.
Ward misses with a body shot.
Ward lands a right hook to the body.
Justis throws a jab when Ward was well out of range.
Ward looks for a takedown but Justis sprawls well.
Logan Justis has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Maxim Ward.
Justis moves away from the strike by Ward.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Justis displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Ward.
Ward drops his hands momentarily and Justis takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ward bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Justis's head backwards.
A big left from Ward misses.
A counter left hand to the body from Justis misses its target.
Ward misses with a body punch
and Ward takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

Ward rushes Justis and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Ward's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Ward misses with a straight right.
Justis misses with a looping left.
A slow jab from Justis misses its intended target.
Justis drops his hands momentarily and Ward takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Ward keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Nice straight punches there by Justis. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Justis.
Justis pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ward throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Ward throws a right hand that misses
and Justis counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ward tests Justis's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Justis stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Justis wants it to stay on the feet.
Justis throws a big counter combination but Ward scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Justis has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Ward finds it's way round the side to connect with Justis's head.
A looping hook to the body misses from Ward. Justis does a little dance to reset his feet.
Ward shoots in looking for a takedown but Justis manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Ward's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Justis bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Ward swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Ward tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Justis defends well and Ward ends up having to push Justis into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
It looked like Justis was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Ward.
Justis takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Logan Justis will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Maxim Ward's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Ward works the jab nicely.
Justis swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Justis pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Justis uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Ward.
Ward jabs Justis to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Logan Justis is winning the standup battle so far.
Justis slips under a jab from Ward.
Ward throws a leg kick but Justis moved away.
Ward slips a jab and a cross from Justis.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Justis with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Ward to score with a decent uppercut.
Ward throws a hook but Justis blocks it.
Justis seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Ward lands a nice shot to the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Ward misses the target.
Justis appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Justis punishes Ward's body with a nice straight punch.

Ward drives through and clinches with Justis against the cage.

Justis breaks the clinch.
Ward falls off balance throwing a combination
and Justis counters with a straight right hand.
Ward fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Justis on the side of the head.
Justis swings widly with a right hand
and Justis takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
A low kick from Ward is predictable there
and Justis counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Decent striking displayed by Ward there.
Ward takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Justis misses with a hook. Ward ducked under it nicely.
Maxim Ward has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ward connects with a jab.
Justis checks a low kick from Ward.
Justis fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ward manages to avoid it.
Justis stuns Ward with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Ward throws a leg kick
letting Justis counter with a right hand.

Ward dives in and scores a takedown into Justis's guard.
Justis lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Justis stands up from Ward's guard - Justis perhaps looking for a knockout.
Justis uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Ward.

Oooooh!!! Justis has knocked Ward down with a huge combo! Justis steps away and waves a wobbly Ward back to his feet! This one might not go much longer!

The cut above Maxim Ward's eye is starting to cause him problems now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Justis feints and then winds up with a huge right hand that connects perfectly and sends Ward sprawling to the canvas! Ward rolls over backwards and springs off the cage and manages to regain his footing - how acrobatic! Oh, he's still wobbly - can Justis finish him?!
Ward scores with a jab to the head.
Ward tests Justis's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Ward misses with a right hand
and Justis counters with a left to the body.
Justis misses with a few strikes there.
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!
Ward closes this distance looking for a takedown but Justis circles away.
Ward takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Justis swings widly with a right hand
and Ward cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Ward misses with a looping left.

Justis lands a big uppercut and Ward crumbles to the floor! The ref thinks about stopping the fight but Ward looks OK. Justis waves Ward back to his feet!
Justis throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Justis blocks a jab.
It looked like Justis was trying to counter with a body shot coming off that last attack from Ward.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ward with a hook.
Ward throws a right hand that misses
and Justis connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

Maxim Ward's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.
Ward looks to land a right hand but Justis moved out of range.
A counter left hand to the body from Justis misses its target.
Ward bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Good standup being displayed there by Ward as he connects with a hook.
Ward connects with a nice looking jab.

Ward takes the fight into the clinch.
Ward doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ward tries to throw a body punch but Justis avoids it by throwing Ward back against the cage.
Logan Justis is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ward swings wildly with an uppercut but Justis uses good head movement to avoid it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Logan Justis showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Justis, 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 Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 29:29
Judge Alan Glass scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 28:29

The fight is ruled a draw!