PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Doby Burkhardt (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kenta Sazuki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Burkhardt comes to the ring accompanied by Smokestack Lighting - Howlin' Wolf. Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Burkhardt
vs
Sazuki

188 cm
22
151 lbs
5 - 7 - 0

178 cm
19
152 lbs
2 - 5 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
KO power

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Knockout power

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 5 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Doby Burkhardt!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kenta Sazuki!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Fujiwara, Hirohito Nitta and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Burkhardt tries to close the distance and clinch up but Sazuki swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Burkhardt has a takedown stuffed.
Burkhardt shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Sazuki defends it nicely.
Sazuki swinging wilding here.
A telegraphed right hand from Sazuki misses the target.
Sazuki keeps the fight on the outside.
Sazuki throws a nice inside leg kick.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Sazuki.
Sazuki throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Sazuki tries a head kick but it misses.

Sazuki has closed the distance and engaged Burkhardt in a clinch.
Sazuki lands a knee to the head.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Sazuki obliges.
Burkhardt is breathing heavily.
Sazuki landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Sazuki obliges.
Sazuki landing knees to the head.
Sazuki with a knee to the head.
Sazuki working Burkhardt over with knees to the body.
Burkhardt takes a knee to the side of the body.
Nice elbow from Sazuki.
Knees to the body from Sazuki.
A knee to the head by Sazuki.
Sazuki can't get the takedown.
Sazuki landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Sazuki creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Burkhardt's defenses.
Sazuki with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Sazuki with a knee to the head.
Burkhardt on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Sazuki working Burkhardt over with knees to the body.
Sazuki lands a good knee to the midsection. Burkhardt won't want to take too many of those.
Sazuki connects with a knee to the head.
Sazuki lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Sazuki landing knees to the body.
Sazuki lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Sazuki connects with a knee to the head.
Sazuki lands a good knee to the midsection. Burkhardt won't want to take too many of those.
Sazuki goes for a takedown attempt but Burkhardt pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sazuki tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Burkhardt was well out of range. Poor timing from Sazuki.
Burkhardt swinging wilding here.
A solid leg kick lands there for Sazuki.
Burkhardt takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Horrible takedown by Burkhardt or perhaps it was just good defense by Sazuki which made him look bad.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Doby Burkhardt. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A head kick misses from Sazuki.
Sazuki lands a nice looking body shot.
Sazuki rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Burkhardt moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kenta Sazuki seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sazuki falls off balance throwing a combination

and Burkhardt counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Sazuki is trying to maintain the position but Burkhardt is very close to passing his half guard.
Sazuki wants to get back to his feet.
Burkhardt is thwarting Sazuki's attempts to control the position.
Sazuki works his way to full guard. Good work.
Sazuki working a defensive guard here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Burkhardt knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Sazuki on the ground.

Sazuki wriggles free and stands up.
Sazuki throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
A chopping leg kick lands by Sazuki.
Sazuki throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Burkhardt.
Burkhardt lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Sazuki backs up against the ropes.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Burkhardt fails with a takedown attempt.
A nice leg kick lands there from Sazuki.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kenta Sazuki dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Burkhardt changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Sazuki tries to avoid it but Burkhardt manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Sazuki to the ground. Sazuki escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
A good leg kick by Sazuki.
Sazuki throws a left and a right that both miss
and Burkhardt counters with a two punch combo.
Burkhardt takes a kick to the side of the head.
Sazuki lands a nice leg kick that just misses Burkhardt's sensitive parts.
An inside leg kick lands from Sazuki.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sazuki. That's going to slow Burkhardt down.
Sazuki pushes Burkhardt away with a front kick.

Sazuki clinches up against the ropes.
Sazuki scores a nice knee to the body.

Sazuki manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sazuki bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Burkhardt's guard.

The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Sazuki drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Sazuki jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Burkhardt had isolated an arm as going for an omaplata. Sazuki is defending the submission well but is in a very vulnerable position. Burkhardt Is leaning forward trying to finish the omaplata but decides to abandon it, and take Sazuki's back instead.

Sazuki is displaying good submission defense - not really looking in danger of submitting to the rear naked choke at the moment. That could change in an instant of course if Burkhardt gets his way!
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Burkhardt doesn't have the hooks in and Sazuki manages to turn into his guard.

Burkhardt is working an open guard so Sazuki takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Sazuki lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Sazuki throws a head kick but Burkhardt moves out of range.
A slapping leg kick lands for Sazuki.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.

Burkhardt shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Sazuki manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.

Sazuki working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Burkhardt doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Burkhardt manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Sazuki looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Sazuki looking to control.
Sazuki wants to sweep here but Burkhardt controlling him for the moment.
Burkhardt looking to sit in guard and control but Sazuki gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Sazuki passes Burkhardt's left leg - he's now in half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Burkhardt is trying to maintain the position but Sazuki is very close to passing his half guard.

Sazuki is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Burkhardt doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Sazuki.
Burkhardt trying to hold on to Sazuki's head to control him but Sazuki postures up.

Sazuki stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Burkhardt to get to his feet.

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.
Burkhardt wants to clinch up but Sazuki keeps it at a distance.
Burkhardt is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Sazuki fails with the takedown
and Burkhardt counters with a straight right hand.

Burkhardt gets caught flat footed, as Sazuki shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Sazuki wants to control from the top but Burkhardt keeps moving.
Burkhardt wants to stand but Sazuki is controlling the position.
Burkhardt keeping moving, preventing Sazuki from controlling successfully.
Burkhardt has a closed guard, preventing Sazuki from standing up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kenta Sazuki showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Burkhardt chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sazuki can pounce on him.
Sazuki fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Burkhardt manages to avoid it.
Sazuki checks the leg kick nicely there.
Sazuki slaps away a takedown attempt from Burkhardt, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Sazuki throws a combination that misses
and Burkhardt counters with a three punch combo that has Sazuki backing up. Sazuki nods at Burkhardt to acknowledge the strikes.
Burkhardt walks forward, straight into a front kick from Sazuki.
Sazuki throws a leg kick which misses Burkhardt's front leg but catches the back leg as Burkhardt tries to avoid it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sazuki throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Burkhardt counters with a stiff right hand.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sazuki throws a combination that misses

and Burkhardt counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Sazuki is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Burkhardt is controlling him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sazuki trying to control the position.
Sazuki manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Burkhardt manages to get himself to full guard.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Sazuki lands a couple of elbows.
Burkhardt tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Burkhardt utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Burkhardt keeping full guard, as Sazuki tries to pass.
Sazuki trying to control the position from guard on top but Burkhardt is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sazuki advances position into side control!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Sazuki postures up a little and throws a couple of hammerfists but they don't connect properly.
Burkhardt dodges the ground and pound from Sazuki.

Sazuki stands up and beckons Burkhardt to his feet.
Burkhardt shoots for a double leg takedown but Sazuki sprawls well. He's pushed Burkhardt's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Sazuki throws a left and a right that both miss
letting Burkhardt counter with a right hand.
Sazuki misses with the combination.
Burkhardt chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sazuki can pounce on him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sazuki tries to clinch up.
Sazuki plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Burkhardt displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Sazuki throws out the jab.
Burkhardt shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sazuki pinned against the cage. Sazuki gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Doby Burkhardt. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Sazuki moves into the clinch.
Sazuki putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Burkhardt in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Sazuki looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Sazuki creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Burkhardt's defenses.
Sazuki lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Burkhardt on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Sazuki trying to land knees to the body.
Sazuki is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Burkhardt is defending well for now.
Burkhardt really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Knees to the body from Sazuki.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Burkhardt drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Sazuki landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Sazuki lands a knee to the body.
Burkhardt fails to pull guard.
Sazuki working Burkhardt over with knees to the body.
Knees to the body from Sazuki.
Sazuki is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Burkhardt is defending well for now.
Kenta Sazuki is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Sazuki with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Burkhardt on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Sazuki is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Burkhardt is defending well for now.
Sazuki scores with a knee to the head.
Sazuki connects with a nasty looking knee right to Burkhardt's face.
Sazuki lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Burkhardt wants a takedown but no success here.
Doby Burkhardt has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Sazuki obliges.
Sazuki connects with a knee to the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Kenta Sazuki.
Well Sazuki has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 27:30
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kenta Sazuki!