PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Eric Laak (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kasahiro Yama (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.

Laak
vs
Yama

180 cm
20
199 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

172 cm
18
194 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Basic striking
Cardio machine

Dangerous GnP
Counter striker
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Eric Laak!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Kasahiro Yama!
The judges for this bout are Columbo Gatti, Russell Pearce and Joseph Jones.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Laak misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Laak throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Yama sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Laak throws a hook but Yama avoids it easily.
Yama throws out a loose jab but Laak uses good head movement to avoid it.
Laak misses with the combination.
Laak is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Yama.
Yama will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Laak throws a hook to the side of Yama's head but Yama sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Yama bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Laak swings for the body but Yama moves out of range.
Laak moves away from the strike by Yama.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Laak looks to land a left hand but Yama moved out of range nicely.
Laak throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Laak throws a jab but it's blocked by Yama.

Laak clinches.
Yama is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Laak is defending well for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yama has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Laak is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Laak breaks the clinch.
Yama blocks a jab.
Yama shoots in but Laak avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Eric Laak has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kasahiro Yama.
Laak looks to throw the jab but Yama is out of range.
Yama throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Eric Laak seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Laak swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Yama tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Laak counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Yama avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Laak throws a series of punches but Yama avoids them all with ease.

Yama shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Laak napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Laak is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yama throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Yama scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Laak to see if he's OK.
Yama is looking to take a break and control but Laak is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Laak tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Yama wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Yama is looking to take a break and control but Laak is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Yama has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Yama throws an overhand right that lands on Laak's shoulder, as Laak tries to avoid the shot.
Laak fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Laak misses with a hook. Yama ducked under it nicely.
Yama tries to clinch
and Laak counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Yama waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Laak.
Yama staying out of range there.
Yama misses with a takedown
and Laak counters with a straight right hand.
Laak comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Yama gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Laak connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big right from Yama misses.
Laak's corner calls for a 1,2 combination and Laak duly obliges.
Laak waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Yama.
Laak throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Laak is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Yama.
Yama dodges the punch combination from Laak.

Yama darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Laak wants to get back to his feet.
Laak is trying to maintain the position but Yama is very close to passing his half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Eric Laak will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Laak scores with a nice right hand.
Laak misses with a series of wild punches.
Yama slips under a jab.
Yama has his takedown stuffed
and Laak counters with a left to the body.
Laak swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Laak misses with an uppercut.
Yama avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Laak has closed the distance and engaged Yama in a clinch.
Laak looking to throw knees to the head but Yama is blocking nicely.
Yama tries to land a knee to the head but Laak blocks with his arms.

Laak breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
The fighters circling - Yama throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yama clinches but Laak breaks the clinch
enabling Laak to counter with a crisp jab.
Yama misses with a two punch combination.
Laak circles away from the clinch attempt
and Laak counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Laak throws a jab when Yama was well out of range.
Laak clobbers Yama with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Laak is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Yama tries to clinch up
and Laak counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Eric Laak is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Yama avoids a punch combination nicely.
Laak lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yama bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Yama steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Laak.
Yama should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Laak lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Yama circles away quickly and effectively.
A telegraphed right hand from Yama misses the target.
Laak lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Yama on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Yama closes the distance looking to clinch
and Laak counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Laak scores with a body shot.
Laak fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Laak throws a series of punches but Yama moves out of range.
Yama throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Laak counters with a nice uppercut.
Yama slips under a jab from Laak.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yama blocks a jab.
Yama ducks under a wild hook from Laak.

Laak clinches up with Yama and pushes him back against the cage.

Laak breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Laak throws a right hand that Yama ducks under and follows up with a left that Yama also avoids with ease.
Laak throws a hook but Yama blocks it.
Yama has his takedown stuffed
and Laak counters with a left and a right that stings Yama.
A looping hook to the body misses from Laak. Yama does a little dance to reset his feet.
Yama misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Laak.
Eric Laak is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Yama shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Laak napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Laak tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Yama wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Yama wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Laak, who protects the arm well.

Yama is looking to finish here, going for an Americana. Laak knows the correct defense though, so he's OK.
Yama is looking to take a break and control but Laak is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Laak dodges the ground and pound from Yama.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Eric Laak dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Laak misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Yama.
Laak moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Laak throws a shot from downtown. Yama moves away and avoids it.
Laak fails in his attempt to clinch.
Laak throws a looping overhand right but Yama ducks down to avoid it.
Yama blocks a jab.
Yama takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Yama ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Laak moves away.
Yama shoots in for a double leg but Laak sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Laak throws a body punch but Yama moves out of range.
Yama tries for a takedown but Laak circles away easily
and Yama takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Yama keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Yama fails with a takedown attempt.
Eric Laak has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kasahiro Yama.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yama shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Yama takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Laak tries to bum rush Yama with a series of wild strikes but Yama uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Yama has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Laak looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Laak throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Laak lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Laak throws a hook to the side of Yama's head but Yama sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Yama gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Laak counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Yama keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Laak.
Yama tries for a takedown but Laak circles away easily
and Laak counters with a two punch combo.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A big left from Laak misses.

Yama feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Yama takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Yama throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Laak wants to stand up but Yama is controlling him.
Laak keeping moving, preventing Yama from controlling successfully.
Yama might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Laak kaven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Yama works a leg free and moves into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Yama is trying to work for a kimura but Laak is defending well.
Yama throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Yama is thwarting Laak's attempts to control the position.
Yama tries to pass to full mount but Laak defends it.
Yama frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.

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.
Laak is wriggling around trying to escape.
Yama with good strikes from the mount here!

Yama has hold of an arm here, looking to extend it. He's committed to the armbar attempt here! Will he get it?! Yes! Laak is forced to tap!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:37 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Kasahiro Yama!