PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Akiyo Nishiura (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matthew Kurose (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Nishiura
vs
Kurose

172 cm
22
153 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

176 cm
20
145 lbs
4 - 2 - 1

BJJ Purple Belt
Good kicks
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter striker
Solid chin

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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Akiyo Nishiura!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Matthew Kurose!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Hirohito Nitta and Yuuki Gou.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kurose takes a head kick and keeps coming.
A punch combination from Kurose misses.
Nishiura cracks a nice hook into Kurose's ribs.
Nishiura throws a body punch but Kurose moves out of range.
Nishiura swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Nishiura misses with a head kick.
Nishiura fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Kurose looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Nishiura checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Kurose connects with a high kick.
Kurose throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Kurose throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kurose avoids the head kick by Nishiura.
Nishiura swings for the body but Kurose moves out of range.
Nishiura fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Kurose on the side of the head.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kurose blocks a head kick by Nishiura.
Kurose scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nishiura throws a lazy head kick
and Kurose counters with a left to the body.
Kurose looks for the body kick but Nishiura saw that one coming.
Kurose misses with a takedown attempt - Nishiura sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Nishiura with a nice cross.
Kurose takes a head kick and keeps coming.
Nishiura scores with a body shot.
Kurose lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Nishiura thuds his right hand into Kurose's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
An inside leg kick lands from Nishiura.
Nishiura looks to throw a body kick

and Kurose counters with a nice double leg into side control. Nishiura won't be happy with that.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Nishiura is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Kurose looks gassed!
Nishiura controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura is trying to stand up here but Kurose is controlling him well.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Kurose seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Nishiura does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Kurose wants to free his trapped foot but Nishiura is holding on for dear life with his legs.

Nishiura manages to escape and get back to his feet!
Nishiura takes a swing at Kurose's ribcage but misses.
Kurose throws a series of punches but Nishiura moves out of range.
Nishiura is looking to wear down Kurose with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Both fighters circling a little - Nishiura finishes the exchange with a kick to the body.
Nishiura tests Kurose's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Kurose checks a low kick from Nishiura.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura looks to score with a jab to the body but Kurose is just out of range.
Kurose takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Kurose shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Nishiura as he avoids it easily.
Nishiura throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Kurose counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Kurose throws a sloppy head kick
and Nishiura counters with a head kick.
Nishiura fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A lazy body kick from Nishiura
and Kurose counters with a three punch combo that has Nishiura backing up. Nishiura nods at Kurose to acknowledge the strikes.
Kurose avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kurose lands with a kick to the ribs.
Kurose lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Kurose swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Nishiura.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nishiura misses with a telegraphed body shot
enabling Kurose to counter with a crisp jab.
Kurose blocks a head kick by Nishiura.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura misses with a body kick.
Kurose throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Nishiura's waist but Nishiura gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Kurose off to one side.
Akiyo Nishiura has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matthew Kurose.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses
and Kurose makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Akiyo Nishiura seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Jab from Kurose.
Kurose throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Nishiura lands with a shot to the body.
Nishiura ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kurose moves away.
Kurose looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Kurose scores with a head kick.
Nishiura throws a right and a left that both miss.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kurose avoids the head kick by Nishiura.
Kurose comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Kurose takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Akiyo Nishiura will probably get the nod.
That's time! Nishiura's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Kurose tries a head kick but it misses.
Kurose misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Nishiura.
A head kick by Nishiura misses
and Kurose counters with a thumping low kick.
Nishiura takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kurose throws a sloppy head kick and Nishiura moves out of range easily.
Nishiura fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Kurose checks it well.
A leg kick checked by Kurose.
Nishiura misses with a body punch

and Kurose counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Nishiura wants to stand and escape but Kurose is having none of it.
Nishiura pulls Kurose in close to his closed guard and prevents Kurose from doing any damage or advancing position.
Kurose working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Nishiura's head.
Nishiura trying to keep a closed guard but Kurose is proving a slippery customer.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Nishiura wants to stand and escape but Kurose is having none of it.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kurose passes into half guard.
Kurose seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Nishiura does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Nishiura is trying to stand up here but Kurose is controlling him well.
Kurose thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
A lazy left from Nishiura finds it's target.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Nishiura lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Kurose has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Kurose and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Kurose shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Nishiura misses with a jab, cross combination.

Kurose shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in full mount! That's better than Kurose was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Kurose wants to control the pace but Nishiura is squirming around nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Kurose misses with a series of strikes from mount. He'll no doubt be working on his ground and pound when he gets back to the gym.
Kurose tries to control but Nishiura wriggling away.
Nishiura is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Kurose looking to control but Nishiura is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Nishiura regains half guard.
Nishiura controlling the leg, holding on to half guard.
Nishiura is looking to get back to is feet but Kurose passes into side control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura tries to escape but Kurose is in control.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Nishiura throws his opponent off and manages to get back to his feet! Nicely done!
Kurose lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Kurose tries to check the leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Nishiura lands a head kick!
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses.
Nishiura tries a head kick but it misses.
Akiyo Nishiura is winning the standup battle so far.
Nishiura throws a lazy head kick
and Kurose counters with a right hand to the body.
Nishiura throws a nice inside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kurose throws a head kick that misses
and Nishiura counters with a slapping leg kick.
Nishiura lands a head kick. Kurose smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Nishiura digs a good body shot into Kurose's ribs.
Nishiura lands a high kick!
A choreographed right hand from Nishiura misses the target.
Nishiura misses with a wild body shot.
Kurose walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Nishiura tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Nishiura bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nishiura throws a sloppy head kick and Kurose moves out of range easily.
Kurose uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Nishiura.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Akiyo Nishiura will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Kurose throws a leg kick
and Nishiura counters with a head kick.
Nishiura scores with a kick to the midsection.
Kurose misses with an uppercut. Nishiura saw that one coming.
Donk. Nishiura catches Kurose right on the button with a cross.
Kurose on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Nishiura scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

Kurose is rocked!
Kurose moves away from the strike by Nishiura.
Kurose throws a body punch but Nishiura moves out of range.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses
and Kurose counters with a good low kick that Nishiura was not able to check.
Nishiura pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Nishiura pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kurose tries to clinch but Nishiura is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kurose throws a nice outside leg kick.
Nishiura throws a hook but Kurose blocks it.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nishiura lands a lovely overhand right.
Nishiura scores with a kick to the midsection.
Kurose swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Nishiura connects with a solid leg kick.
Kurose throws a head kick that misses
and Nishiura counters with a body kick.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Kurose thows a leg kick but Nishiura checks it
and Nishiura counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Nishiura swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Kurose counters with a thumping low kick.
Kurose misses with a head kick.
Nishiura throws a lazy head kick
and Kurose counters with a head kick. That will keep Nishiura thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kurose scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Nishiura checks a leg kick nicely.
Nishiura falls off balance throwing a combination
and Kurose makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kurose fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Nishiura is out of range.
A head kick by Nishiura misses
and Kurose counters with a lovely straight right hand!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kurose lands a with a good body shot.
A good leg kick by Nishiura.
Nishiura misses with a hook to the body
and Kurose counters with a nice uppercut.
Nishiura misses with a wild body shot.
Kurose throws a left and a right that both miss
and Nishiura counters with a head kick. That will keep Kurose thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Nishiura misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Kurose counters with an outside leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Good exchange - Kurose coming out on top.
A combination from Kurose does no damage.
No joy there for Kurose, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kurose tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Nishiura swivels and escapes.
A combination from Kurose does no damage.
Kurose checks a low kick from Nishiura.
Nishiura misses with a straight right.
Nishiura throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Nishiura throws a lazy head kick
and Kurose counters with a body kick that stops Nishiura in his tracks momentarily.
Kurose tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Nishiura paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nishiura takes a swing at Kurose's ribcage but misses.
Nishiura swings for the body but Kurose moves out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nishiura swings for the body but Kurose moves out of range.
Nishiura misses with a shot to the body
and Kurose counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Kurose with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Nishiura to score with a decent uppercut.
Nishiura takes a swing at Kurose's ribcage but misses.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses

and Kurose counters with a nice double leg into side control. Nishiura won't be happy with that.
Kurose working the body and head with strikes.
Kurose is looking to take a break and control but Nishiura is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Nishiura wants to control but Kurose postures up.

Nishiura sneaks out the side door and pushes Kurose away - he's back to his feet. The crowd show their appreciation for the escape.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kurose scores with a jab to the body.
Nishiura throws a head kick that misses
and Kurose counters with a left to the body.
Matthew Kurose has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kurose fails with an attempt to clinch.

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 Akiyo Nishiura.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Nishiura, 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 30:27
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 30:28
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by split decision... Akiyo Nishiura!