PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Blaine Hurst (ranked 24593 p4p, 0 weight class) and Taylor McCartney (ranked 5832 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Hurst
vs
McCartney

203 cm
19
214 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

189 cm
25
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Blaine Hurst!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Taylor McCartney!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Emerson Jorge and Paulo Santos.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
McCartney tries to clinch there but Hurst circles away.

Hurst forces McCartney back against the cage and clinches.
Hurst tries to pull guard but McCartney holds him up against the cage and eventually Hurst drops back down to his feet.
McCartney trying to stall but Hurst improves his position.

Hurst is trying to trip McCartney. He has hold of a leg but McCartney is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Hurst persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Hurst stops McCartney from standing up.
McCartney is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Hurst looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Hurst will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hurst stops McCartney from standing up.

That's one minute gone in the round.
McCartney looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Hurst won't allow McCartney to get back to his feet.
Hurst postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Hurst tries to move into range but McCartney moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
McCartney fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Hurst avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
McCartney scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
McCartney fails with an attempt to clinch.
McCartney looks to land a combination but Hurst avoids it well.
McCartney tries to clinch but Hurst moves away

and Hurst counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Hurst.
Hurst has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of McCartney is proving hard to escape from.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hurst stopping the sweep attempt from McCartney.
McCartney wants to get back to his feet but Hurst is in a dominant position and won't allow it.

Hurst thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
McCartney wants to sweep but no luck.
Hurst connects with a couple of short punches.
McCartney is trying to control the position from the bottom.
McCartney tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hurst throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Hurst looking to control the position here, rather than advance.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Hurst avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Hurst wants to slow McCartney down by chopping away at his legs.
McCartney rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Hurst moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
McCartney wants to clinch.
Hurst throws a big counter combination but McCartney scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.

McCartney gets tackled into the cage by Hurst. Hurst maintains the clinch.
Hurst has McCartney pressed against the cage, preventing McCartney from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Hurst drops down looking for an ankle pick but McCartney pulls his leg out and moves away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by McCartney!
Hurst circles away from the clinch attempt

and Hurst counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
McCartney is looking to escape.

Hurst is looking for a kimura here.
Hurst seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Blaine Hurst dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

McCartney tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
McCartney moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Hurst has McCartney up against the cage in a clinch.

Hurst pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
McCartney tries to clinch up.

Hurst clinches with his opponent.
Hurst is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables McCartney to keep the fight standing.

Hurst breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
McCartney throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
McCartney tries to close the distance and clinch but Hurst swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Hurst drops down looking for a counter takedown but McCartney sprawls and moves away.
McCartney is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
McCartney throws a left and a right that both miss

so Hurst counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Hurst is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hurst postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Hurst sitting in guard here, content to control.
Hurst in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Hurst stops McCartney from standing up.
McCartney is trying to keep Hurst in close.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Hurst with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Hurst throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as McCartney works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
McCartney looking to control.
Blaine Hurst overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
McCartney wants to stand up but Hurst is controlling him.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
McCartney scores with the left hand. Hurst knows he should have avoided that one.
McCartney scores with a jab to the body.

Hurst shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

Hurst drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Hurst jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Hurst is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hurst trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
McCartney is trying to control the position but Hurst postures up.

Hurst is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Hurst connects with a couple of short punches.
Hurst is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that McCartney can do to turn this around?
McCartney is breathing heavily.
McCartney wants to get back to his feet but Hurst is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
McCartney is trying to control the position but Hurst postures up.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
McCartney looks to clinch

and Hurst counters with a nice double leg into side control. McCartney won't be happy with that.

Hurst is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but McCartney is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Hurst in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Hurst working away.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
McCartney is letting Hurst control him for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Blaine Hurst dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

McCartney scores with a shot to the body.
McCartney tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hurst paws at him with a jab and circles away.
McCartney misses with a wild combination.
Hurst avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Hurst jumps guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
McCartney throws a big right hand that misses.
Hurst pulls McCartney in to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hurst has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
McCartney throws a big elbow that misses.
McCartney trying to control but Hurst is working from the bottom.

Hurst looking for a guillotine here but McCartney defends easily.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
McCartney lands with a nice combination. Hurst backs away looking to recover.
McCartney keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Taylor McCartney seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
McCartney throws a one two combo.

Hurst moves into the clinch.
Hurst tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. McCartney just stands there and leans against the cage.
Hurst fails to pull the fight into his guard.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Blaine Hurst. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Hurst has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed McCartney clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
McCartney rolls and manages to get back to half guard. Nicely done.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Hurst content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
McCartney has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Hurst is working away from the top position though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
McCartney is trying to avoid being dragged into an even worse position than he's already in but Hurst is staying active.

Hurst is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. McCartney doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Hurst.
McCartney is trying to control but can't.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.

Hurst is sneakily working for an arm triangle but McCartney sees it coming and defends easily.
McCartney wants to control but Hurst is keeping busy and won't allow it.

Hurst is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
McCartney has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Hurst is working away from the top position though.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Hurst takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
McCartney swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Hurst decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in McCartney's guard.
Taylor McCartney has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Blaine Hurst is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Hurst controlling from the top position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Taylor McCartney comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Hurst 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 29:28
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 29:28
Judge Paulo Santos scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Blaine Hurst!