PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Volodymyr Kersikov (ranked 942 p4p, 705 weight class) and Yuuji Hoshino (ranked 72 p4p, 52 weight class). Kersikov comes to the cage accompanied by DEF LEPPARD - Pour Some Sugar On Me. On his way into the cage it seems that Volodymyr Kersikov has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Volodymyr Kersikov seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Kersikov
vs
Hoshino

170 cm
25
140
2 - 1 - 0

168 cm
34
140
18 - 11 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Kersikov's Vitamin Clinic (160)
Conviction

Shadow Realm Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Volodymyr Kersikov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 11 - 0, fighting out of London, Yuuji Hoshino!
The judges for this bout are James Glass, Sam Margolis and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kersikov with a hook.
Hoshino tries to clinch but Kersikov is having none of it.
Hoshino fails with an attempt to clinch.
Kersikov tries to counter with a takedown but Hoshino is quick to defend against it.
Kersikov tries for a takedown but Hoshino sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Kersikov cracks Hoshino with an open hand slap.
Hoshino pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Hoshino throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Hoshino throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Kersikov half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Hoshino tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kersikov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hoshino walks into a straight right hand from Kersikov.
Hoshino ducks under a wild hook from Kersikov.
The fighters circling - Kersikov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hoshino tries to counter with a clinch but Kersikov shakes him off and moves away.
Kersikov throws an ugly left hook that misses

and Hoshino holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head punch on the inside from Kersikov fails to land.
Still in the clinch, Hoshino scores with a nice short uppercut.
Hoshino swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Kersikov working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Kersikov tries to work over Hoshino's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kersikov lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Kersikov is stalling here.
Kersikov blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Hoshino misses with a punch on the inside.
Hoshino slows down the pace here.
Hoshino throws a head punch that misses.
A head punch on the inside from Hoshino fails to land.
Kersikov leaning his opponent against the cage.
Kersikov prevents a body shot from Hoshino.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kersikov decides to pull guard.
Kersikov pulls Hoshino in close to prevent any damage.
Hoshino postures up.
Kersikov is adopting a defensive guard.
Kersikov looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov managing to control the position.
Kersikov tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Kersikov pulls Hoshino in close to prevent any damage.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Hoshino moves into range and connects with a jab.
Good work by Kersikov as he checks the leg kick.
Kersikov scores with a jab. Hoshino acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino takes a swing at Kersikov's ribcage but misses.
Kersikov moves out of range as Hoshino strikes.
Kersikov feinted with a counter takedown.
Kersikov fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Hoshino lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Hoshino misses the jab.
Yuuji Hoshino is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hoshino tries to land a front kick but Kersikov steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Kersikov shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Hoshino as he jumps to the side.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Hoshino lands a nice shot that snaps Kersikov's head back.
Kersikov throws an ugly left hook that misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Yuuji Hoshino will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Kersikov fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hoshino manages to avoid it.
Hoshino stuns Kersikov with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Kersikov looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Hoshino drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Hoshino connects with a body shot that sends Kersikov's belly button to the back.
Kersikov throws a hook but Hoshino avoids it easily.
Hoshino tries a head kick but it misses.
Hoshino doesn't manage to clinch there - Kersikov circles away.
Kersikov feinted with a counter takedown.
Hoshino scores with a body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hoshino takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Yuuji Hoshino seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Hoshino takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.

Kersikov closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Hoshino's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kersikov slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Kersikov throws an elbow that misses. Hoshino uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Kersikov's guard. Nice move by Hoshino!

Hoshino has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Kersikov is proving hard to escape from.
Kersikov working a defensive guard here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kersikov tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Kersikov is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Kersikov is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Hoshino is staying active underneath Kersikov, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Kersikov lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kersikov looks to land a strike but Hoshino avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Kersikov showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Kersikov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Kersikov throws a big elbow that misses.
Kersikov throwing strikes from guard but Hoshino blocks nicely.
Kersikov controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's four 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.
Kersikov throws a big right hand that misses.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters, thinking about a standup.
Kersikov throws an elbow that misses. Hoshino uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Kersikov's guard. Nice move by Hoshino!

Kersikov is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Kersikov 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.

Kersikov looking for a guillotine here but Hoshino defends easily.
Volodymyr Kersikov overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Kersikov working a defensive guard here.
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 Volodymyr Kersikov will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Hoshino jabs at Kersikov's body.
Kersikov connects with a body shot that sends Hoshino's belly button to the back.
Hoshino fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Kersikov throws a lazy uppercut
and Hoshino counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Donk. Hoshino catches Kersikov right on the button with a cross.
Hoshino with a hook.
Hoshino scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Kersikov doesn't seem bothered though.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hoshino tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kersikov avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Yuuji Hoshino seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kersikov misses with an uppercut. Hoshino saw that one coming.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kersikov misses with a left hand
and Hoshino counters with a nice low kick that buckles Kersikov's knee momentarily.
Kersikov avoids a kick to the body.
Hoshino tries to close the distance and clinch up but Kersikov swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Kersikov tries to counter with a takedown but Hoshino is quick to defend against it.
A big left from Kersikov misses.
Kersikov stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Hoshino steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kersikov.
Kersikov fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Hoshino looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Kersikov shoots in and drives through. Hoshino sprawls well.
Hoshino swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Hoshino on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Hoshino throws a body punch but Kersikov moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino moves in looking to clinch but Kersikov pushes him off.
Hoshino throws the left hand but Kersikov avoids the punch easily.

Hoshino clinches.
Hoshino prevents a body shot from Kersikov.
Kersikov tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Hoshino smiles and moves away.
Hoshino uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kersikov.

Hoshino clinches up against the cage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Hoshino struggles to land a body shot inside as Kersikov controls his hands.

Kersikov escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Hoshino swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
A big left from Kersikov misses.
Kersikov missing with a left hand there. Hoshino was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino connects with a body shot.
Kersikov dips to his left and cracks Hoshino with an uppercut!
Kersikov misses with a hook.
Hoshino tries to counter by closing the distance.
Kersikov thows a left - swing and a miss!
Hoshino uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kersikov.
Kersikov moves out of range of the body kick from Hoshino.
Kersikov lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Hoshino at a distance.

Hoshino takes the fight into the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kersikov.
Kersikov doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Hoshino has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Kersikov seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Hoshino can turn it around.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino swings wildly with an uppercut but Kersikov uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kersikov is trying to break the clinch but Hoshino has him pressed against the cage.
Kersikov lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Hoshino backwards.
Hoshino misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kersikov scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Kersikov jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Hoshino walks away with a smile on his face. Kersikov gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Volodymyr Kersikov. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hoshino throws a half hearted mid kick.
Kersikov throws a jab when Hoshino was well out of range.
Kersikov takes a body punch but keeps moving.
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!
Hoshino keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Hoshino steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kersikov.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Yuuji Hoshino.
I think Hoshino 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge James Glass scores the fight 28:29
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 28:29
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yuuji Hoshino!
Yuuji Hoshino decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.
Volodymyr Kersikov was interviewed post fight and said 'Volodymyr Kersikov took an IQ test today and scored 144.'.