PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Gabriel Stark (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Bruno Malfacine (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Malfacine comes into a darkened arena with his song building. His Own Fight Video kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Stark
vs
Malfacine

165 cm
24
144 lbs
10 - 4 - 0

165 cm
27
139 lbs
13 - 3 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Solid boxing
KO power

Powerful takedowns
Good kicks
Powerful

Black Hand Fight Gear & Laundry

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 2 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Gabriel Stark!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Bruno Malfacine!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Sosuke Kotani and Taro Takaoka.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A punch lands to the side of Malfacine 's head but he takes it in his stride.

Malfacine gets caught flat footed, as Stark shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Malfacine keeping moving, preventing Stark from controlling successfully.

Malfacine has his foot on Stark's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Stark works his way back into a safe position though.

Malfacine has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Stark can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Stark's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Malfacine escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Stark gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

Malfacine has an active guard here but Stark has managed to pass into half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Stark trying to control the pace.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark trying to control from half guard but Malfacine is working away.
Malfacine makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Malfacine.

Malfacine looking for a guillotine here but Stark defends easily.
Stark pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Malfacine is keeping the position for now.
Stark advances to half guard.

Malfacine looking for submissions off his back.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stark is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Stark is trying to control the action in half guard but Malfacine is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Malfacine is looking for a sweep. Stark is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

Malfacine actively working from the bottom here.
Malfacine manages to get to full guard.
Stark pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Malfacine is keeping the position for now.
Malfacine wants to sweep here but Stark controlling him for the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Stark trying to control but Malfacine is working from the bottom.
Stark won't allow Malfacine to get back to his feet.

Stark drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Stark jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Malfacine keeping full guard, as Stark tries to pass.
Malfacine is looking to stand up but Stark isn't so interested in that idea.
Stark slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Malfacine tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Malfacine is trying to control Stark's posture but Stark avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Stark is looking to take a break and control but Malfacine is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Malfacine tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Stark tries to move to mount but Malfacine blocks the move with his legs.
Stark is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Malfacine gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Stark wants to advance to full mount but Malfacine doesn't think that's going to happen and regains full guard instead.
Stark pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Malfacine is keeping the position for now.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Stark showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

Malfacine is looking for a triangle but Stark pushes his legs off easily.

Malfacine isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Stark stacks Malfacine on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Stark!
Malfacine struggling a bit here.
Stark is looking to take a break and control but Malfacine is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Malfacine can't do much from the bottom here.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Malfacine throws an elbow to the body but it doesn't land.
Malfacine wants to get back to his feet.

Stark tries for a kimura but Malfacine is defending well.
Malfacine prevents Stark from improving position.
Stark is looking to take a break and control but Malfacine is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Stark looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Malfacine is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Stark tries to move into full mount but can't pass Malfacine's legs.
Stark is working hard here to advance position.
Stark trying to control the position but Malfacine is working away.
Stark slips into full mount, dodging the strikes by Malfacine.
Malfacine is wriggling around trying to escape.
Stark tries to control but Malfacine wriggling away.
Malfacine tries to reverse the position but Stark maintains control.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Stark controlling from mount.
Stark tries to control but Malfacine wriggling away.
Stark is really struggling to control Malfacine but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Stark with some aggressive grappling here, looking for the finish.
Malfacine is trying to escape the mount.

Stark wants to finish this one by submission but Malfacine is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Stark.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Stark pushing the pace here, looking to move to his opponents back and work for a finish.
Stark wants to control the pace but Malfacine is squirming around nicely.
Malfacine gets back to half guard.
Malfacine trying to control from the bottom.
Stark prevents Malfacine from improving his position.
Malfacine is refusing to be controlled, as Stark sits in half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Stark is looking for a kimura but Malfacine is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Stark to get the leverage.
The referee calls for the fighters to work.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gabriel Stark dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Stark lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Stark looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Malfacine is fending him off so far but Stark persists. Nope, Malfacine circles away and we're back to standing.
Stark shoots in looking for a takedown but Malfacine manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Stark's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Stark throws a head kick that misses.
Malfacine fails with the takedown.
Gabriel Stark seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Stark scores with a nice right hand.
Malfacine tries to clinch but Stark is having none of it.
Stark throws a big shot that misses.
Malfacine tries to clinch there but Stark circles away.
Stark swings for the body but Malfacine moves out of range.
The fighters circling - Stark throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

Malfacine changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Stark looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Stark is looking for a sweep.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Stark can't do much from the bottom here.
Stark avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Malfacine.
Stark is looking for a sweep.

Malfacine wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Stark, who protects the arm well.
Stark is trying to get back to half guard. He's pushing on Malfacine's leg. He's managed it. Nice work.
Malfacine is trying to control. Stark wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Gabriel Stark overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Malfacine is pressing down on Stark's thigh, looking to free his foot. Stark is holding on for now.

Malfacine is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Stark sees it coming and defends easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Malfacine looks to score some points with some ground and pound.

Malfacine is trying to work for a kimura but Stark is defending well.

Malfacine looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Malfacine is breathing heavily.
Stark trying to control here.
Stark moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Stark working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Malfacine doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Malfacine manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Malfacine trying to control the position from guard on top but Stark is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Malfacine looking to pass the guard.
Stark trying to control the position.
Stark is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Malfacine is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Malfacine wants to pass the guard but Stark is keeping the position.
Stark is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

Stark is working for submissions here. He's thrown up his legs looking for a triangle but Malfacine frees his head nicely. Oh but Stark has switched to an armbar! Malfacine is tapping furiously! Lovely submission there!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:23 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Triangle Armbar). Gabriel Stark!
An out of breath Gabriel Stark thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.