PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Jake Giannacopulos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Shogun Tokugawa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Jake Giannacopulos has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Jake Giannacopulos seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Giannacopulos
vs
Tokugawa

175 cm
23
163 lbs
6 - 3 - 0

175 cm
25
159 lbs
4 - 4 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

ATTICUS BLACK

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 6 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Jake Giannacopulos!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Shogun Tokugawa!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Yamamoto, Kenichi Hosakawa and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Tokugawa gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Giannacopulos to score an easy takedown into full guard.

Giannacopulos decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Giannacopulos misses with a hook to the body

and Tokugawa counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Tokugawa trying to control but Giannacopulos is working from the bottom.
Tokugawa wants to stand but Giannacopulos is controlling his posture from full guard.
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!

Giannacopulos isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Tokugawa stacks Giannacopulos 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 Tokugawa!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Tokugawa tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Giannacopulos pushes Tokugawa away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Tokugawa gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Giannacopulos manages to get one leg in to regain half guard.
Tokugawa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Giannacopulos keeps working.
Giannacopulos on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Giannacopulos tries to get out of the position.
Giannacopulos looks like he's trying to stand up.

Giannacopulos is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Tokugawa pulls his head out easily.

Giannacopulos actively working from the bottom here.
Tokugawa is pressing down on Giannacopulos's thigh, looking to free his foot. Giannacopulos is holding on for now.
Giannacopulos is looking to get back to is feet but Tokugawa passes into side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Giannacopulos is looking for a sweep.
Giannacopulos avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Tokugawa.
Tokugawa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Giannacopulos keeps working.

Tokugawa thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Giannacopulos is looking to reverse the position.

Tokugawa decides to stand back up.
Tokugawa doesn't manage to clinch there - Giannacopulos circles away.
A looping hook to the body misses from Giannacopulos. Tokugawa does a little dance to reset his feet.
Giannacopulos looks for a takedown but Tokugawa sprawls well.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tokugawa avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Tokugawa is pressed up against the cage. Giannacopulos has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Tokugawa down to the mat. Tokugawa avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Tokugawa fails with a takedown attempt.
Tokugawa uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Giannacopulos.
Giannacopulos tries to clinch there but Tokugawa circles away.
Tokugawa tries to close the distance and clinch but Giannacopulos swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Giannacopulos throws a leg kick but Tokugawa moved away.
Giannacopulos misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Tokugawa.
Giannacopulos throws out a leg kick but Tokugawa moves out of range and Giannacopulos only half commits.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Giannacopulos manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Tokugawa on his heels. He'll look to pass Tokugawa's guard now, I'm sure.
Tokugawa manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Giannacopulos manages to get himself to full guard.
Tokugawa works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Giannacopulos wants to get back to his feet.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Tokugawa passes the guard and advances to mount!
Giannacopulos wants to control but Tokugawa is having none of it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Shogun Tokugawa will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Tokugawa tries to clinch but Giannacopulos moves out of range.
Giannacopulos darts in trying to clinch

and Tokugawa counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Tokugawa.
Tokugawa wants to break free but Giannacopulos has control.

Tokugawa jumps guard.

Giannacopulos stands and steps away. Tokugawa gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.

Giannacopulos closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Tokugawa to the mat! Tokugawa manages to get full guard.
Giannacopulos pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Tokugawa is keeping the position for now.
Tokugawa controls Giannacopulos momentarily but Giannacopulos frees himself.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Giannacopulos gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Giannacopulos takes a swing at Tokugawa's ribcage but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tokugawa tries to clinch up but Giannacopulos circles away and keeps his distance.
Giannacopulos throws a leg kick but Tokugawa checks it.
Giannacopulos looks for a takedown but Tokugawa sprawls well.
Giannacopulos moves away from the strike by Tokugawa.
Some bone on bone action there as Tokugawa checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
The fight stays on the outside here - Tokugawa looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Giannacopulos blocks a head kick by Tokugawa.
Giannacopulos throws a sloppy body shot

and Tokugawa counters into the clinch. Nicely done.

Tokugawa gets control of Giannacopulos's arms and successfully pulls guard. Tokugawa will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.
Jake Giannacopulos overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Tokugawa striking off his back but it's not causing Giannacopulos any problems.
Tokugawa working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Giannacopulos.
Giannacopulos connects with a couple of short punches.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Giannacopulos trying to stand up but can't free himself from Tokugawa's guard.
Giannacopulos has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Giannacopulos stands up out of Tokugawa's guard for a moment - Tokugawa manages to land a nice upkick.
Tokugawa is trying to keep Giannacopulos in close.
Tokugawa keeping moving, preventing Giannacopulos from controlling successfully.
Giannacopulos wants to stand but Tokugawa has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tokugawa keeping moving, preventing Giannacopulos from controlling successfully.

Jake Giannacopulos has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Giannacopulos swats away the attempt to clinch by Tokugawa.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tokugawa throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Giannacopulos shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Tokugawa defends it nicely.
Giannacopulos looks to score with a jab to the body but Tokugawa is just out of range.
Tokugawa uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Giannacopulos.
Tokugawa fails with an attempt to clinch.
Giannacopulos misses the shot to the body.
Tokugawa lands with a slapping head kick.
Giannacopulos attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Giannacopulos ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Tokugawa moves away.
Tokugawa tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Giannacopulos swivels and escapes.
Giannacopulos misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Tokugawa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Giannacopulos fails with an attempt to clinch.

Giannacopulos closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Tokugawa quickly recovers to half guard.
Tokugawa moves into full guard.
Tokugawa wants to sweep here but Giannacopulos controlling him for the moment.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Tokugawa looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.

Giannacopulos decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Tokugawa wants to clinch up but Giannacopulos keeps it at a distance.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

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

Giannacopulos gets to his feet - Tokugawa follows without any prompting.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Giannacopulos swings away with a leg kick that misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jake Giannacopulos dominated that second round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Giannacopulos misses with a two punch combination.
Giannacopulos misses with a body shot.
Jake Giannacopulos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Giannacopulos keeps the fight on the outside.
The fight stays on the outside here - Giannacopulos looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Giannacopulos tried to score with a low kick but Tokugawa checks it.
Nice takedown defense from Tokugawa. No joy for Giannacopulos on that attempt.
Jake Giannacopulos is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A swing and a miss from Tokugawa.
Tokugawa throws a sloppy head kick and Giannacopulos moves out of range easily.
Giannacopulos finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
A leg kick checked by Tokugawa.
Giannacopulos fails with a takedown attempt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Giannacopulos will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Giannacopulos throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Tokugawa checks the leg kick.
Giannacopulos tried to score with a low kick but Tokugawa checks it.
Giannacopulos shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Tokugawa as he jumps to the side.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jake Giannacopulos. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Tokugawa looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Giannacopulos is fending him off so far but Tokugawa persists. Nope, Giannacopulos circles away and we're back to standing.
Giannacopulos misses with a wild body shot.
Giannacopulos circles away from the clinch attempt.
Giannacopulos throws a body punch but Tokugawa moves out of range.
Tokugawa misses with a double jab.
Tokugawa wants to slow Giannacopulos down by chopping away at his legs.
Giannacopulos swings for the body but Tokugawa moves out of range.
Nice sprawl there from Tokugawa as Giannacopulos shoots in.
Giannacopulos throws a leg kick but Tokugawa sees it coming and checks it nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tokugawa looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Giannacopulos shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Tokugawa throws a head kick that misses.
Giannacopulos is looking to wear down Tokugawa with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Tokugawa tries to clinch but Giannacopulos is having none of it.
Horrible takedown by Giannacopulos or perhaps it was just good defense by Tokugawa which made him look bad.
Tokugawa wants to clinch up but Giannacopulos keeps it at a distance.
Tokugawa looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Giannacopulos is fending him off so far but Tokugawa persists. Nope, Giannacopulos circles away and we're back to standing.
Giannacopulos throws a leg kick that is checked

and Tokugawa counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Tokugawa.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Giannacopulos has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Tokugawa has passed into side control.
Giannacopulos knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Tokugawa on the ground.
Giannacopulos is trying to get back to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Tokugawa thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Giannacopulos is working hard to escape and get back to his feet. After a battle for position, Tokugawa asserts his dominance and retains side control.
Tokugawa lands some shots froms side control.
Giannacopulos pushes Tokugawa away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Tokugawa gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Giannacopulos tries to improve position but can't.

Tokugawa tries for a kimura but Giannacopulos is defending well.
Giannacopulos is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tokugawa wants to lay and pray for a moment but Giannacopulos keeps working.
Giannacopulos is pushing Tokugawa's head away, looking to escape. Tokugawa manages to hold on to the position though.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Giannacopulos tries to wriggle free to get back to his feet but he's given up his back! Oops.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Shogun Tokugawa.
I think Tokugawa has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 29:28
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 28:29
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a draw!