PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Matsumae Sukeyuki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kazunari Tashiro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters really staring each other down here, as Kazunari Tashiro enters the ring!

Sukeyuki
vs
Tashiro

185 cm
28
185 lbs
2 - 6 - 0

197 cm
30
185 lbs
4 - 5 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

BJJ Purple 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 2 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Matsumae Sukeyuki !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazunari Tashiro!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Hirohito Nitta and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tashiro misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Tashiro avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sukeyuki throws a one two combo.
Sukeyuki throws a sloppy head kick and Tashiro moves out of range easily.
Tashiro misses with a double jab.
Tashiro throws a jab but it's blocked by Sukeyuki .
Sukeyuki stuffs the takedown attempt from Tashiro. Tashiro gets slowly back to his feet.
Tashiro throws a head kick that Sukeyuki semi-blocks.

It looks like Matsumae Sukeyuki has been cut.
Tashiro cracks Sukeyuki with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Tashiro is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Tashiro fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Tashiro takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Tashiro swats away the attempt to clinch by Sukeyuki .
Tashiro takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Kazunari Tashiro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sukeyuki blocks a head kick by Tashiro.
Sukeyuki tries to clinch but Tashiro is having none of it.

Sukeyuki is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Tashiro's half guard.
Sukeyuki thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Tashiro's head.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tashiro looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Tashiro wants to get back to his feet.
Sukeyuki drops an elbow to the side of Tashiro's head.
Sukeyuki controlling the action here.
Sukeyuki knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Tashiro on the ground.

Tashiro actively working from the bottom here.
Sukeyuki wants to stand but Tashiro has hold of a leg and an arm, so he's trapped for now.
Sukeyuki throwing shots but Tashiro is blocking nicely.

Tashiro looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.

Tashiro is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Sukeyuki pulls his head out easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Tashiro looking to force a kimura from the bottom here. He's concentrating on that move too much though and Sukeyuki pushes past his half guard into mount!
Tashiro is mounted but he's throwing punches.
Tashiro in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Tashiro tries to hold on but Sukeyuki postures up.

Sukeyuki looking to secure an arm triangle but Tashiro defends it well.
Tashiro wants to hold on but Sukeyuki pushes him away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tashiro flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Sukeyuki lands a big shot there that rocks Tashiro but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Tashiro flailing away with punches but nothing is landing.
Sukeyuki postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Tashiro looks a forlorn figure.
Tashiro trying desperately to get to his feet.
Sukeyuki dominating with strikes here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Sukeyuki is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Tashiro can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Tashiro wants to control but Sukeyuki is having none of it.
Tashiro trying desperately to get to his feet.
Tashiro looks gassed!
Tashiro is desperately trying to improve his position but Sukeyuki has a good base and remains in mount.
Sukeyuki working Tashiro over with strikes here.
The referee warns Tashiro that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
A nice elbow there by Sukeyuki .
Tashiro tries to lock up and control but Sukeyuki gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Sukeyuki looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Tashiro is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Tashiro is trying to stand.
Sukeyuki has his opponent pinned against the ropes, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Tashiro's face.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sukeyuki with good strikes from the mount here!
Sukeyuki takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro tries to lock up and control but Sukeyuki gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Sukeyuki trying to control but Tashiro is having none of it.
Tashiro is desperately trying to improve his position but Sukeyuki has a good base and remains in mount.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Tashiro throwing hammer fists to the chest of Sukeyuki . What's that going to do exactly?
Sukeyuki scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Sukeyuki can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Tashiro is looking to escape.
Sukeyuki blocks Tashiro's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Tashiro keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sukeyuki landing strikes, looking to finish!
Sukeyuki landing strikes, looking to finish!
Tashiro swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
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 Matsumae Sukeyuki will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Matsumae Sukeyuki 's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Sukeyuki 's jab looks to have found its range, popping Tashiro under the eye.
Tashiro is looking to clinch.
Tashiro pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Tashiro.
Tashiro misses with a takedown attempt - Sukeyuki sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Tashiro throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Tashiro tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in the close the distance. Sukeyuki manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Tashiro throws a sloppy head kick and Sukeyuki moves out of range easily.
Tashiro shoots for a takedown but Sukeyuki saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Sukeyuki cracks a nice hook into Tashiro's ribs.

Tashiro gets caught flat footed, as Sukeyuki shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Sukeyuki wanted to stand there but Tashiro had control of the position.

Tashiro throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Tashiro is breathing heavily.
Sukeyuki controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tashiro is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Sukeyuki 's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Sukeyuki looking to sit in guard and control but Tashiro gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
Tashiro has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Tashiro stops Sukeyuki from standing up.
Tashiro wants to control from the top but Sukeyuki keeps moving.
Sukeyuki tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Sukeyuki wants to get back to his feet but he's too absorbed in his own little project and Tashiro manages to pass to side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sukeyuki trying to control from the bottom.
Sukeyuki is looking to escape.
Tashiro prevents Sukeyuki from improving his position.
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. Tashiro connects with a nice short shot to Sukeyuki 's temple.
Tashiro trying to control from half guard but Sukeyuki is working away.
Tashiro sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Sukeyuki defending well though.
Sukeyuki is trying to stand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Sukeyuki 's head.
Tashiro not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Sukeyuki looks like he's trying to stand up.
Sukeyuki blocking the ground and pound attempt from Tashiro.
Tashiro sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Sukeyuki defending well though.
Matsumae Sukeyuki overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Sukeyuki is looking to improve his position.
Sukeyuki blocking the ground and pound attempt from Tashiro.
Tashiro throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Tashiro sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Sukeyuki defending well though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro wants to take a breather but Sukeyuki is having none of it.

Tashiro stands up out of the half guard.
Sukeyuki keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Matsumae Sukeyuki has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kazunari Tashiro.
A head kick misses from Tashiro.

Sukeyuki gets a clinch.
Still in the clinch, Sukeyuki scores with a nice short uppercut.

Tashiro lands a nice trip takedown into half guard.
Sukeyuki might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sukeyuki is trying to maintain the position but Tashiro is very close to passing his half guard.

Tashiro stands up from half guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sukeyuki showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Tashiro.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kazunari Tashiro showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Matsumae Sukeyuki 's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Sukeyuki closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Sukeyuki lands in his opponent's guard.
Sukeyuki throws a big right hand that misses.

Tashiro is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Sukeyuki trying to control the position from guard on top but Tashiro is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

Tashiro looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Sukeyuki accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

Tashiro working for a triangle but Sukeyuki defends it easily.
Sukeyuki throwing strikes but missing.
Tashiro takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tashiro bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Sukeyuki 's guard.
Tashiro has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Sukeyuki is proving hard to escape from.
Sukeyuki looking to hit a scissor sweep but Tashiro is one step ahead there.
Sukeyuki is working hard here to advance position.
Tashiro throwing strikes from guard but Sukeyuki blocks nicely.
Tashiro is fighting to break Sukeyuki 's control of his arms but Sukeyuki is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Sukeyuki avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Tashiro postures up in Sukeyuki 's guard and throws a big left but Sukeyuki blocks it.

Tashiro is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Tashiro throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

Sukeyuki is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Tashiro is aware though and is defending well.
Tashiro won't allow Sukeyuki to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro throws a big right hand that misses.
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.
Tashiro trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Tashiro trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Tashiro throws a big right hand that misses.
Tashiro won't allow Sukeyuki to get back to his feet.
Tashiro loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Sukeyuki wants to get back to his feet but Tashiro is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Tashiro throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Sukeyuki works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Sukeyuki utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tashiro postures up in Sukeyuki 's guard and throws a big left but Sukeyuki blocks it.
Tashiro postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

Tashiro stands up and waves to Sukeyuki to follow him.
Sukeyuki rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Tashiro moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Tashiro throws a nice head kick!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sukeyuki throws a looping overhand right but Tashiro ducks down to avoid it.
Sukeyuki moves out of range of the body kick from Tashiro.
Sukeyuki looks to throw the jab but Tashiro is out of range.
Kazunari Tashiro seems to be getting the better of the standup.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tashiro tries to clinch but Sukeyuki moves out of range.

Sukeyuki has managed to clinch.
Tashiro has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Sukeyuki is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Sukeyuki .

And that's the end of the fight!
Kazunari Tashiro comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Tashiro 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 28:29
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 28:29
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kazunari Tashiro!