PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Hanamichi Sakuragi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Phil Philsonphilen (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Phil Philsonphilen has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Sakuragi
vs
Philsonphilen

200 cm
21
170 lbs
3 - 8 - 0

185 cm
22
185 lbs
0 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Experienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Hanamichi Sakuragi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Phil Philsonphilen!
The judges for this bout are , Don Winkell and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Philsonphilen shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Sakuragi as he avoids it easily.
Sakuragi throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Philsonphilen counters with a one-two to the body.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Philsonphilen shoots in and drives through. Sakuragi sprawls well.
Sakuragi looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Sakuragi ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Philsonphilen moves away.
Sakuragi throws the kick towards the body but Philsonphilen avoids it.
Philsonphilen fails with a takedown attempt.
Hanamichi Sakuragi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Phil Philsonphilen.
Philsonphilen moves in looking to clinch but Sakuragi pushes him off.
Philsonphilen shoots for a double leg takedown but Sakuragi sprawls well. He's pushed Philsonphilen's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Sakuragi throws the kick towards the body but Philsonphilen avoids it.
Sakuragi tries a head kick but it misses.
Philsonphilen closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Philsonphilen scores with a leg kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sakuragi misses with a looping right.
Philsonphilen scores with a decent looking hook.
Sakuragi misses with a wild body shot.
Philsonphilen moves in looking to clinch but Sakuragi pushes him off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuragi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Philsonphilen fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Sakuragi throws a lazy head kick
and Philsonphilen counters with a head kick. That will keep Sakuragi thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Philsonphilen moves out of range of the body kick.
Philsonphilen shoots in looking for a takedown. Sakuragi tries to sprawl out of it but Philsonphilen keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sakuragi manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Philsonphilen looks gassed!
Philsonphilen throws a head kick but Sakuragi moves out of range.
Sakuragi stuffs the takedown.
Philsonphilen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sakuragi.
No luck for Philsonphilen with that takedown attempt.
Sakuragi tries to land a leg kick but Philsonphilen saw it coming and moves away.
Sakuragi tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Philsonphilen was well out of range. Poor timing from Sakuragi.
Sakuragi tries to score with a low kick but Philsonphilen moves his leg out of the way.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuragi looks to land a body kick but Philsonphilen moved away.
Sakuragi missing with a left hand there. Philsonphilen was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Philsonphilen dodges the punch combination from Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a low kick, looking for Philsonphilen's leg but Philsonphilen calmly moves out of range.
Sakuragi throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Sakuragi tries a head kick but it misses.
Sakuragi misses with a body shot.
Sakuragi misses with a body kick.
A low kick from Sakuragi is predictable there
and Philsonphilen counters with a left and a right that stings Sakuragi.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Philsonphilen doesn't manage to clinch there - Sakuragi circles away.
A head kick by Sakuragi misses
and Philsonphilen counters with a nice body kick.
Sakuragi keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Sakuragi really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Sakuragi looks to score with a jab to the body but Philsonphilen is just out of range.
Philsonphilen lands a head kick. Sakuragi smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Philsonphilen tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Sakuragi looks to land a combination but Philsonphilen avoids it well.
Philsonphilen shoots in for a takedown but Sakuragi shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Sakuragi throws a sloppy head kick and Philsonphilen moves out of range easily.
Sakuragi throws a wild body kick that Philsonphilen sees coming a mile off.
Philsonphilen fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Sakuragi goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Sakuragi fails to land with a series of punches.
Sakuragi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Philsonphilen moves out of range as Sakuragi throws a body kick.
Sakuragi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Hanamichi Sakuragi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sakuragi misses with a body punch
and Philsonphilen counters with a head kick. That will keep Sakuragi thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Sakuragi misses with a hook
and Philsonphilen counters with an outside leg kick.
Sakuragi misses with a double jab
and Philsonphilen counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Sakuragi is lucky that one didn't land flush.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Philsonphilen checks a low kick from Sakuragi.
Sakuragi misses with a head kick.
Sloppy strikes from Sakuragi. Those never looked like landing.
Philsonphilen tries to clinch but Sakuragi is having none of it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Philsonphilen shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Sakuragi napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Philsonphilen wants to stand but Sakuragi has his arm trapped.
Sakuragi can't do much from the bottom here.
Philsonphilen wants to control but Sakuragi is keeping him busy.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Philsonphilen working away.
Sakuragi is holding Philsonphilen down, trying to stall.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Phil Philsonphilen dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

A head kick misses from Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Sakuragi keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
The fight stays on the outside here - Philsonphilen looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Philsonphilen takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Philsonphilen tries to close the distance and clinch but Sakuragi swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Sakuragi throws a head kick but Philsonphilen moves out of range.
Sakuragi throws a sloppy head kick
and Philsonphilen counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Sakuragi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Hanamichi Sakuragi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sakuragi throws a right hand that misses
and Philsonphilen counters with a nice uppercut.
Sakuragi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Sakuragi circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Philsonphilen is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Philsonphilen moves out of range of the body kick from Sakuragi.
Philsonphilen keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Philsonphilen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sakuragi.
Philsonphilen shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sakuragi pinned against the cage. Sakuragi gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Philsonphilen is breathing heavily.
Philsonphilen moves out of range of the strikes.
Sakuragi defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Philsonphilen.
Hanamichi Sakuragi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Phil Philsonphilen.
Sakuragi misses with a right hand
and Philsonphilen cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Sakuragi throws a body punch but Philsonphilen moves out of range.
Hanamichi Sakuragi is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sakuragi throws a shot from downtown. Philsonphilen moves away and avoids it.
Sakuragi falls off balance throwing a combination
and Philsonphilen connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Some wild striking there from Sakuragi.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuragi throws a lazy head kick
and Philsonphilen counters with an outside leg kick.
Sakuragi pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Philsonphilen lands a head kick. Sakuragi smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Sakuragi misses with a few strikes there.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Philsonphilen with a nice cross.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sakuragi takes a swing at Philsonphilen's ribcage but misses.
Philsonphilen shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Sakuragi defends it nicely.
Philsonphilen checks the leg kick nicely there.
Good work by Philsonphilen as he checks the leg kick.
A head kick misses from Sakuragi.
Phil Philsonphilen seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Philsonphilen tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Sakuragi manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Sloppy strikes from Sakuragi. Those never looked like landing.
Sakuragi throws a left and a right that both miss
and Philsonphilen counters with a three punch combo that has Sakuragi backing up. Sakuragi nods at Philsonphilen to acknowledge the strikes.
Sakuragi throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Philsonphilen counters with a low kick, right behind Sakuragi 's knee.
Philsonphilen digs a good body shot into Sakuragi's ribs.
Philsonphilen shoots in looking for a takedown. Sakuragi tries to sprawl out of it but Philsonphilen keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sakuragi manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Sakuragi misses with a series of wild punches.
Philsonphilen tries to clinch there but Sakuragi circles away.
Philsonphilen tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Sakuragi paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Philsonphilen shoots in but no luck this time.
Sakuragi leaves Philsonphilen with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Sakuragi lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Philsonphilen circles away quickly and effectively.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuragi misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi is looking to wear down Philsonphilen with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Philsonphilen shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sakuragi but Sakuragi pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Sakuragi tries a head kick but it misses.
A big left from Sakuragi misses.
Sakuragi misses with a body kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sakuragi looks to throw a body kick
and Philsonphilen counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Philsonphilen scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Philsonphilen closes this distance looking for a takedown but Sakuragi circles away.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sakuragi throws a low kick but it's checked well by Philsonphilen.
Sakuragi looks to land a right hand but Philsonphilen moved out of range.
Sakuragi throws a left and a right that both miss
and Philsonphilen counters with a nice uppercut.
A head kick by Sakuragi misses
and Philsonphilen counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Phil Philsonphilen will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Sakuragi misses the jab.
Sakuragi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Philsonphilen blocks a head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi misses with a hook.
Philsonphilen shoots in for a double leg but Sakuragi sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Nice sprawl there from Sakuragi as Philsonphilen shoots in.
Sakuragi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sakuragi keeps the fight on the outside.
Philsonphilen scores with a jab to the body.
Sakuragi misses with a wild combination.
Sakuragi throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Philsonphilen counters with a straight right hand.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nice sprawl there from Sakuragi as Philsonphilen shoots in.
Hanamichi Sakuragi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Phil Philsonphilen.
The fighters circling - Sakuragi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Sakuragi throws a wild body kick that Philsonphilen sees coming a mile off.
Sakuragi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Philsonphilen steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sakuragi.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuragi throws a jab when Philsonphilen was well out of range.
Sakuragi stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Sakuragi wants it to stay on the feet.
Sakuragi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A lazy body kick from Sakuragi
and Philsonphilen counters with a two punch combo.
Philsonphilen looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sakuragi is fending him off so far but Philsonphilen persists. Nope, Sakuragi circles away and we're back to standing.
Sakuragi tries to bum rush Philsonphilen with a series of wild strikes but Philsonphilen uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A looping hook to the body misses from Sakuragi. Philsonphilen does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sakuragi looks to land a body kick but Philsonphilen moved away.
Sakuragi throws a half hearted mid kick.
Philsonphilen has a takedown stuffed.
Sakuragi throws an overhand right that lands on Philsonphilen's shoulder, as Philsonphilen tries to avoid the shot.
Sakuragi throws a right hand that Philsonphilen ducks under and follows up with a left that Philsonphilen also avoids with ease.
Sakuragi throws a leg kick but Philsonphilen sees it coming and checks it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Philsonphilen stalks Sakuragi and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Sakuragi's face. Sakuragi staggers backwards, shaken.
Sakuragi defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Philsonphilen.
Sakuragi throws a series of punches but Philsonphilen moves out of range.
Sakuragi swinging wildly here.
Philsonphilen fails to land the takedown.
No joy there for Sakuragi, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Philsonphilen shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Philsonphilen showed some decent athleticism there.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sakuragi trying to control here.
Sakuragi has his hands clasped together around Philsonphilen's back. He's all about the action.
Sakuragi knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Philsonphilen on the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakuragi is looking to improve his position.
Sakuragi wants to control but Philsonphilen is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Sakuragi is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Philsonphilen is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.
Sakuragi controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Hanamichi Sakuragi wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Philsonphilen tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Sakuragi paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Philsonphilen cracks a nice hook into Sakuragi's ribs.
Philsonphilen moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Philsonphilen fails with a takedown attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Philsonphilen checks a leg kick.
Sakuragi throws a leg kick that is checked
and Philsonphilen counters with a series of strikes. Sakuragi will be more careful next time no doubt.
Philsonphilen tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Sakuragi swivels and escapes.
A head kick by Sakuragi misses
and Philsonphilen counters with a head kick. That will keep Sakuragi thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Sakuragi throws a looping overhand right but Philsonphilen ducks down to avoid it.
Sakuragi throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Philsonphilen.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Philsonphilen stalks Sakuragi and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Sakuragi's face. Sakuragi staggers backwards, shaken.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Philsonphilen tries to clinch but Sakuragi is having none of it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Philsonphilen avoids the head kick by Sakuragi.
Sakuragi throws a lazy head kick
and Philsonphilen counters with a thumping low kick.
Sakuragi stuffs the takedown attempt from Philsonphilen. Philsonphilen gets slowly back to his feet.
Hanamichi Sakuragi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Phil Philsonphilen is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
A telegraphed right hand from Sakuragi misses the target.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Hanamichi Sakuragi.
Well Philsonphilen has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Hanamichi Sakuragi!