PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Philip Marcus (ranked 1486 p4p, 1356 weight class) and Yamaoka Yukinobu (ranked 137 p4p, 127 weight class). Yamaoka Yukinobu acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Marcus
vs
Yukinobu

175 cm
25
148
8 - 7 - 0

170 cm
36
148
20 - 18 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class boxer
Powerful

Shadow Realm Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Philip Marcus!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 18 - 0, fighting out of New York, Yamaoka Yukinobu!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, Timothy Bukovac and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Marcus misses with a wild body shot.
Marcus slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Marcus fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Yukinobu has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Yukinobu throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Marcus sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Yukinobu has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.

Yukinobu has Marcus up against the cage in a clinch.
Yukinobu is trying to break the clinch but Marcus has him pressed against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Marcus.
Yukinobu working hard to break the clinch.
Yukinobu can't break the clinch.

Yukinobu breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Yukinobu pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
It looked like Marcus wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Yukinobu misses with a body kick.
Marcus throws a jab when Yukinobu was well out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yukinobu scores with a head kick.

Marcus moves into the clinch successfully.
Marcus is trying to stall.

Yukinobu breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Yukinobu shoots for a double leg takedown but Marcus sprawls well. He's pushed Yukinobu's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Marcus moves into the clinch successfully.
Yukinobu stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Marcus lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A short uppercut from Marcus.

Yukinobu manages to break the clinch.
Marcus cracks Yukinobu with a right hand to the side of the head.
Yukinobu tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Marcus defends well and Yukinobu ends up having to push Marcus into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
A decent looking cross lands there for Yukinobu.
We've been told by Marcus's head coaches at The Infamous Duranto Gym that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Yukinobu shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Marcus but Marcus pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Philip Marcus has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yamaoka Yukinobu.
The fight stays on the outside here - Yukinobu looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Yukinobu misses with a right hand
and Marcus counters with a right hand to the body.
Marcus misses with a lunging right hand

and Yukinobu counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

Marcus makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Marcus gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Yukinobu manages to break the clinch.
Marcus throws a hook but Yukinobu avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Marcus fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Yukinobu is out of range.
Yukinobu on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Yukinobu throws a big shot that misses.
Marcus went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Marcus scores with a nice strike.
Yukinobu fails with the takedown
and Marcus counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
A good leg kick by Marcus.

Marcus tries to sprawl but Yukinobu drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Yukinobu sitting and controlling from the half guard.

Marcus makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!
Yukinobu misses with a right hand
and Marcus counters with a stiff right hand.
Marcus thumps Yukinobu with a low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yukinobu throws the kick towards the body but Marcus avoids it.
Marcus seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Marcus lands the left hand.
A good leg kick by Marcus.
Marcus waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Yukinobu.
Yukinobu tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Marcus paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Marcus attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Marcus connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Marcus tries to clinch there but Yukinobu circles away.
Yukinobu misses with a body kick.
Marcus throws a big counter combination but Yukinobu scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Yukinobu misses with a body kick.
Yukinobu throws a half hearted mid kick.
A lazy body kick from Yukinobu
and Marcus counters with a nice leg kick.
Yukinobu on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Marcus. Marcus obviously looking to wear him down.
Yukinobu walks into a stiff left hand from Marcus.
Jab, jab by Yukinobu - just one landing.
Marcus lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yukinobu is looking to land body kicks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yukinobu tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Yukinobu shoots in for a takedown but Marcus shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Yukinobu darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
A lazy left from Marcus finds it's target.
Yukinobu throws a big shot that misses.
Marcus tried to counter with a leg kick but Yukinobu avoided it.
A punch lands to the side of Marcus 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Marcus lands a nice shot that snaps Yukinobu's head back.
Yukinobu tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Marcus counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Marcus connects with a nice looking jab.
Marcus bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Yukinobu takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Marcus instigates a clinch.
Marcus has Yukinobu pressed against the cage, preventing Yukinobu from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Marcus content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Marcus stalling in the clinch.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Philip Marcus dominated that round.
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.

Marcus slips a jab from Yukinobu.
Marcus with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Yukinobu tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Yukinobu checks the leg kick.
Yukinobu drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Marcus defends it well.

Marcus fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Yukinobu, pushing him back against the cage.
Marcus has a couple of punches blocked by Yukinobu.

Yukinobu turns his hips and lands a very nice judo throw into side control!
Marcus tries to wriggle free to get back to his feet but he's given up his back! Oops.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
You can see the frustration on Marcus's face… He knows he is in trouble unless he improves his position sooner rather than later.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yukinobu controls the action.
Marcus looking very determined here, making life difficult for Yukinobu.
Yukinobu has good solid back control here.
Philip Marcus overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Yukinobu is hanging on to Marcus's back as he tries to escape.

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.
Marcus trying to get back to his feet but Yukinobu is in full control for now.
Yukinobu scores with some strikes to the side of the head there. Good, points scoring shots.
Will Yukinobu go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?
Yukinobu gets his hands free as Marcus looks to control.
Yukinobu misses with an elbow to the head.
Marcus trying to control the hands but Yukinobu breaks the grip.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yukinobu biding his time, controlling Marcus.
Marcus tries to break free.

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.
I would not like to be Marcus right now.
Yukinobu throwing sloppy strikes.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Marcus preventing the rear naked choke attempt from Yukinobu.
Marcus tries to escape the position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Yukinobu struggling to keep hold of the position.
Marcus holding on to Yukinobu's left wrist, preventing the choke.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Yamaoka Yukinobu showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. This is the final round!

Yukinobu shoots in for a double leg but Marcus sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
A decent looking cross lands there for Yukinobu.
Yukinobu thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Marcus if he has to take too many more of those.
Yukinobu takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Yukinobu thuds a left hand into Marcus's body.
A jab from Marcus does it's job there.
Marcus dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Yukinobu. That did some damage!
Yukinobu blocks a jab.
Marcus throws a leg kick that misses.
Marcus tried to score with a low kick but Yukinobu checks it.
Yukinobu takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Marcus tries to clinch but Yukinobu is having none of it.
Yukinobu misses with a wild combination.
Philip Marcus is winning the standup battle so far.
No luck for Yukinobu with that takedown attempt.
Marcus feinted there with a counter leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Yukinobu throws a jab but it's blocked by Marcus.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yukinobu tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
A low kick lands for Marcus.
Marcus is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Yukinobu can do to turn this around?

Yukinobu gets tackled into the cage by Marcus. Marcus maintains the clinch.
Marcus lands with a short shot to the head.

Marcus's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Yukinobu gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Yukinobu tries to circle away but Marcus has him pinned against the cage.
Yukinobu is trying to drag Marcus to the mat but Marcus just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Philip Marcus has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yamaoka Yukinobu.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Marcus.
Marcus working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Yukinobu wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Marcus has him pressed against the cage.
Marcus is working Yukinobu over against the cage.
Marcus misses with a hook from the clinch.
A battle for position here, against the cage.

Yukinobu's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Yukinobu slips a jab and a cross from Marcus.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yukinobu wants to clinch
and Marcus counters with a two punch combo.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Marcus tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Yukinobu manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Marcus throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Yukinobu is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Marcus.
Marcus throws a head kick but Yukinobu moves out of range.
Marcus 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.
Yukinobu throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Marcus sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Yukinobu lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Yukinobu throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Yukinobu looks to land a body kick but Marcus moved away.
Yukinobu throws the kick towards the body but Marcus avoids it.
Yukinobu throws a body punch but Marcus moves out of range.
Yukinobu throws a poor cross that misses
and Marcus counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Yukinobu tries to land a body kick
letting Marcus counter with a right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yukinobu drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Yukinobu takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Yukinobu throws a lazy uppercut
and Marcus counters with a straight right hand.
Marcus lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Yukinobu backs up against the cage.
Marcus ducks under a wild hook from Yukinobu.
Marcus ducks under a wild hook from Yukinobu.
Marcus buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Marcus swings for the body but Yukinobu moves out of range.
Philip Marcus is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Yukinobu wants to clinch up but Marcus keeps it at a distance.
As Yukinobu looks to move away, Marcus throws a big counter combo but Yukinobu just gets out of the way.
Marcus lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Yukinobu circles away quickly and effectively.
Yukinobu is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Marcus fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Yukinobu is out of range.

Marcus gets in close and instigates a clinch.

Marcus breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Yukinobu's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yukinobu lands a body shot.
Yukinobu looks for the body kick but Marcus saw that one coming.
Yukinobu has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Jab by Yukinobu.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Marcus avoids the body shot from Yukinobu.
Marcus throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.

Yukinobu has Marcus up against the cage in a clinch.
Marcus can't find room to land a body shot as Yukinobu controls the action.

Marcus pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Yukinobu punishes Marcus's body with a nice straight punch.
Marcus throws a chopping leg kick but Yukinobu manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Yukinobu tries to clinch but Marcus is having none of it.
Marcus misses with a head kick.
Yukinobu checks a leg kick.
Yukinobu fails in his attempt to clinch.
Nice jab there from Marcus.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Yukinobu lands a jab-cross combination.
Marcus takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Marcus throws a looping overhand right but Yukinobu ducks down to avoid it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Philip Marcus showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Marcus 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 Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Philip Marcus!
An out of breath Philip Marcus thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.