PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between James Xavier (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Masaki Sumitani (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Masaki Sumitani is staring across the cage at his opponent, tweaking his nipples.

Xavier
vs
Sumitani

180 cm
22
207 lbs
8 - 1 - 0

185 cm
27
194 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Dangerous knees
Very quick

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, James Xavier!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Masaki Sumitani!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Shirou Masuda and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A decent looking cross lands there for Sumitani.
Sumitani scores with a leg kick.

Sumitani tries to keep at a distance but Xavier has taken the fight into the clinch.
Sumitani can't find room to land a body shot as Xavier controls the action.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Still in the clinch, Sumitani scores with a nice short uppercut.
Sumitani takes a knee to the side of the body.
Sumitani is trying to break the clinch but Xavier is controlling him.
Sumitani is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Xavier taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Sumitani misses with a punch to the body.
Xavier tries a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks it.
Sumitani wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Xavier has him pressed against the cage.
Sumitani tries to throw a body punch but Xavier avoids it by throwing Sumitani back against the cage.
Sumitani misses with a punch on the inside.
Xavier with a knee to the head.

It looks like Masaki Sumitani has been cut.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Xavier throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A bit of stalling here from Xavier.
Sumitani doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Xavier blocks a body shot from Sumitani.
Xavier misses with a knee strike.
Sumitani lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Xavier or not.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Sumitani.
Xavier tries a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks it.
Xavier blocking some punches.
Xavier missing with knees to the body.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Sumitani tries to break free but Xavier pushes him back against the cage.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Xavier lands a nice knee to the body.
Xavier lands a good knee to the midsection. Sumitani won't want to take too many of those.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sumitani struggles to land a body shot inside as Xavier controls his hands.
Xavier manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
A head punch on the inside from Sumitani fails to land.
Xavier keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Sumitani's efforts to push away.
Sumitani misses with a body punch.
Xavier lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Xavier landing knees to the body.
Sumitani takes a knee to the side of the body.
Sumitani looks gassed!
Xavier scores with a knee to the head.
Xavier landing some nice looking knees to the body.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Sumitani avoiding damage as Xavier throws knees to the body.
Xavier lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Xavier working Sumitani over with knees to the body.
Xavier with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Sumitani on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Sumitani is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Xavier misses with a knee to the head.
Xavier tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Xavier misses with a knee to the head.
Sumitani has a couple of punches blocked by Xavier.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Xavier with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Xavier is stalling here.
Xavier blocks a body shot from Sumitani.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xavier stalling.
Xavier landing knees to the body.
Sumitani can't find room to land a body shot as Xavier controls the action.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Sumitani misses with the head strike.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Xavier throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sumitani blocks it with crossed arms.
Xavier has Sumitani pressed against the cage.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Xavier misses with a knee strike.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Xavier takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Sumitani wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Xavier has him pressed against the cage.
Xavier with a knee to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Xavier dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Masaki Sumitani's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Sumitani tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Sumitani throws a series of punches but Xavier moves out of range.
Sumitani will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Sumitani shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Xavier as he avoids it easily.
Xavier takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Sumitani scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Xavier stuffs the takedown.
Sumitani shoots for a double leg takedown but Xavier sprawls well. He's pushed Sumitani's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
James Xavier has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Masaki Sumitani.

Xavier clinches.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Sumitani tries to throw a body punch but Xavier avoids it by throwing Sumitani back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Xavier throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sumitani blocks it with crossed arms.
Xavier misses with a knee to the head.
Xavier with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Xavier landing knees to the body.
Xavier blocks a body shot from Sumitani.
Sumitani has a couple of punches blocked by Xavier.
Sumitani wants to get back to striking at distance but Xavier won't allow it.
Xavier keeps control of Sumitani as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Come on Xavier - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Sumitani working aggressively here.
Xavier lands a nice knee to the body.
Sumitani is breathing heavily.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Xavier slowing the pace effectively.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
James Xavier has scored more points in the clinch so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Xavier throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sumitani blocks it with crossed arms.
Sumitani wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks with his arms.
Sumitani working hard to break the clinch.
Xavier tries to land knees in the clinch but Sumitani avoids the damage to the body.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks with his arms.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Sumitani takes a knee to the side of the body.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Xavier throws a knee to the head but misses.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Xavier obliges.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Sumitani tries to break the clinch but Xavier is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Xavier tries a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks it.
Sumitani is looking to break free of the clinch but Xavier has double underhooks.
Sumitani stalling in the clinch but Xavier improves position.
Xavier lands a nice knee to the body.
Sumitani wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Xavier has him pressed against the cage.
Sumitani misses with a punch on the inside.
Stalling in the clinch from Xavier.
Sumitani tries to break the clinch but Xavier is controlling the position.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sumitani wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Sumitani managing to block the knees to the body from Xavier.
Sumitani managing to block the knees to the body from Xavier.
Sumitani takes a knee to the side of the body.
Xavier working Sumitani over with knees to the body.
Xavier taking a breather.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xavier with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sumitani struggles to land a body shot inside as Xavier controls his hands.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sumitani on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Xavier putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Sumitani in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks with his arms.
Xavier misses with a knee strike.
Sumitani wants to break free but Xavier has control.
A head punch on the inside from Sumitani fails to land.
Xavier tries a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks it.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Xavier trying to land knees to the body.
Sumitani managing to block the knees to the body from Xavier.
Sumitani can't find room to land a body shot as Xavier controls the action.
Xavier prevents a body shot from Sumitani.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Xavier dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Masaki Sumitani's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Sumitani shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Xavier pinned against the cage. Xavier gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
A punch combination from Sumitani misses.
Nice defenses there by Xavier.
Xavier steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Sumitani.
Xavier slips under a jab from Sumitani.

Xavier darts in and clinches Sumitani up against the cage.
Sumitani lands a left hand.
Sumitani goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Xavier trying to land knees to the body.
Xavier connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sumitani's face.
Sumitani swings wildly with an uppercut but Xavier uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sumitani is trying to break the clinch but Xavier is controlling him.
Xavier unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Sumitani tries to break free but Xavier pushes him back against the cage.
Xavier is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Sumitani is defending well for now.
Sumitani looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Sumitani avoiding damage as Xavier throws knees to the body.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
A nice left hand lands by Sumitani.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Xavier controlling the action here for a moment.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Sumitani working hard to break the clinch.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Stalling in the clinch from Xavier.
Xavier throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sumitani blocks it with crossed arms.
Sumitani doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Sumitani misses with a punch to the body.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Xavier throws a knee to the head but misses.
Xavier is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Sumitani taking a breather.
Sumitani wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Xavier has him pressed against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Xavier misses with a knee to the head.
Sumitani misses with a punch to the body.
Sumitani managing to block the knees to the body from Xavier.
Xavier throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sumitani blocks it with crossed arms.
Sumitani tries to throw a body punch but Xavier avoids it by throwing Sumitani back against the cage.
Xavier misses with a knee to the head.
Sumitani is trying to maintain a safe position but Xavier gets an underhook and turns Sumitani into the cage.
A knee to the head by Xavier.
Sumitani is trying to break free.
Xavier keeps control of Sumitani as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Xavier unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sumitani lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Sumitani working aggressively here.
Sumitani tries to break free but Xavier pushes him back against the cage.
Sumitani struggles to land a body shot inside as Xavier controls his hands.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sumitani misses with a punch to the body.
Sumitani is trying to stall.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Xavier is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Xavier is struggling to control the position.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Xavier keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Sumitani's efforts to push away.
Xavier missing with knees to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Sumitani wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Xavier.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Xavier clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Masaki Sumitani's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Sumitani slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Sumitani.
Sumitani looks for a takedown but Xavier sprawls well.

Xavier takes the fight into the clinch.
Sumitani tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Xavier pressing his opponent against the cage.
Xavier blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Sumitani stalling in the clinch but Xavier improves position.
Sumitani avoiding damage as Xavier throws knees to the body.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sumitani throws a head punch that misses.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Xavier slowing the pace effectively.
Sumitani looking to slow down the pace here.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Xavier has Sumitani pressed against the cage.
Sumitani avoiding damage as Xavier throws knees to the body.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Xavier lands a good knee to the midsection. Sumitani won't want to take too many of those.

Sumitani breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Sumitani throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Sumitani shoots in and drives through. Xavier sprawls well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Xavier takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
A head kick misses from Sumitani.
Nice jab there from Sumitani.
Sumitani shoots and misses

and Xavier counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
James Xavier has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Masaki Sumitani.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sumitani wants to stall.
Xavier is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
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!
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Xavier blocks a body shot from Sumitani.
Xavier unloads a knee to the mid-section.

Sumitani pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sumitani looks to land a right hand but Xavier moved out of range.
Sumitani throws the left hand but Xavier avoids the punch easily.

Xavier clinches up with Sumitani and pushes him back against the cage.
Xavier landing knees to the body.
Xavier throws a knee to the head but misses.
Xavier connects with a knee to the head.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
A frustrated look appears on Sumitani's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Sumitani avoids it.
Nice body punch from Sumitani.
Sumitani is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Xavier content to slow the pace in the clinch.
Sumitani misses with a hook to the ribs.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Xavier connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sumitani's face.

That has opened up Masaki Sumitani's cut even more.
Xavier scores with a knee to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Xavier holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Sumitani misses with a hook from the clinch.
Xavier holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Sumitani tries to stall but Xavier uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Xavier lands a knee to the head.
Xavier displaying some good clinch control by pressing Sumitani up against the cage.
Xavier keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Sumitani's efforts to push away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

James Xavier had his way with Masaki Sumitani in that round.
The cut man is working on Masaki Sumitani's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Sumitani misses with a head kick.
Sumitani feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Xaviers jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Sumitani with a poor takedown

and Xavier holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Sumitani fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Sumitani is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Xavier is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Xavier scores a nice knee to the body.
Xavier missing with knees to the body.
Xavier with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Xavier with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Sumitani is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Sumitani letting Xavier take a breather here.
Xavier gets a warning from the ref for wasting time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sumitani tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sumitani is trying to force a seperation but Xavier has the dominant position.
Xavier landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Xavier obliges.
Xavier landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Xavier obliges.
Sumitani misses with a punch to the body.
Xavier with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Sumitani takes a knee right on the jaw!
Xavier lands a nice knee to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Xavier throws a knee to the head but misses.
Sumitani throws a head punch that misses.
Sumitani working hard to break the clinch.
Masaki Sumitani has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sumitani tries to break the clinch but Xavier is controlling the position.
Xavier unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sumitani lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Sumitani misses with some punches.
Sumitani is looking to break free of the clinch but Xavier has double underhooks.
Xavier lands a knee to the head.
Xavier with an attempt at a knee that misses.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Xavier with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Xavier is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Sumitani can do to turn this around?
Xavier tries a knee to the head but Sumitani blocks it.
Xavier is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Xavier landing knees to the head.
Xavier misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Sumitani.
Sumitani misses with a punch on the inside.
Xavier is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Xavier with an attempt at a knee that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sumitani working hard to break the clinch.
Xavier using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Sumitani has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Xavier blocks an uppercut.
Sumitani is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Sumitani struggles to land a body shot inside as Xavier controls his hands.
Sumitani tries to work over Xavier's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Xavier looking to throw knees to the head but Sumitani is blocking nicely.
Sumitani trying to control the position but instead, Xavier has worked for underhooks and has pushed Sumitani into the cage.
Sumitani is trying to break the clinch but Xavier has him pressed against the cage.
Xavier connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sumitani's face.
Sumitani fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Xavier tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sumitani takes a knee to the side of the body.
Knees in the clinch landing for Xavier.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Knees to the body from Xavier.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Xavier takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Xavier lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Xavier tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Sumitani avoids it.
Xavier misses with a knee strike.
Sumitani blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Xavier keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Sumitani's efforts to push away.
Sumitani swings away with an uppercut that misses.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sumitani tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Xavier's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Sumitani tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

And that's the end of the fight!
James Xavier showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Xavier, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 50:45
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 50:45
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... James Xavier!
James Xavier retains his light heavyweight title!
Our winner, James Xavier, 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.