PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Kiyoshi Matsumoto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Tanom Jaa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Matsumoto kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Carl Douglas - Kung fu fighting. Jaa is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Advanced Training! from the movie Kick Boxer!. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Matsumoto
vs
Jaa

178 cm
31
170 lbs
15 - 6 - 0

172 cm
29
155 lbs
18 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Powerful

-OVERDOSE Factory-

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Kiyoshi Matsumoto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 18 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tanom Jaa!
The judges for this bout are Damien Edna, Donatello Bradman and Summer Carpenter.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Jaa swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Matsumoto uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Jaa.
Matsumoto throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Jaa lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Matsumoto blocks the body kick.
Jaa tries a head kick but it misses.
Jaa walks into a left hand.
A lazy body kick from Jaa
and Matsumoto counters with a body kick.
Matsumoto lands a glancing blow to the side of Jaa's head.
Jaa walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Matsumoto scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Jaa feints and then cracks Matsumoto's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Matsumoto down.
Crunch! Jaa slams his shin into Matsumoto's torso.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Matsumoto scoring well with a low kick there.
Jaa ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Jaa misses with a body punch
and Matsumoto counters with a leg kick.
Matsumoto lands with a nice body punch.
Jaa keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Matsumoto.
Jaa misses with a wild body shot.
The crowd cheers as Matsumoto lands an impressive looking overhand right. Jaa doesn't seem phased though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jaa moves away from the strike by Matsumoto.
Jaa drops his hands momentarily and Matsumoto takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Jaa misses with a head kick.
Matsumoto paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Jaa is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Matsumoto scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Matsumoto lands a nice looking body shot.
Jaa defending well as Matsumoto loads up on a big left hand.
Matsumoto lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Jaa lands a nice looking body kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Matsumoto throws a looping overhand right but Jaa ducks down to avoid it.
Left hook, right uppercut from Matsumoto.
Jaa has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Matsumoto goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Jaa thows a left - swing and a miss!
Jaa connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Matsumoto works the jab nicely.
Jaa misses with a looping right.
Matsumoto misses with a wild combination.
Matsumoto lands with a nice body punch.
Nice cross by Matsumoto.
Matsumoto is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Matsumoto connects with a body shot that sends Jaa's belly button to the back.
Matsumoto avoids a kick to the body.
Matsumoto uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Jaa.
Jaa misses with a kick to the body.
Matsumoto connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Jaa throws a half hearted mid kick.
Matsumoto throws a predictable looking body shot
and Jaa counters with an inside leg kick.
Jaa takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Matsumoto tries for a takedown but Jaa sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Matsumoto tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Jaa was well out of range. Poor timing from Matsumoto.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jaa scores with a nice body kick.
Jaa throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Matsumoto takes a swing at Jaa's ribcage but misses.
Jaa waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Matsumoto.
Jaa tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Matsumoto manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Jaa tries to land a leg kick but Matsumoto saw it coming and moves away.
Jaa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Matsumoto misses the shot to the body.
Matsumoto keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A slapping body kick lands there for Jaa.
Matsumoto lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Jaa throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Matsumoto.
Matsumoto will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Matsumoto throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Jaa stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Jaa takes a kick to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Jaa lands with a kick to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jaa does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Jaa tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Matsumoto throws a quick inside leg kick.
Matsumoto checks a low kick from Jaa.
Jaa tries to clinch but Matsumoto is having none of it.
Jaa throws a body kick that misses.
Jaa showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Matsumoto.
Matsumoto thuds his right hand into Jaa's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Matsumoto walks forward, straight into a front kick from Jaa.
Matsumoto lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Matsumoto will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
A nice combination there by Jaa.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Jaa throws a nice head kick!
Matsumoto jabs Jaa right on the nose. Jaa blinks but takes it well.
Matsumoto circles away from the clinch attempt.
Jaa looks to land a right hand but Matsumoto moved out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kiyoshi Matsumoto dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Jaa tries to close the distance and clinch but Matsumoto swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Jaa thows a body shot but no joy.
Matsumoto walks into a jab.
Jaa misses with a body kick.
A low kick from Jaa misses
and Matsumoto counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Sloppy strikes from Matsumoto. Those never looked like landing.
Matsumoto darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Matsumoto fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Jaa looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Jaa misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Jaa throws the kick towards the body but Matsumoto avoids it.
Jaa tries a head kick but it misses.
Matsumoto stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Jaa.
Jaa wants to land a leg kick but Matsumoto is out of range.
A shot to the liver by Matsumoto. Beautiful body shot.
Matsumoto throws an overhand right that lands on Jaa's shoulder, as Jaa tries to avoid the shot.
Matsumoto works over Jaa's head and body with a nice combination.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Jaa throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matsumoto lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.

Jaa gets caught flat footed, as Matsumoto shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Matsumoto stopping the sweep attempt from Jaa.
Matsumoto loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Matsumoto stopping the sweep attempt from Jaa.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Jaa pulls Matsumoto in to control the position.
Matsumoto trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Jaa trying to keep a closed guard but Matsumoto is proving a slippery customer.
Jaa looking to sweep here. No luck so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jaa is trying to control the position but Matsumoto postures up.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Tanom Jaa hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Jaa misses with a body kick.
Jaa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

Matsumoto scores a takedown into full mount!
Jaa is breathing heavily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Matsumoto raining down hammerfists from mount.
Matsumoto dominating with strikes here.
Matsumoto is landing with some decent strikes but Jaa is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Matsumoto looking to control but Jaa is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Jaa is looking to improve his position but Matsumoto isn't that keen on the idea.
Matsumoto controlling his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matsumoto landing strikes, looking to finish!
Jaa is looking to improve his position but Matsumoto isn't that keen on the idea.
Jaa is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Matsumoto in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Kiyoshi Matsumoto overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
A nice elbow there by Matsumoto.
Matsumoto looking to control but Jaa is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Jaa is desperately trying to improve his position but Matsumoto has a good base and remains in mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jaa is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Jaa takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
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!
Matsumoto in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Jaa is squirming around, avoiding Matsumoto's attempts to control the action.

Matsumoto looking for a guillotine from mount but Jaa is having none of it.
Matsumoto scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Jaa?
Matsumoto prevents Jaa from getting the reversal.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Jaa tries to lock up and control but Matsumoto gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Jaa is wriggling around trying to escape.
Matsumoto lands a big elbow.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kiyoshi Matsumoto dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Jaa tries to land a front kick but Matsumoto steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Matsumoto gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Jaa.
Jaa with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Matsumoto scores with a punch to the head.
Matsumoto fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Jaa manages to avoid it.
Jaa goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Jaa misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Matsumoto.
Jaa gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Matsumoto.
Jaa blocks a jab.
Jaa throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Matsumoto lands a nice hook to Jaa's body. Jaa takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Matsumoto scores with a three punch combo!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Matsumoto lands with a thumping leg kick.
Matsumoto connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Jaa's hands.
Jaa scores with a sloppy right hand. Matsumoto should have avoided that one.
Nice uppercut there from Matsumoto.
Matsumoto looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Kiyoshi Matsumoto is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matsumoto stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Jaa.
Jaa takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Matsumoto throws a series of punches but Jaa moves out of range.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Jaa wants to clinch.
Matsumoto throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Matsumoto lands a jab-cross combination.
Jaa goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Jaa lands a two punch combo.
Jaa has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Matsumoto lands a leg kick that knocks Jaa off balance momentarily.
Matsumoto swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Matsumoto ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Jaa moves away.

Jaa shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Matsumoto manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Jaa pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Matsumoto is keeping the position for now.
Tanom Jaa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Jaa with a flurry of punches that miss.
Matsumoto avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Jaa throws an elbow that misses. Matsumoto uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Jaa's guard. Nice move by Matsumoto!
Jaa trying to control the position.

Matsumoto avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Matsumoto scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matsumoto advances position into side control!
Matsumoto tries to score with some ground and pound. Jaa controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Jaa is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Matsumoto off and has taken his back!
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Jaa misses with a punch to the head.
Jaa throwing strikes and Matsumoto squirms under the pressure, ending up mounted.
Matsumoto tries to reverse the position but Jaa maintains control.
Jaa thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Matsumoto avoids a series of strikes thrown by Jaa.
Matsumoto tries to hold on but Jaa postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Matsumoto in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Matsumoto is wriggling around trying to escape.
Jaa lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Matsumoto hang on?
This has been an exciting period of action!
Jaa sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Matsumoto is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Matsumoto avoids a series of strikes thrown by Jaa.
Jaa with good strikes from the mount here!
Jaa thowing shots but they're missing.
Jaa throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Matsumoto because Jaa loaded up on that one.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Jaa avoids the attempt from Matsumoto to control.
Jaa scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Matsumoto?

And that's the end of the fight!
Tanom Jaa comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Matsumoto 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 Damien Edna scores the fight 29:28
Judge Donatello Bradman scores the fight 29:28
Judge Summer Carpenter scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kiyoshi Matsumoto!
During a confident post fight interview, Kiyoshi Matsumoto thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.