PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Takashi Katsumoto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Lance St Pierre (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). St Pierre has chosen 16 FEVER as his entrance music. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Katsumoto
vs
St Pierre

170 cm
26
175 lbs
15 - 5 - 0

181 cm
30
185 lbs
28 - 8 - 2

Good wrestling
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Convicted Trap House
Conviction

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 15 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Takashi Katsumoto!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 28 - 8 - 2, fighting out of Los Angeles, Lance St Pierre!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, Elvis Blanc and Yves DeLean.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
St Pierre takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Jab by St Pierre.
St Pierre digs a good hook to Katsumoto's body.
Katsumoto misses the shot to the body.
St Pierre fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
St Pierre lands with a nice combination. Katsumoto backs away looking to recover.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
St Pierre keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Katsumoto misses with an uppercut. St Pierre saw that one coming.
Katsumoto misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
St Pierre closes the distance and clinches up with Katsumoto, looking for a takedown. St Pierre pushes Katsumoto against the cage but Katsumoto circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
A head kick misses from Katsumoto.
St Pierre on the wrong end of a nice jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St Pierre connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
St Pierre is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Katsumoto.
Good work by St Pierre as he checks the leg kick.
St Pierre fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Takashi Katsumoto has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Lance St Pierre.
St Pierre swings for the body but Katsumoto moves out of range.
Katsumoto throws a leg kick
and Katsumoto takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Katsumoto connects with a high kick.
Takashi Katsumoto seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Katsumoto avoids a punch combination nicely.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
St Pierre fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Katsumoto has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.

Katsumoto instigates a clinch.
Katsumoto tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and St Pierre avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Katsumoto creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
St Pierre makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
St Pierre lands an elbow just above Katsumoto 's eye.
Nice body punch from St Pierre - that landed with a thud.
Katsumoto tries to land knees in the clinch but St Pierre avoids the damage to the body.
With the fighters up against the cage, Katsumoto throws an elbow but misses.
Katsumoto looking to throw knees to the head but St Pierre is blocking nicely.
St Pierre gets through Katsumoto's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Katsumoto landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
St Pierre avoids a wild elbow strike from Katsumoto.

Katsumoto breaks the clinch.
Katsumoto fakes high and swings low for a body shot but St Pierre manages to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Katsumoto counters with a body kick that brings a smile to the face of both fighters.
St Pierre misses with a jab to the body
enabling Katsumoto to counter with a crisp jab.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses.
Nice straight punches there by Katsumoto. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Katsumoto.
Katsumoto loads up on a big right hand but St Pierre slips the punch.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that St Pierre semi-blocks.
Katsumoto throws an uppercut from half a mile away. St Pierre sees it coming and avoids it easily.
St Pierre moves forwards but Katsumoto connects with a nice, crisp jab.
St Pierre shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Katsumoto defends it nicely.
St Pierre lands a head shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Katsumoto tries a head kick but it misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre checks the leg kick nicely there.
St Pierre scores with a jab to the body.
St Pierre misses with a low kick.
St Pierre with a poor takedown
and Katsumoto counters with a slapping leg kick.
Katsumoto steps to the side to avoid the strikes from St Pierre.
St Pierre throws a leg kick that misses.
Katsumoto feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to St Pierre's calf.
Katsumoto buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
St Pierre throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Katsumoto takes a kick to the side of the head.

Katsumoto takes the fight into the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Katsumoto.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Katsumoto throws a head kick but St Pierre moves out of range.
St Pierre blocks a head kick by Katsumoto.
St Pierre throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Takashi Katsumoto is winning the standup battle so far.
Katsumoto misses with a low kick as St Pierre jumps back.
Katsumoto fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but St Pierre is out of range.

Katsumoto gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Katsumoto looking for a sweep. Not yet Katsumoto, not yet.
St Pierre slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
St Pierre landing strikes.
Katsumoto is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Katsumoto has hold of St Pierre's hands but St Pierre slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
St Pierre prevents Katsumoto from improving his position.
Katsumoto is working hard here to advance position.
St Pierre tries to pass to full mount but Katsumoto defends it.
Katsumoto tries to get to full guard but St Pierre has control of the leg.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
St Pierre working over Katsumoto with some ground and pound. Katsumoto looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Katsumoto is trying to get back to full guard.
St Pierre is nestled in close to Katsumoto, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Katsumoto keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre tries to pass the half guard into mount. Katsumoto knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Katsumoto is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Katsumoto keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
St Pierre is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
St Pierre tries to pass to full mount but Katsumoto defends it.
Katsumoto misses with some strikes from the bottom.
Katsumoto might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Katsumoto is staying active underneath St Pierre, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Katsumoto moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Katsumoto trying to keep a closed guard but St Pierre is proving a slippery customer.
St Pierre slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Katsumoto manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Katsumoto is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
St Pierre wants to lay and pray for a moment but Katsumoto keeps working.
St Pierre moves into full mount! Katsumoto won't be happy about that!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, St Pierre cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
St Pierre controlling the position easily from mount.
Katsumoto tries to lock up and control but St Pierre gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Katsumoto 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!
St Pierre can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Katsumoto is looking to escape.
Katsumoto sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Katsumoto taking some punishment here, with St Pierre in his half guard.
Katsumoto wants to get back to full guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
St Pierre winds up and cracks Katsumoto with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Katsumoto works his way to full guard. Good work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Lance St Pierre showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Katsumoto stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Katsumoto wants it to stay on the feet.
A punch combination from Katsumoto misses.
St Pierre tries to score with a low kick but Katsumoto moves his leg out of the way.
St Pierre looks to land a right hand but Katsumoto moved out of range.
St Pierre blocks a head kick by Katsumoto.
Katsumoto avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Katsumoto looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Katsumoto throws a body kick that misses.
Katsumoto avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
St Pierre fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Katsumoto is out of range.
Katsumoto pivots, looking for a leg kick but St Pierre is out of range and Katsumoto settles back down.
Katsumoto tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
St Pierre avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Katsumoto misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
St Pierre takes a swing at Katsumoto's ribcage but misses.
Katsumoto tries to score with a low kick but St Pierre moves his leg out of the way.
St Pierre misses the shot to the body.
St Pierre scores with a shot to the body.
St Pierre cracks Katsumoto with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
St Pierre smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Katsumoto takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
St Pierre avoids the head kick by Katsumoto.
Katsumoto throws a nice inside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre tries to clinch but Katsumoto moves out of range.
St Pierre fails with the takedown.
St Pierre misses with a two punch combination.
St Pierre has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
St Pierre misses with a looping left.
Katsumoto wants to slow St Pierre down by chopping away at his legs.
Katsumoto is looking to score with low kicks.
St Pierre takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Katsumoto tries a head kick but it misses.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses.
Katsumoto lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
St Pierre bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Katsumoto's head backwards.
Katsumoto paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
St Pierre tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
St Pierre paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
St Pierre 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.
Katsumoto tries a head kick but it misses.
Katsumoto thuds his shin into the meat of St Pierre's side.
St Pierre's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Katsumoto connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! St Pierre scrambles back to his feet.
St Pierre lands with an uppercut that bounces Katsumoto off the cage and back into range.
Katsumoto throws a body punch but St Pierre moves out of range.
Katsumoto throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Katsumoto throws a quick head kick that skims the top of St Pierre's head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
St Pierre avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
St Pierre changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
St Pierre pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Katsumoto misses with a hook. St Pierre ducked under it nicely.
A chopping leg kick lands by Katsumoto.
Katsumoto throws a body kick that misses

and St Pierre decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Katsumoto's guard.
St Pierre stopping the sweep attempt from Katsumoto.
St Pierre with a flurry of punches that miss.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
St Pierre with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

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 Takashi Katsumoto.
I think Katsumoto has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Steve Smith scores the fight 29:29
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 29:29
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 29:28

The fight is ruled a majority draw!