PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Kenji Yakimoto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akihiro Murakami (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Yakimoto
vs
Murakami

170 cm
18
150 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

165 cm
22
149 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Tends to cut

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kenji Yakimoto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Akihiro Murakami!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Shigeki Sano and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Murakami throws a right and a left that Yakimoto avoids nicely.

Yakimoto feints and as Murakami raises his hands in defense, Yakimoto changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Yakimoto has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Yakimoto wants to control from the top but Murakami keeps moving.
Yakimoto preventing the sweep.
Murakami keeping moving, preventing Yakimoto from controlling successfully.
Murakami not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Yakimoto tries to free his leg and advance position but Murakami is retaining full guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Murakami working a defensive guard here.
Murakami is pulling down on Yakimoto's head. It's preventing any offense from Yakimoto, at least for the moment.
Yakimoto wants to control from the top but Murakami keeps moving.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Murakami keeps the fight on the outside.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Murakami.
Murakami is chipping away with strikes.
Yakimoto is looking for a sweep.
Murakami working away.

Murakami working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Yakimoto is looking to reverse the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murakami trying to control the position but Yakimoto is working away.
Yakimoto managing to avoid any damage from the strikes thrown by Murakami.
Murakami tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.

Murakami is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Yakimoto is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.

Murakami thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Murakami looks gassed!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Murakami throwing shots but missing, from side control.

Murakami stands up and beckons Yakimoto to his feet.
Murakami keeps the fight on the outside.
Yakimoto fails in his attempt to clinch.
Yakimoto slips a straight right by Murakami.
Yakimoto uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Murakami.
Murakami throws a series of punches but Yakimoto avoids them all with ease.
Murakami doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Yakimoto decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Murakami's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yakimoto wants to control from the top but Murakami keeps moving.
Yakimoto thows a big elbow that misses.
Yakimoto wants to stand but Murakami has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Murakami preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Yakimoto throwing strikes but missing.

Murakami pushes Yakimoto off and gets back to his feet.
Murakami throws a right and a left that both miss.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Akihiro Murakami will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Yakimoto throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Murakami sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Yakimoto lands with a nice body kick.
Yakimoto is looking to clinch.
Yakimoto shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Murakami as he avoids it easily.
Yakimoto changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Murakami tries to avoid it but Yakimoto manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Murakami to the ground. Murakami escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Murakami misses with a double jab

and Yakimoto counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Yakimoto.
Yakimoto wants to control from the top but Murakami keeps moving.
Murakami is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Murakami stands up out of the half guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Yakimoto throws a nice head kick!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yakimoto shoots in but Murakami avoids the takedown attempt easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kenji Yakimoto. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Murakami gets a takedown into half guard.
Murakami not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Murakami is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Yakimoto doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Murakami.
Murakami stalling away here and it's allowed Yakimoto to slip out his trapped foot and regain full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yakimoto not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Murakami pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Yakimoto is keeping the position for now.

Murakami drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Yakimoto manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Murakami has Yakimoto in his guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Murakami bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Yakimoto's guard.
Yakimoto working a defensive guard here.
Murakami controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Yakimoto is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Murakami passes Yakimoto's right leg, so he's now in half guard.

That's four 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.

Murakami seems to be working for a kimura but Yakimoto defends the submission attempt.
Yakimoto is looking to escape.
Akihiro Murakami has got the better of the ground game so far.
Yakimoto is trying to control but can't.
Murakami controlling the pace.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Akihiro Murakami will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Yakimoto keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kenji Yakimoto is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Yakimoto lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Murakami circles away quickly and effectively.
Murakami thuds a left hand into Yakimoto's body.
Akihiro Murakami seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yakimoto throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Murakami will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Yakimoto takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Yakimoto shoots in for a takedown but Murakami shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
A telegraphed right hand from Murakami misses the target.
Murakami dodges the punch combination from Yakimoto.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Murakami rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Yakimoto moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Yakimoto will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Murakami misses with a takedown attempt - Yakimoto sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Yakimoto takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yakimoto uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Murakami.
Yakimoto on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Yakimoto fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Yakimoto uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Murakami.
Yakimoto steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Murakami.
A head kick misses from Yakimoto.
Yakimoto takes one on the button.
Murakami fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Murakami changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Yakimoto tries to avoid it but Murakami manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Yakimoto to the ground. Yakimoto escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Murakami misses with a wild combination.
Murakami fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Kenji Yakimoto has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akihiro Murakami.

Yakimoto forces Murakami back against the cage and clinches.

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.

Murakami jumps guard.
Yakimoto is looking to stand up but Murakami won't let him.
Murakami manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Yakimoto manages to get himself to full guard.
Yakimoto manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Murakami manages to get himself to full guard.
Murakami keeping moving, preventing Yakimoto from controlling successfully.
Yakimoto looking to pass the guard.

Murakami is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Yakimoto is aware though and is defending well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yakimoto has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Murakami is proving hard to escape from.

Yakimoto drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Murakami dives on top into guard.
Murakami wants to control from the top but Yakimoto keeps moving.
Murakami controls from within his opponent's guard.
Murakami postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Murakami pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Yakimoto is keeping the position for now.
Murakami won't allow Yakimoto to sweep him here.
Yakimoto is looking to sweep but instead, Murakami has passed into half guard.

Murakami stands up from half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Akihiro Murakami comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Murakami 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 29:29
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 27:30
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Akihiro Murakami!