PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Araki Kenjiro (ranked 974 p4p, 1158 weight class) and Nate Masvidal (ranked 152 p4p, 179 weight class). Nate Masvidal will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Kenjiro
vs
Masvidal

176 cm
25
181
10 - 4 - 0

188 cm
21
185
8 - 4 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Arcticus University: London

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 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Araki Kenjiro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 1, fighting out of London, Nate Masvidal!
The judges for this bout are Robert Twigg, Tiny Johnson and Chris Downing.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kenjiro lands a nice leg kick that just misses Masvidal's sensitive parts.
Masvidal throws a shot from downtown. Kenjiro moves away and avoids it.
Nice defenses there by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro delivers a nice body kick.
Kenjiro throws a head kick but Masvidal moves out of range.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Masvidal! But no joy.
Masvidal blocks the body kick.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Masvidal.
Sloppy strikes from Kenjiro. Those never looked like landing.
Masvidal looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Kenjiro lands a leg kick that knocks Masvidal off balance momentarily.
Kenjiro misses with a body kick.
Masvidal looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Masvidal looks to score with a jab to the body but Kenjiro is just out of range.
Kenjiro takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Masvidal moves out of range of the body kick.
Kenjiro ducks under a wild hook from Masvidal.

Masvidal gets tackled into the cage by Kenjiro. Kenjiro maintains the clinch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Masvidal blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Masvidal is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kenjiro pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Kenjiro throws an elbow but it misses.
Kenjiro tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Masvidal avoids it.
Kenjiro lands a damaging elbow.
Kenjiro lands an elbow just above Masvidal 's eye.
Kenjiro lands a damaging elbow.

It looks like Nate Masvidal has been cut.
Kenjiro unloads a knee to the mid-section. Masvidal lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Masvidal avoiding damage as Kenjiro throws knees to the body.
Masvidal blocks a body shot from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Kenjiro lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Knees to the body from Kenjiro.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
With the fighters up against the cage, Kenjiro throws an elbow but misses.
Kenjiro crunches a lovely knee into Masvidal's ribcage.
Masvidal looks winded!

Masvidal breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Kenjiro moves into the clinch.
Kenjiro lands an elbow just above Masvidal 's eye.
Masvidal is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Kenjiro is keeping busy.
Kenjiro lands a body shot in the clinch.
Kenjiro working Masvidal over with knees to the body.
Kenjiro with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Masvidal in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Kenjiro with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenjiro lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Masvidal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Kenjiro misses with an elbow strike.
Kenjiro lands a knee to the head.
Kenjiro lands an elbow inside.
Kenjiro unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Kenjiro throws a knee to the head but misses.
Kenjiro misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Masvidal.
Kenjiro lands a nice knee to the body.
Kenjiro landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Masvidal takes a knee to the side of the body.
Masvidal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Masvidal takes a knee to the side of the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kenjiro putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Masvidal in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Kenjiro with a knee to the head.
Knees in the clinch landing for Kenjiro.
Kenjiro putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Masvidal in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Kenjiro tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Kenjiro can't find room to land a body shot as Masvidal controls the action.
Masvidal managing to block the knees to the body from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Kenjiro lands a good knee to the midsection. Masvidal won't want to take too many of those.
Kenjiro lands an elbow inside.
Kenjiro crunches a lovely knee into Masvidal's ribcage.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kenjiro landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Araki Kenjiro dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Nate Masvidal'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.

Kenjiro pushes Masvidal away with a front kick.
Kenjiro lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Kenjiro lands a leg kick that knocks Masvidal off balance momentarily.
Masvidal avoids the body shot from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro throws a leg kick which misses Masvidal's front leg but catches the back leg as Masvidal tries to avoid it.
Kenjiro slips under a jab from Masvidal.

Kenjiro closes the distance and clinches.
A knee to the head by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro connects with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro tries a body shot but Masvidal blocks it.
A knee to the head by Kenjiro.
Masvidal is breathing heavily.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Kenjiro obliges.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kenjiro lands a nice knee to the body.
Kenjiro throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kenjiro with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Masvidal takes a knee right on the jaw!
Kenjiro lands a hook to the side of the head.
Kenjiro misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Masvidal.
Kenjiro missing with knees to the body.
Masvidal takes an elbow to the forehead.
Kenjiro is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Masvidal is defending well for now.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Kenjiro obliges.
Kenjiro lands with a left to the head.
Kenjiro landing knees to the head.
Kenjiro connects with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro scores with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Masvidal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kenjiro tries to land knees in the clinch but Masvidal avoids the damage to the body.
Masvidal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Araki Kenjiro has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Kenjiro lands a knee to the head.
Kenjiro looking to throw knees to the head but Masvidal is blocking nicely.
Kenjiro is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Masvidal is defending well for now.
Kenjiro misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kenjiro trying to land knees to the body.
Masvidal tries to circle away but Kenjiro has him pinned against the cage.
Masvidal takes an elbow to the temple.
Kenjiro pushes off an throws an elbow but Masvidal leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Kenjiro connects with a knee to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenjiro misses with a body punch.
Kenjiro is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Masvidal can do to turn this around?
Kenjiro misses with a body punch.
Kenjiro throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Knees to the body from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro looks to throw an elbow but misses.
With the fighters up against the cage, Kenjiro throws an elbow but misses.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro throws an elbow that misses.
Kenjiro tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Masvidal prevents a body shot from Kenjiro.
Masvidal wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kenjiro has him pressed against the cage.
Masvidal tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kenjiro missing with knees to the body.
Kenjiro blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Masvidal takes an elbow to the temple.
Kenjiro unloads a knee to the mid-section. Masvidal lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
A shot in the inside from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Masvidal.
Kenjiro misses with an elbow strike.
With the fighters up against the cage, Kenjiro throws an elbow but misses.
Kenjiro tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Kenjiro landing some nice looking knees to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A nice glancing elbow lands by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro lands a good knee to the midsection. Masvidal won't want to take too many of those.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Araki Kenjiro dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Nate Masvidal's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Kenjiro throws a head kick that misses.
Masvidal uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro tries to clinch but Masvidal moves out of range.
Kenjiro lands a nice leg kick that just misses Masvidal's sensitive parts.
Kenjiro avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A lazy body kick from Kenjiro
and Masvidal connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Masvidal is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
A telegraphed right hand from Masvidal misses the target.

Kenjiro pushes Masvidal up against the cage in a clinch.
Kenjiro tries to work over Masvidal's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kenjiro tries to land a knee to the head but Masvidal blocks with his arms.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Masvidal jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Kenjiro walks away with a smile on his face. Masvidal gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Kenjiro avoids the body shot from Masvidal.
Masvidal throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Masvidal keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro staying out of range there.
Araki Kenjiro is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kenjiro misses with a body kick.
Kenjiro tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A little jabbing left from Masvidal on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Kenjiro throws a leg kick but Masvidal checks it.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Kenjiro lands a knee to the head.
Kenjiro throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Masvidal takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Kenjiro tries to work over Masvidal's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Masvidal takes an elbow to the forehead.
Masvidal fails to pull guard.
Masvidal avoids a wild elbow strike from Kenjiro.
Masvidal on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Masvidal is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Nate Masvidal has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice elbow from Kenjiro.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Masvidal in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Kenjiro misses with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro lands a knee to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Masvidal takes an elbow to the forehead.
Kenjiro missing with knees to the body.
Masvidal stalling the fight.
Masvidal blocks an elbow strike.
Kenjiro throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Masvidal blocks it with crossed arms.
Kenjiro tries a body shot but Masvidal blocks it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenjiro throws an elbow but it misses.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Kenjiro.
Kenjiro unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Masvidal is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Kenjiro tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Masvidal avoids it.
Kenjiro tries to land knees in the clinch but Masvidal avoids the damage to the body.
Kenjiro misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kenjiro looking to throw knees to the head but Masvidal is blocking nicely.
Kenjiro crunches a lovely knee into Masvidal's ribcage.
Kenjiro gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Kenjiro lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice elbow from Kenjiro.
Kenjiro connects with a knee to the head.
Kenjiro connects with a knee to the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Masvidal tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Kenjiro smiles and moves away.
Araki Kenjiro has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Nate Masvidal.

Kenjiro instigates a clinch.
Kenjiro can't find room to land a body shot as Masvidal controls the action.
Kenjiro pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Kenjiro crunches a lovely knee into Masvidal's ribcage.
Kenjiro lands an elbow inside.
Araki Kenjiro is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Masvidal is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Kenjiro working Masvidal over with knees to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Araki Kenjiro showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Kenjiro has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Robert Twigg scores the fight 30:26
Judge Tiny Johnson scores the fight 30:26
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Araki Kenjiro!
Our winner, Araki Kenjiro, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.