PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Takanori Sakurai (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yuanjia Huo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sakurai comes to the cage accompanied by number girl syndrome. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Sakurai
vs
Huo

176 cm
18
149 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

170 cm
22
150 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Takanori Sakurai !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Yuanjia Huo!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Hirohito Nitta and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sakurai fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Yuanjia Huo seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Huo tries a head kick but it misses.
Sakurai changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Huo tries to avoid it but Sakurai manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Huo to the ground. Huo escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Huo tries to close the distance and clinch up but Sakurai swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Huo closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Sakurai to the mat! Sakurai manages to get full guard.

Sakurai looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Sakurai wants to sweep but no luck.

Sakurai is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Sakurai will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Sakurai is looking for a triangle but Huo pushes his legs off easily.
Sakurai is breathing heavily.
Sakurai working a defensive guard here.
Huo wanted to stand there but Sakurai had control of the position.

Sakurai is looking for a triangle here but Huo uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Sakurai tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Huo wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Sakurai tries to strike but it doesn't land.
Sakurai tries to bench press Huo off him but Huo keeps the position.

Huo decides to stand up, so the ref orders Sakurai to his feet.
A head kick from Huo lands but Sakurai takes it in his stride.

Huo has managed to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Huo escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Huo closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Huo lands in his opponent's guard.

Huo decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Sakurai , up you get!
Sakurai tries for a takedown but Huo circles away easily
and Huo counters with an outside leg kick.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Takanori Sakurai . That's going to take a lot out of him.
Huo moves in looking to clinch but Sakurai pushes him off.
Sakurai misses with a takedown attempt

and Huo counters with a nice double leg into side control. Sakurai won't be happy with that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakurai tries to improve position but can't.
Sakurai manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!

Sakurai gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
Sakurai gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Huo counters with a flying knee. Nice.
A combination from Huo does no damage.

Sakurai closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Sakurai lands in his opponent's guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for leaving it all in the cage!

Huo pushes Sakurai off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yuanjia Huo dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Nice sprawl there from Sakurai as Huo shoots in.
Sakurai lands a high kick!

Huo is rocked!
Huo stuffs the takedown attempt from Sakurai . Sakurai gets slowly back to his feet.
Huo is still on wobbly legs! Can Sakurai finish him?
Sakurai fails with a takedown attempt.
Huo seems to have recovered his senses.
Huo misses with a takedown attempt

and Sakurai decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Huo's guard.
Sakurai stands up over Huo, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sakurai stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Huo swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakurai postures up in Huo's guard and throws a big left but Huo blocks it.
Huo keeping full guard, as Sakurai tries to pass.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sakurai trying to stand up but can't free himself from Huo's guard.
Sakurai stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Huo swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Sakurai sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Huo's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Sakurai moves into full mount! Huo won't be happy about that!

Sakurai is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Huo has managed to escape the submission attempt.
Sakurai pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Sakurai postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Huo looks a forlorn figure.
Huo taking shots to the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakurai moves to take his opponent's back.
Sakurai misses with punches from the back.

Sakurai working for the choke.

Sakurai has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.

Huo showing good submission defense here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Huo is trying to stand back up.

Huo manages to stand up with Sakurai still on his back. Eventually Sakurai drops to his feet and we're back in the standing position.
Takanori Sakurai is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Huo lands with a nice combination. Sakurai backs away looking to recover.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sakurai doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Huo counters with a three punch combo that has Sakurai backing up. Sakurai nods at Huo to acknowledge the strikes.
Sakurai fails with the takedown
and Huo counters with a nice leg kick.
Sakurai misses with a takedown

and Huo counters by clinching up.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Takanori Sakurai . That's going to take a lot out of him.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Huo lands a hook that snaps the head of Sakurai backwards.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sakurai tries for a takedown but Huo manages to get underhooks.
Huo misses with a knee strike.
Huo is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.

Sakurai breaks the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Huo shoots in for a double leg but Sakurai sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Sakurai tries for a takedown but Huo sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.

Sakurai shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Huo's guard.
Sakurai wants to control from the top but Huo keeps moving.
Sakurai is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Huo is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Sakurai pushing down on Huo's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Sakurai thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Sakurai has hold of the far side arm. He's working for the Kimura, can Huo defend it? Sakurai steps over the head and cranks it - Huo is tapping out! That was textbook stuff right there - nice submission victory for Sakurai !

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:08 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Takanori Sakurai !