PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between John Brown (ranked 1846 p4p, 1116 weight class) and Nomor Gai (ranked 224 p4p, 143 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Brown might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to My Time. The crowd seem to be enjoying Gai's choice of entrance music: Alice Cooper No More Mr. Nice Guy. 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.

Brown
vs
Gai

180 cm
44
166
37 - 45 - 3

182 cm
43
166
29 - 13 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 37 - 45 - 3, fighting out of Hilo, John Brown!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 29 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nomor Gai!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gai comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Gai tests Brown's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Gai is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Brown.
Brown misses with a head kick.
Brown shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Gai sprawls well. Gai wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Brown gets slowly back to his feet.
Gai throws a shot from downtown. Brown moves away and avoids it.
Gai lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Gai fails to land with a series of punches.

Brown scores with a takedown into Gai's guard.
Gai lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Brown wants to sweep but no luck.
Gai looking to pass the guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brown looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Brown tries to land a sweep but no joy.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gai must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Brown is trying to control the position but Gai postures up.
Gai being controlled here momentarily.
Brown tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Brown is working hard here to advance position.

That's two 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.
Brown managing to control the position.
Gai stopping the sweep attempt from Brown.
Brown pulls Gai in to control the position.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.
Brown has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Gai connects with a leg kick.
Gai connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Gai with a nice calf kick.
Brown uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Gai.

Gai tries to sprawl but Brown drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Gai keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brown wants to advance to full mount but Gai doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
Brown is looking to work some ground and pound but Gai has wrist control.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Brown accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Brown with a nice head shot there.
Gai utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
We've been hearing that Brown has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Brown accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gai working a defensive guard here.
Brown throwing strikes but missing.
Brown trying to control the position from guard on top but Gai is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Brown with a nice head shot there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brown working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Brown wants to control from the top but Gai keeps moving.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Brown throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Brown looking to pass the guard.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Gai is trying to keep Brown in close.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Brown throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Gai tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Brown is in Gai's guard.
Gai seems keen to control Brown's posture.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Nomor Gai will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Gai goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Brown seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Gai throws a series of punches but Brown moves out of range.
Brown misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

Brown shoots in and gets a takedown into Gai's guard.
Brown is looking to work some ground and pound but Gai has wrist control.
Brown sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Gai working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Brown.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gai managing to control the position.
Brown missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
John Brown overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Brown accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gai preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Brown wants to control from the top but Gai keeps moving.
Brown looking to sit in guard and control but Gai gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Brown bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Gai's guard.

Brown throws a strike but Gai rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Brown looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Gai being controlled here momentarily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brown tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Brown is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Gai preventing the sweep.
Brown wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
This is a sustained period of stalling by Brown.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Brown walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Nomor Gai seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Brown closes this distance looking for a takedown but Gai circles away.
Gai raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Brown scores with a shot to the body.
Gai swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Gai takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Gai attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
No luck for Brown with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Brown. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gai thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Brown if he has to take too many more of those.
Gai scores with a hook.

Brown manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Gai on his heels. He'll look to pass Gai's guard now, I'm sure.
Brown is looking to work some ground and pound but Gai has wrist control.
Brown lands a couple of digs.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Gai can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Brown controls the pace.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Brown seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Gai for as long as he can get away with.
Brown's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Nomor Gai will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action!

Gai misses with an uppercut. Brown saw that one coming.
Gai connects with a right hand. Brown shakes it off.
Gai throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Brown counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Gai throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Brown cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Gai throws a leg kick but Brown sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Brown uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Gai.
Brown seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Gai does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Gai throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Brown tries to counter by clinching up but Gai breaks away and moves out of range.
Gai throws a sloppy head kick and Brown moves out of range easily.
Brown half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gai is looking to land body kicks.
Brown throws a left and a right that both miss
and Gai counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Donk. Gai catches Brown right on the button with a cross.
Gai pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Gai misses with an attempted mid kick.
Nomor Gai is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brown shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Brown fails with a takedown attempt.
Gai appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Gai explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
A jab from Gai misses.
Gai fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Brown on the side of the head.
A low kick from Gai misses
and Brown counters with a two punch combo.
Brown swinging wildly here.
Gai connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brown closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Brown looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Gai misses with an uppercut.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Gai works the jab nicely.
Brown 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.
Gai looks to land a left hand but Brown moved out of range nicely.
Gai takes a swing at Brown's ribcage but misses.
A good leg kick by Gai.
Brown takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Brown is looking to land body kicks.
Gai throws a hook to the side of Brown's head but Brown sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Brown avoids the body shot from Gai.
Brown uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Gai.
John Brown is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gai throws an off balance right hand
and Brown counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Gai throws a body punch but Brown moves out of range.
Gai pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Gai scores with a nice head shot.
A chopping leg kick lands by Gai.
Gai takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Nomor Gai seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Brown throws a sloppy head kick and Gai moves out of range easily.
Brown will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for John Brown. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gai misses the jab.
Brown tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Gai moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Brown is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
A swing and a miss from Gai.
Gai with the inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Brown!
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!
Gai throws a shot from downtown. Brown moves away and avoids it.
Brown needs to keep his hands up - Gai had a free shot at his head there.
Gai blocks a head kick by Brown.
Brown backing away here, and Gai unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Brown tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Gai defends well and Brown ends up having to push Gai into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
A countering left hand to the body from Gai misses.
Gai looks for the body kick but Brown saw that one coming.
Gai throws a solid leg kick but Brown takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Gai.
Gai swings widly with a right hand

so Brown counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Brown postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Gai being controlled here, momentarily.
Brown throws a strike but Gai rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

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

Nomor Gai really dominated that round.
That's time! Brown's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Brown decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Brown prevents Gai from standing back up.
Brown missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Brown is looking to take a break and control but Gai is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Brown thows a huge punch but Gai dodges it nicely.
Brown scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Brown is looking to stall here but Gai recovers full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Brown lands a couple of digs.
Brown loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brown scoring with punches to the head and body.
Gai avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Brown is looking to work some ground and pound but Gai has wrist control.
Brown postures up in Gai's guard and throws a big left but Gai blocks it.
Gai utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Brown sitting in guard here, content to control.
Brown throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Gai works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Brown throwing strikes from guard but Gai blocks nicely.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Brown throws a strike but Gai rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Brown looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brown lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Brown stands and throws Gai's legs to the side, diving into side control.
Brown lands an elbow.
Gai being controlled for a moment.
Brown tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Brown sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Gai is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Brown trying to control the position but Gai is working away.
Gai dodges the ground and pound from Brown.
Brown throws a strike aimed at the side of Gai's head but Gai avoids it well.
Gai gets back to half guard.
Gai is staying active underneath Brown, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Brown trying to pass the guard but Gai defending well.
Brown is trying to advance to mount but he's lost his balance and Gai reverses the position - he's now on top in Brown's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Brown keeping full guard, as Gai tries to pass.
Gai won't allow Brown to sweep him here.
Brown wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
Brown continues to stall.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Gai stopping the sweep attempt from Brown.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Brown had his way with Nomor Gai in that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Gai shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Brown shoots for a double leg takedown but Gai sprawls well. He's pushed Brown's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
A combination from Brown does no damage.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Gai.
Gai throws a right hand that misses
and Brown counters with a one-two to the body.
Gai throws a leg kick but Brown moved away.
Brown is looking to counter with head kicks.
Brown ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Gai keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Brown tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Gai throws a shot from downtown. Brown moves away and avoids it.

Brown scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Gai wants to get back to his feet but Brown is dominant here and he's now got Gai's back!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Brown softening up his opponent with strikes here.
Oooh a big shot gets through from Brown. Many more shots like that and the referee will have to think about stepping in!
Gai staying busy and making it hard for Brown to control.
Can Gai hold on?! Brown is landing more strikes to his hapless foe.
Brown connects with a series of strikes and the referee is calling for Gai to escape the position.
Brown has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Brown is throwing strikes but Gai counters by rolling into a better position. After a scramble, Gai regains half guard.
Brown not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Well, if Brown is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Brown not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Brown looks to land a strike but Gai avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Brown is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Brown passes easily into side control. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Brown tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Gai takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Gai managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Brown.
Gai dodges the ground and pound from Brown.
Gai wants to control but Brown postures up.
Brown working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Brown trying to control the position but Gai is working away.
Brown with the ground and pound but Gai regains half guard under the barage of strikes.
Brown sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Gai defending well though.
Brown throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
John Brown has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gai blocking the ground and pound attempt from Brown.
Brown working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Gai taking some punishment here, with Brown in his half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Brown looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Brown is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

Brown is looking for a kimura here.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Brown showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Gai 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 48:47
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 48:48
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 47:48

The fight is ruled a draw!
Oh dear, what a disastrous situation! The belt remains unclaimed and both fighters go home unhappy!