PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Yusuke Nakamura (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Taito Tijuri (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nakamura kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Oy, to ne vecher. The crowd seem to be enjoying Tijuri's choice of entrance music: Cloud Age. Taito Tijuri is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Nakamura
vs
Tijuri

173 cm
19
145 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

157 cm
19
134 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

Good wrestling
Brawler
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Determined

Brand New Life

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Yusuke Nakamura!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Taito Tijuri!
The judges for this bout are Hirohito Nitta, Taro Takaoka and Shigeki Sano.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tijuri takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Nakamura scores with the left hand. Tijuri knows he should have avoided that one.

Nakamura shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.

Nakamura wants to finish this one by submission but Tijuri is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Nakamura.
Nakamura content just to control the position here.
Tijuri slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Tijuri is looking to control Nakamura's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Tijuri avoid being mounted?
Tijuri moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Tijuri is trying to control the position but Nakamura postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Tijuri is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Nakamura defends well.
Nakamura cracks Tijuri with a solid left hand.
Tijuri keeping full guard, as Nakamura tries to pass.
Nakamura postures up in Tijuri's guard and throws a big left but Tijuri blocks it.
Nakamura is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Nakamura landing with the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Tijuri being controlled here, momentarily.
Nakamura working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Nakamura passes into half guard.
Nakamura seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Tijuri is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Nakamura working Tijuri over with strikes.
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.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Nakamura wants to lay and pray for a moment but Tijuri keeps working.
Nakamura keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Nakamura working Tijuri over with strikes.
Nakamura is controlling the pace.
Nakamura is stalling here. Tijuri is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Nakamura seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Tijuri has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Nakamura is looking to regain half guard here but Tijuri keeps moving and retains side control.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura is working hard here to advance position.
Tijuri laying and praying for a moment but Nakamura takes advantage and regains half guard.
Tijuri is just content to waste time from the top position. Nakamura takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Nakamura lands a beautiful switch and he's in full mount! That could spell trouble for Tijuri!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tijuri tries to hold on but Nakamura pushes him away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yusuke Nakamura dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Nakamura misses with a jab, cross combination.
Tijuri wants to clinch.
Tijuri checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Tijuri moves in looking to clinch but Nakamura pushes him off.
Tijuri fails with an attempt to clinch.

Tijuri looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Nakamura!
Tijuri tries to control but Nakamura wriggling away.
Tijuri is trying to stand up but he's being controlled by his opponent.
Nakamura is squirming around, avoiding Tijuri's attempts to control the action.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nakamura tries to lock up and control but Tijuri gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Nakamura is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Nakamura is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Nakamura regains half guard.
Nakamura is trying to stand back up but Tijuri is controlling him

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura gets full guard.
Tijuri trying to control but Nakamura is working from the bottom.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Nakamura working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Tijuri.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tijuri is pushing down on Nakamura's leg trying to pass to half guard. Nakamura is fighting to maintain full guard but Tijuri has managed to sneak the leg through.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Tijuri seems to be trying to get a kimura but instead Nakamura has recovered full guard.
Nakamura looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Tijuri postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Nakamura lands an upkick as Tijuri stands over him.
Nakamura is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura has his hands on Tijuri's head, controlling the position.
Nakamura is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Nakamura missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ground and pound from Nakamura.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nakamura prevents Tijuri from improving his position.
Nakamura is thwarting Tijuri's attempts to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Yusuke Nakamura will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

No luck with that takedown attempt from Nakamura.
Tijuri shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Nakamura tries to score a power double leg takedown but Tijuri sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Nakamura somewhat.
Tijuri shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Nakamura sprawls well. Nakamura wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Tijuri gets slowly back to his feet.
Nakamura takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Nakamura shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Tijuri as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yusuke Nakamura. That's going to take a lot out of him.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Tijuri enables Nakamura to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Tijuri manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Nakamura trying to control but Tijuri is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nakamura looking to pass the guard.
Tijuri trying to control the position.
Nakamura wants to control from the top but Tijuri keeps moving.
Nakamura has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Nakamura connects with a couple of short punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Tijuri working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Nakamura doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Nakamura manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Tijuri preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Tijuri controls Nakamura momentarily but Nakamura frees himself.
Nakamura prevents Tijuri from getting back to his feet.
Nakamura working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Nakamura working some strikes from top position.
Nakamura working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Tijuri trying to keep a closed guard but Nakamura is proving a slippery customer.
Tijuri takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Nakamura throwing strikes from guard but Tijuri blocks nicely.
Nakamura scoring with punches to the head and body.
Yusuke Nakamura overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Tijuri wants to get back to his feet but Nakamura is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Nakamura engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Yusuke Nakamura is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakamura seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Tijuri for as long as he can get away with.

Yusuke Nakamura has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Tijuri looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Taito Tijuri has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nakamura cracks Tijuri with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Yusuke Nakamura seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Tijuri walks into a jab.

And that's the end of the fight!
Yusuke Nakamura showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Nakamura has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:27
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yusuke Nakamura!
Our winner, Yusuke Nakamura, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.