PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kazushi Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kazunari Tashiro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Man, I cannot wait for this one!

Sakuraba
vs
Tashiro

183 cm
20
190 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

197 cm
26
200 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Very strong

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
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 Tokyo, Kazushi Sakuraba!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazunari Tashiro!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A head kick misses from Tashiro.
Tashiro has his takedown stuffed

and Sakuraba counters with a single leg into guard. Tashiro didn't expect that.
Sakuraba throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Sakuraba advances position into side control!
Sakuraba throws a strike aimed at the side of Tashiro's head but Tashiro avoids it well.
Sakuraba working the ground and pound from side control.
Tashiro takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.

It looks like Kazunari Tashiro has been cut.
Sakuraba cracks Tashiro with an elbow. That is naaassty.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sakuraba working the ground and pound.
Sakuraba landing a few strikes.

That has opened up Kazunari Tashiro's cut even more.
Sloppy strikes there by Sakuraba.
Tashiro struggling a bit here.
Sakuraba is putting a hurting on Tashiro here, landing some big shots from side control.
Sakuraba working the ground and pound from side control.
Sakuraba working away.
Sakuraba controls the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuraba wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tashiro keeps working.
Tashiro tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Sakuraba wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Tashiro takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.

The cut above Kazunari Tashiro's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Tashiro wants to control but Sakuraba postures up.

Sakuraba tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Sakuraba has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Sakuraba landing strikes.
Sakuraba wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tashiro keeps working.
Sakuraba has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
You can see the frustration on Tashiro's face as Sakuraba controls the position.
Sakuraba advances to full mount.
Sakuraba scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Tashiro?

Kazunari Tashiro's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.

The referee calls the doctor in to look at Kazunari Tashiro's cut. Oh no, the doctor has called an end to the bout!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:23 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Cut). Kazushi Sakuraba!