PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rexixtenxia Norte (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and John Lapus (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring eachother down here, as John Lapus enters the cage!

Norte
vs
Lapus

191 cm
25
220 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

225 cm
25
200 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent boxer
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Rexixtenxia Norte!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, John Lapus!
The judges for this bout are Yuuki Gou, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Lapus forces Norte back against the cage and clinches.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.

Lapus breaks from the clinch.

Lapus closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Norte might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Lapus not doing much here.

Norte looking for submissions off his back.
Norte tries to get to full guard but Lapus has control of the leg.

Norte is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Lapus pulls his head out easily.
Norte is refusing to be controlled, as Lapus sits in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Lapus throwing shots but Norte is blocking nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Norte actively working from the bottom here.

Norte looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Norte on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Lapus is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
Lapus content to control rather than advance.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Lapus connects with a nice short shot to Norte's temple.

That's two 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.

Norte is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Lapus pulls his head out easily.
Lapus wants to pass the guard but Norte is defending well.

Lapus is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Lapus wants to control but Norte is keeping him busy.

Norte is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Lapus pulls his head out easily.
Norte taking some punishment here, with Lapus in his half guard.
Lapus throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

Lapus is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lapus is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Lapus is stalling here. Norte is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Lapus seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Norte has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.

Norte thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Norte working away.
Lapus tries to bench press Norte off him but Norte keeps the position.
Lapus is trying to control Norte's posture but Norte avoids it.
Lapus looks gassed!

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Norte thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

Norte is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Lapus has escaped the position, nice work there.
Lapus is trying to buck Norte off.
Lapus is positioning himself to get back to 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 Rexixtenxia Norte will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A head kick misses from Lapus.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Norte.
Norte moves out of range of the body kick.

Lapus closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Lapus seems to be working for a kimura but Norte defends the submission attempt.
Norte has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Lapus is working away from the top position though.
Still in half guard, Lapus seems content to control.
Lapus is breathing heavily.

Norte looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Lapus trying to control the action but Norte is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lapus winds up and cracks Norte with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Norte wants to control but Lapus is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Norte is trying to get back to full guard.
Lapus seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Lapus is looking to take a break and control but Norte is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Nice strikes from Lapus there.

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.

Norte looking for submissions off his back.
Norte trying to control but Lapus postures up.
Lapus really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Norte. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Lapus is taking a breather. Norte says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.

Norte looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Lapus wants to pass to mount but Norte is defending the position.
Norte trying to control from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Norte looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Lapus is trying to control the action in half guard but Norte is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

Norte is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Lapus pulls his head out easily.
Lapus looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.

Norte looking for submissions off his back.

Lapus decides to return to a standing position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lapus throws an overhand right that lands on Norte's shoulder, as Norte tries to avoid the shot.
Norte throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sloppy strikes from Norte. Those never looked like landing.
Norte lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Norte.
Norte misses with a double jab

so Lapus counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

Norte working for a triangle but Lapus defends it easily.
Lapus passes Norte's right leg, so he's now in half guard.

Norte actively working from the bottom here.
Lapus is looking to advance position but Norte won't allow it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Lapus showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Lapus gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Lapus prevents Norte from breaking the clinch.

Lapus manages to break the clinch.

Lapus rushes Norte and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.

Lapus's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Norte swinging wildly here.
A left lands for Norte.

Lapus gets a takedown into half guard.
Lapus is looking to advance position but Norte won't allow it.
Norte is not content to let Lapus control the position.
Norte trying to control from the bottom.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lapus is working hard to pass the guard. He's done it - he's now in full mount! Trouble for Norte!
John Lapus has got the better of the ground game so far.
Norte is trying desperately to improve position.

Lapus is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Norte can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Lapus looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Lapus working the ground and pound effectively.
Lapus controlling the pace for now.
Norte is working to get back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Lapus tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
Norte is in all sorts of trouble here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Lapus looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

Lapus gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!
Norte lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Lapus circles away quickly and effectively.
Norte misses with a double jab

and Lapus counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.

Norte looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Lapus tries to stand but can't do so whilst Norte controls his leg.
Lapus passes into side control, despite Norte's attempt to control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lapus controlling the position.
Lapus is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Let's hope that Lapus has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Norte sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Norte trying to control but Lapus postures up.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Lapus comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Lapus 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 28:29
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 28:29
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Lapus!