PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Mauricio Rua (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Takeshi Naoki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rua comes to the cage accompanied by Shogun. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Rua
vs
Naoki

188 cm
22
140 lbs
1 - 3 - 0

167 cm
20
144 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Big right hand

Good wrestler
Brawler
Solid chin

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 1 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Mauricio Rua!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Takeshi Naoki!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Taro Takaoka and Shirou Masuda.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Naoki scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Naoki controlling from side mount.
Rua is looking to regain half guard here but Naoki keeps moving and retains side control.
Rua taking a bit of punishment here - Naoki scoring with strikes.
Naoki content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Rua is looking to regain half guard here but Naoki keeps moving and retains side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Naoki lands a decent elbow from side control.
Naoki lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Rua down.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Naoki slows the pace down.
Naoki working the ground and pound from side control.
Naoki staying calm.
Naoki working away.
Rua is looking for a sweep.

Naoki tries for a kimura but Rua is defending well.
Rua is looking for a sweep.
A lull in the action here.
Rua manages to work his way to half guard, despite Naoki's best efforts.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Naoki slips a nice elbow through Rua's hands, connecting with Rua's forehead.
Naoki tries to pass the half guard into mount. Rua knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Naoki takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Rua wants to get back to full guard.

Rua is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Naoki pulls his head out easily.
Rua wants to control but Naoki is keeping busy.
Naoki uses his free foot to push down on Rua's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Rua.
Rua is desperately trying to improve his position but Naoki has a good base and remains in mount.
Rua is breathing heavily.
Naoki controlling from the full mount.
Rua is trying to escape the mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Naoki sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Naoki working Rua over with strikes here.
Rua can't escape the position.
A nice elbow there by Naoki.
Naoki lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Naoki working Rua over with strikes here.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Naoki is landing with some decent strikes but Rua is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Naoki cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Naoki fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Naoki working the ground and pound effectively.
Rua tries to reverse the position but Naoki maintains control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Naoki looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Naoki tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.

Naoki working for a guillotine from mount but Rua is in no mood to give up.
Naoki avoids the attempt from Rua to control.
Naoki landing strikes from the mount and Rua is in trouble!
Naoki lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Rua takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Naoki controlling his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Takeshi Naoki dominated that round.
That's time! Rua's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Naoki drives through and clinches with Rua against the cage.
Rua really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Naoki lands a body punch.

Naoki gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Rua regains guard.
Naoki lands a couple of digs.
Rua will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.

Naoki got a little sloppy there for a moment and Rua has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Naoki has managed to get both his arms back between Rua's legs - danger averted.
Naoki is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Naoki passes into half guard.
Naoki slips a nice elbow through Rua's hands, connecting with Rua's forehead.
Naoki looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Rua is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Naoki looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Rua with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Naoki lands strikes from half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Naoki lands a nice short elbow.
Naoki working over Rua with some ground and pound. Rua looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Rua taking some punishment here, with Naoki in his half guard.
Naoki drops an elbow to the side of Rua's head.
Naoki not doing much here.
Naoki looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Rua with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Naoki winds up and cracks Rua with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Naoki scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Well, if Naoki is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Rua is trying to get back to full guard.
Naoki controlling the action here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Naoki is working for a submission of some sort.
Naoki takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Rua looks like he's trying to stand up.
Takeshi Naoki has got the better of the ground game so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Naoki seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Rua wants to get back to full guard.
Naoki trying to pass the guard but Rua defending well.
Naoki perhaps working for something from half guard, or maybe not. It looks like he's just sitting there.
Naoki is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Rua!
Naoki controlling from the full mount.

Despite being in the dominant position, Takeshi Naoki just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Rua tries to keep at a distance but Naoki has taken the fight into the clinch.
Naoki scores with a shot to the side of Rua's head.

Naoki gets a trip takedown into half guard.
Rua is looking for a sweep. Naoki is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Naoki drops an elbow to the side of Rua's head.
Rua trying to control but Naoki postures up.
Naoki prevents Rua from improving his position.
Well, if Naoki is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.
Rua is in trouble now - Naoki has advanced to mount!
Naoki landing punches.
Rua tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Naoki controlling his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Takeshi Naoki showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Naoki instigates a clinch.
Naoki lands a body punch.
Rua takes a knee to the side of the body.
Rua looking to slow down the pace here.
A short body shot lands from Naoki as the two fighters clinch.
Naoki lands a body shot in the clinch.
Naoki lands with a short punch from the clinch.

Naoki is trying to trip Rua. He has hold of a leg but Rua is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Naoki persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Naoki's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Naoki passes Rua's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Naoki not doing much here.
Naoki has freed up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Naoki punishing his opponent with strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rua in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Naoki unloading with bombs!
Rua is in a horrible position here. Naoki smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Naoki content just to control the position here.
Rua is looking to improve his position but Naoki isn't that keen on the idea.
Naoki is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Rua wants to hold on but Naoki pushes him away.
Naoki tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Naoki landing shots from mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rua working to try and regain half guard.
Naoki with the ground and pound from mount.
Naoki with the ground and pound from mount.
Naoki takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Naoki looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Rua taking shots to the head.
Naoki looking to control and managing it successfully.
Naoki is landing with some decent strikes but Rua is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Naoki looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Naoki connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Rua tries to reverse the position but Naoki maintains control.
Naoki sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Rua is bucking up trying to escape but Naoki cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Rua taking shots to the head.
Naoki controlling from mount.
Mauricio Rua has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Naoki has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Rua's face.
Naoki landing strikes from the mount.
Naoki controlling the position easily from mount.
Rua tries to hold on but Naoki postures up.
Naoki raining down shots from the mount!
Naoki controlling the position easily from mount.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Rua throwing hammer fists to the chest of Naoki. What's that going to do exactly?

And that's the end of the fight!
Takeshi Naoki comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Naoki 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 Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 24:30
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 26:30
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Takeshi Naoki!