PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Dave Mustaine (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ikki Minami (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Mustaine might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to This Day We Fight! by Megadeth. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Mustaine
vs
Minami

182 cm
24
183 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

170 cm
21
183 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good knees
Experienced

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 2 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Dave Mustaine!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ikki Minami!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Shigeki Sano.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Mustaine ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Mustaine throws and low kick but Minami moves out of range easily.

Minami shoots in and bounces Mustaine off the ropes to secure the takedown into guard.
Mustaine is trying to keep Minami in close.
Minami advances position into side control!
Mustaine tries to get back to half guard but can't.

Minami swings around for an armbar but Mustaine sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Minami's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mustaine preventing the sweep.
Minami not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Minami looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Mustaine wants to control from the top but Minami keeps moving.
Minami tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Minami keeping moving, preventing Mustaine from controlling successfully.
Mustaine looking to pass the guard.
Minami looking to control but Mustaine passes into half guard.

That's two 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.
Mustaine is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Minami is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Minami manages to get to full guard.
Mustaine is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Mustaine wants to pass the guard but Minami is keeping the position.
Minami has Mustaine pulled in close to control his posture.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

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

Minami has his foot on Mustaine's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Mustaine works his way back into a safe position though.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Minami looks gassed!

Minami is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Mustaine is aware though and is defending well.

Minami escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Mustaine gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Mustaine wants to control from the top but Minami keeps moving.

Minami working for a triangle but Mustaine defends it easily.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Minami is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Mustaine trying to control but Minami is working from the bottom.
Minami looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mustaine is one step ahead there.
Mustaine trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's five minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
No joy there for Minami, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A jab from Minami misses.
Mustaine doesn't manage to clinch there - Minami circles away.
Mustaine misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Minami jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Minami fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Mustaine avoids it really well and circles away.
Dave Mustaine is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Minami fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Minami takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Mustaine scores with a jab.

That's six 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.
Minami takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Mustaine jabs at Minami's body.
Minami misses with a body kick.
Minami swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Mustaine holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
A bit of stalling here from Mustaine.
Mustaine tries a knee to the head but Minami blocks it.
Mustaine using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Minami has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mustaine throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Minami blocks it with crossed arms.
Mustaine scores a nice knee to the body.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
Mustaine scores a nice knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Mustaine obliges.
Minami looking for a takedown.
Dave Mustaine has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ikki Minami.
Mustaine blocking some punches.
Minami managing to block the knees to the body from Mustaine.
Mustaine pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Mustaine unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Minami taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Mustaine pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Minami tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Mustaine's elbow.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
A short right from Minami on the inside.
Mustaine cracks Minami with a nice body shot.
Mustaine misses with a hook from the clinch.
Minami lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Mustaine misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Minami.

Minami turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Minami manages to end up in side control.
Mustaine wants to control but Minami postures up.

Minami tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

Minami looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
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.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.

Minami goes for an armbar! This could be all over! Wait, no, Mustaine rolls with the submission and now he's on top in Minami's guard! Nice work there by Mustaine!
Minami keeping full guard, as Mustaine tries to pass.
Mustaine wants to control from the top but Minami keeps moving.

Minami has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Mustaine can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.

Minami looking for a guillotine here but Mustaine defends easily.

Minami working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Mustaine doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Mustaine manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

Minami looking for submissions from the bottom but instead Mustaine passes into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Ikki Minami will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

A solid leg kick lands there for Mustaine.
Mustaine moves out of range as Minami strikes.

Minami shoots in for a takedown and gets it.

Minami is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Mustaine defends it well.
Mustaine is controlling Minami's trapped leg to prevent Minami from advancing to side control.
Minami is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mustaine is staying active underneath Minami, who seems content to just control the action from this position.

Minami wants to work for an arm triangle but Mustaine is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Minami is looking to take a break and control but Mustaine is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Minami is looking for a kimura here.
Minami stalling.

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.
Mustaine controlling the position for now.
Minami seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Mustaine does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Mustaine trying to hold on to Minami's head to control him but Minami postures up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Mustaine throws a combination that misses
and Mustaine takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Minami shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Mustaine but Mustaine pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Minami dodges the punch combination from Mustaine.
Mustaine blocks a head kick by Minami.
Minami is trying hard to land a takedown here. Mustaine sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Mustaine throws a right and a left that both miss.
Minami swats away the attempt to clinch by Mustaine.
Mustaine uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Minami.
Minami gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Mustaine cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Dave Mustaine has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Ikki Minami.
Mustaine connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Minami walks into a stiff left hand from Mustaine.
Minami tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Mustaine swivels and escapes.
Mustaine lands a slapping body shot.
Mustaine throws a shot to the body.
Minami shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Minami on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Mustaine is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Mustaine lands a slapping body shot.
Mustaine lands a jab to Minami's midsection.
Mustaine is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Minami swings away with a body shot that misses
and Mustaine counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Good leg kick by Mustaine there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Dave Mustaine is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Mustaine scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Minami takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Mustaine doesn't manage to clinch there - Minami circles away.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Minami takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Minami throws a combination that misses

and Mustaine counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
A shot in the inside from Mustaine.
Mustaine stalling in the clinch but Minami improves position.
A nice left hand lands by Mustaine.
Mustaine throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
A knee to the head by Mustaine.
Mustaine lands a left hand that snaps the head of Minami backwards.
Mustaine swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A shot in the inside from Mustaine.
Mustaine lands a nice knee to the body.
Minami managing to block the knees to the body from Mustaine.
A left hand lands to the body for Minami.
Mustaine misses with a punch to the body.
Mustaine working aggressively here.
Minami lands with a short shot to the head.
Minami lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Mustaine backwards.
Mustaine using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Minami has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Minami lands with a left to the head.
Minami lands a left hand.

Minami gets control of Mustaine's arms and successfully pulls guard. Minami will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Minami lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Mustaine!

That's six minutes gone in the round.

Minami wants to finish this one by submission but Mustaine is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Minami.
Mustaine is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Minami wants to take Mustaine's back but he can't do it this time.

Minami goes for an armbar but Mustaine turns quickly into his guard - lovely anticipation from Mustaine.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Minami looking to hit a scissor sweep but Mustaine is one step ahead there.
Mustaine looking to pass the guard.
Minami tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's eight 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.
Minami manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Mustaine manages to get himself to full guard.
Minami slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Mustaine seems a little lost for a moment, as Minami dominates the positioning.
Mustaine tries to buck Minami off but Minami is having none of it.
Minami advances nicely into full mount.

Minami is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Mustaine has managed to escape the submission attempt.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.

Minami is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Mustaine has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Mustaine!
Ikki Minami has got the better of the ground game so far.
Minami keeping moving, preventing Mustaine from controlling successfully.
Minami is pulling down on Mustaine's head. It's preventing any offense from Mustaine, at least for the moment.

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

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Ikki Minami.
I think Minami 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 2 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.

Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight for Ikki Minami!
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight for Ikki Minami!
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight for Ikki Minami!

Ikki Minami wins by unanimous decision!