PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Taka Yoshi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marty Van Buren (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Van Buren has chosen Dead Souls as his entrance music, which hasn't gone down very well with the crowd. Both fighters really staring eachother down here, as Marty Van Buren enters the cage!

Yoshi
vs
Van Buren

190 cm
24
220 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

186 cm
24
214 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Solid boxing
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

Blitzkrieg Formula 5000

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Taka Yoshi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Marty Van Buren!
The judges for this bout are Chris Downing, Gwen Towbar and Wesley Smith.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yoshi uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Van Buren has time to react.
Yoshi connects with a body shot.
Van Buren rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Yoshi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Van Buren tries to clinch there but Yoshi circles away.
Van Buren checks a leg kick nicely.
Van Buren throws a sloppy head kick and Yoshi moves out of range easily.
Van Buren has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Yoshi.
Yoshi throws a sloppy head kick and Van Buren moves out of range easily.
Yoshi wants to land a leg kick but Van Buren is out of range.
Yoshi throws a right and a left that Van Buren avoids nicely.
Yoshi falls off balance throwing a combination
and Van Buren counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Van Buren looks to land a body kick but Yoshi moved away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Buren pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Yoshi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Van Buren.
Van Buren moves out of range of the leg kick from Yoshi.
Van Buren lands with a thumping leg kick.
Van Buren misses with a low kick.
Yoshi looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Van Buren throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Van Buren misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yoshi.
Yoshi lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Yoshi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Van Buren stuffs the takedown attempt from Yoshi. Yoshi gets slowly back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yoshi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A low kick from Yoshi misses
and Van Buren counters with a left to the body.
Van Buren misses with the combination.
Yoshi will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Yoshi swings for the body but Van Buren moves out of range.
Yoshi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van Buren was well out of range. Poor timing from Yoshi.
Van Buren tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
An inside leg kick lands from Yoshi.
Van Buren throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Yoshi.
A chopping leg kick lands by Yoshi.
Yoshi misses with a hook to the body
and Van Buren counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Yoshi throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Van Buren counters with a two punch combo.
Van Buren misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yoshi.
Van Buren dips to his left and cracks Yoshi with an uppercut!
A head kick by Van Buren misses
and Yoshi counters with a straight right hand.
Yoshi shoots in but Van Buren avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Taka Yoshi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Van Buren scores with a body shot.
Yoshi is breathing heavily.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Van Buren swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Yoshi.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren throws a sloppy head kick
and Yoshi counters with a slapping leg kick.
A jab from Yoshi misses.
Van Buren with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Yoshi moves out of range as Van Buren throws a body kick.
Yoshi falls off balance throwing a combination
and Van Buren counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Yoshi is lucky that one didn't land flush.
A slapping body kick lands there for Van Buren.
A punch combination from Van Buren misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Van Buren just misses with a punch to the body.
Yoshi takes a kick to the side of the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marty Van Buren dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Yoshi misses with a double jab
and Van Buren makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Yoshi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Van Buren was well out of range. Poor timing from Yoshi.
Yoshi looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Van Buren is fending him off so far but Yoshi persists. Nope, Van Buren circles away and we're back to standing.

Yoshi shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Van Buren moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Van Buren escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Yoshi gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Buren seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.
Van Buren controls Yoshi momentarily but Yoshi frees himself.
Yoshi pushing down on Van Buren's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Van Buren trying to hold on to Yoshi's head to control him but Yoshi postures up.
Yoshi looks to land a strike but Van Buren avoids it nicely and regains full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Yoshi throws a strike but Van Buren rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Yoshi has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Van Buren can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Van Buren won't allow Yoshi to sweep him here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Yoshi working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Van Buren doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Van Buren manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Van Buren controlling from the top position.
Van Buren trying to control the position from guard on top but Yoshi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Yoshi working a defensive guard but Van Buren manages to pass into side control anyway.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
You can see the frustration on Yoshi's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Van Buren controlling the position.
Yoshi is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Van Buren trying to control the action but Yoshi is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Good standup being displayed there by Van Buren as he connects with a hook.
Yoshi tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Van Buren swivels and escapes.
Van Buren lands a head kick!
A low kick from Yoshi misses
and Van Buren counters with a nice uppercut.
Yoshi ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Van Buren moves away.
Van Buren lands a nice shot to the body.
Van Buren takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Van Buren feints and then cracks Yoshi's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Yoshi down.
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!
Van Buren throws a shot from downtown. Yoshi moves away and avoids it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Buren swinging wilding here.
Van Buren uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Yoshi.
Van Buren tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Van Buren, right into the meat.
Yoshi just misses with a punch to the body.
Yoshi avoids the head kick by Van Buren.
A head kick misses from Van Buren.
Van Buren swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Van Buren tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Van Buren throws a nice looking combination but Yoshi bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Yoshi is looking to wear down Van Buren with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Yoshi.
Yoshi misses with a wild body shot.
Yoshi throws a leg kick that is checked

and Van Buren counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Van Buren.

Yoshi is trying to trip Van Buren. He has hold of a leg but Van Buren is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Yoshi persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Van Buren preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Van Buren keeping moving, preventing Yoshi from controlling successfully.
Van Buren wants to sweep but no luck.
Yoshi with a nice head shot there.
Van Buren is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yoshi stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Van Buren swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Yoshi pushing down on Van Buren's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Yoshi wants to pass the guard but Van Buren is defending well.
Yoshi seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Van Buren does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Van Buren preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.

That's four 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.
Yoshi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Van Buren avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Yoshi.
Van Buren is not content to let Yoshi control the position.
Van Buren is looking to control Yoshi's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Van Buren avoid being mounted?
Yoshi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Van Buren keeps working.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marty Van Buren really dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Yoshi misses with a takedown attempt - Van Buren sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Nice body kick there by Van Buren.
Van Buren throws a sloppy head kick
and Yoshi makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Van Buren stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Van Buren wants it to stay on the feet.
Van Buren misses with a wild combination.
Yoshi swats away the attempt to clinch by Van Buren.
A punch combination from Yoshi misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Buren tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Yoshi was well out of range. Poor timing from Van Buren.
Van Buren stuffs the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Taka Yoshi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Yoshi with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Van Buren uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Yoshi.
Yoshi is looking to slow Van Buren down with leg kicks.
An inside leg kick from Yoshi misses.
Van Buren goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Van Buren throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Yoshi counters with an outside leg kick.
Yoshi scores with a kick to the body.
Yoshi finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A thudding body kick lands there by Van Buren!
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Yoshi blocks a low kick nicely.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Van Buren, right into the meat.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Van Buren throws a leg kick but Yoshi checks it.
Van Buren scores with a shot to the body.
Van Buren misses with a wild body shot.
Yoshi throws a leg kick that is checked
and Van Buren counters with a good, hard body kick but Yoshi shrugs it off.
Van Buren pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Van Buren tries to clinch up but Yoshi circles away and keeps his distance.
A chopping leg kick lands by Van Buren.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren scores with a decent looking hook.
Van Buren throws a combination that misses
and Yoshi counters with a series of strikes. Van Buren will be more careful next time no doubt.
Van Buren throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Yoshi counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Taka Yoshi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Yoshi shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Van Buren tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Van Buren looks for the body kick but Yoshi saw that one coming.
Van Buren moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
A slow jab from Yoshi misses its intended target.
Van Buren lands a nice shot to the body.
Van Buren misses with a head kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren connects with a jab.
Yoshi takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Van Buren throws the left hand but Yoshi avoids the punch easily.
Marty Van Buren is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Van Buren closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Yoshi misses the body punch
and Van Buren counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Van Buren tries to clinch up.
Van Buren swinging wilding here.
Van Buren throws a head kick that misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Van Buren feints and then cracks Yoshi's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Yoshi down.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marty Van Buren dominated that fourth round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Van Buren takes a swing at Yoshi's ribcage but misses.
Yoshi throws a combination that misses
and Van Buren counters with a three punch combo that has Yoshi backing up. Yoshi nods at Van Buren to acknowledge the strikes.
A head kick misses from Van Buren.
Yoshi turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Van Buren scores with a leg kick.
Van Buren takes a body kick right on the floating rib. Ouchie.
A low kick from Van Buren is predictable there
and Yoshi counters with a nice leg kick.
Van Buren throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Yoshi's head.
Yoshi checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Nice body kick there by Yoshi.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Van Buren throws a sloppy head kick
letting Yoshi counter with a right hand.
Yoshi misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Van Buren.
Van Buren dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Van Buren throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Yoshi counters with a left to the body.
Yoshi shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Van Buren defends it nicely.
Van Buren misses with a low kick as Yoshi jumps back.
Van Buren blocks a jab.
Yoshi avoids a kick to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yoshi connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Van Buren fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Yoshi jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Yoshi is defended easily by Van Buren.
Yoshi looks to land a combination but Van Buren avoids it well.
Yoshi cracks a nice hook into Van Buren's ribs.
Van Buren lands a nice leg kick that just misses Yoshi's sensitive parts.
Taka Yoshi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Van Buren thumps Yoshi with a low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren doesn't manage to clinch there - Yoshi circles away.
Yoshi lands with a shot to the body.
Van Buren walks forward, straight into a front kick from Yoshi.
Van Buren fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Van Buren misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A lazy body kick from Van Buren
and Yoshi counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Van Buren throws a jab but it's blocked by Yoshi.
Marty Van Buren seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Van Buren lands with a kick to the temple. Yoshi shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
A good leg kick by Van Buren.
Van Buren feints and then cracks Yoshi's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Yoshi down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Van Buren lands a head kick. Yoshi smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Yoshi is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Van Buren will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Yoshi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Marty Van Buren is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Yoshi avoids the head kick by Van Buren.
Van Buren closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yoshi tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Yoshi has his takedown stuffed
and Van Buren counters with a flying knee. Nice.

And that's the end of the fight!
Marty Van Buren comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Van Buren winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Chris Downing scores the fight 46:50
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 45:50
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marty Van Buren!