PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Taj al Din (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kurokawa Kenji (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). al Din comes into the arena with قنب هندي blaring out of the sound system. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

al Din
vs
Kenji

187 cm
29
216 lbs
30 - 5 - 0

175 cm
30
203 lbs
28 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Conviction
Convicted Trap House

Brute
KAISER

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the light heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 30 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Taj al Din!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 28 - 9 - 0, fighting out of London, Kurokawa Kenji!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A slow jab from al Din misses its intended target.
Kenji throws a leg kick

and al Din counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Kenji doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
al Din misses with a hook from the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kenji.
Kenji throws a head punch that misses.
Kenji throws a head punch that misses.
al Din lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.

al Din breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
al Din displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Kenji throws out the jab.

al Din moves into range and clinches up with Kenji.
al Din misses with a hook from the clinch.
A head punch on the inside from Kenji fails to land.
Kenji misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
al Din tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
al Din with an attempt at a knee that misses.
al Din jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Kenji walks away with a smile on his face. al Din gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Kenji 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 al Din has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from al Din and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Kenji dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on al Din. That did some damage!
Kenji keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
al Din jabs Kenji right on the nose. Kenji blinks but takes it well.
al Din pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
A swing and a miss from Kenji.
Kurokawa Kenji seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
al Din pivots, looking for a leg kick but Kenji is out of range and al Din settles back down.
al Din misses with a kick to the body.
al Din looks to land a left hand but Kenji moved out of range nicely.
al Din moves away from the strike by Kenji.
A cross from Kenji lands.
Kenji looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kenji takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
al Din tries to clinch up.
al Din throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A head kick misses from al Din.
Kenji lands a jab to the head.
Kenji pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Kenji throws out a leg kick but al Din moves out of range and Kenji only half commits.
al Din misses with a body shot
and Kenji makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kenji shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
al Din slips under a jab.
Kenji feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to al Din's calf.
al Din thows a body shot but no joy.
Kenji tries to land a leg kick but al Din saw it coming and moves away.
al Din throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Kenji takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Kenji throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenji looks to land a left hand but al Din moved out of range nicely.
Kenji feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to al Din's calf.
al Din pivots, looking for a leg kick but Kenji is out of range and al Din settles back down.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kenji.
Kenji throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
al Din avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
al Din on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Kenji. Kenji obviously looking to wear him down.
al Din bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Kenji's head.
al Din wants to slow Kenji down by chopping away at his legs.
Jab by Kenji.
Kenji tries to work over al Din's front leg with a kick but al Din checks it.
Kenji finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
al Din feints and then cracks Kenji's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Kenji down.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kenji scores with a hook.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
al Din blocks a leg kick.
Kenji connects with the punch.
Kenji throws a hook but al Din blocks it.
al Din moves out of range of the leg kick from Kenji.
al Din keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kenji.
al Din lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Kenji tries a head kick but it misses.
al Din with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Kenji to score with a decent uppercut.
al Din scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Kenji throws a hook to the side of al Din's head but al Din sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Kenji defending well as al Din loads up on a big left hand.
A nice inside leg kick there by Kenji. That's going to slow al Din down.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Good work by Kenji as he checks the leg kick.
Nice body kick from al Din.
Kenji scores with a shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Kurokawa Kenji will probably get the nod.
That's time! al Din's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Kenji throws a right hand that misses
and al Din counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Kurokawa Kenji seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kenji misses the jab.
Kenji misses with an uppercut.
Kenji attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
al Din takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Kenji misses with a hook to the body
and al Din counters with a body kick that stops Kenji in his tracks momentarily.
Kenji's jab looks to have found its range, popping al Din under the eye.
The fighters circling - al Din throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Kenji fakes a jab and throws a low kick but al Din checks it well.
al Din slips a straight right by Kenji.
al Din moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Kenji cracks the inside of al Din's front leg.
Kenji throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
al Din is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A shot to the liver by Kenji. Beautiful body shot.
al Din has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Kenji.

That's one minute gone in the round.
al Din moves out of range of the strikes.
Kenji fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but al Din is out of range.
Kenji scores with a nice body kick.
al Din tries to clinch there but Kenji circles away.
al Din misses with a body shot.
al Din throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Kenji keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
al Din is looking to wear down Kenji with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
al Din chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Kenji can pounce on him.
Kenji scores with a leg kick.
A jab lands there for Kenji.
al Din avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kenji throws the left hand but al Din avoids the punch easily.
Kenji takes a swing at al Din's ribcage but misses.
Kenji connects with a body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kenji throws a lazy right hand but al Din sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Kenji dodges the punch combination from al Din.
A punch lands to the side of al Din 's head but he takes it in his stride.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kenji throws out a loose jab but al Din uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kenji misses with an uppercut.
Kenji throws a leg kick that is checked
and al Din connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.

It looks like Kurokawa Kenji has been cut.
Kenji will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Kenji misses with a low kick as al Din jumps back.
Kenji connects with a body shot.
al Din lands a leg kick that knocks Kenji off balance momentarily.
Kenji misses with a lunging right hand
and Kenji takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
al Din throws a wild body kick that Kenji sees coming a mile off.
Kenji is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by al Din.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
al Din swings for the body but Kenji moves out of range.
al Din scores with a leg kick.
Kenji is looking to chop away at al Din's legs.
Kenji looks to throw the jab but al Din is out of range.
Kenji lands a straight punch to the body, keeping al Din at a distance.
Kenji tried to score with a low kick but al Din checks it.
Kenji throws a leg kick that misses.
Kenji connects with a crisp jab.
Kenji throws a solid leg kick but al Din takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Kenji.
Kenji throws out a loose jab but al Din uses good head movement to avoid it.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Kenji walks into a stiff left hand from al Din.
al Din drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

al Din moves into the clinch.
Kenji lands on the inside with an uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from al Din.
al Din tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
al Din working hard to break the clinch.
A knee to the head by Kenji.
al Din lands a hook that snaps the head of Kenji backwards.
Kenji misses with a shot to the kidneys.
al Din blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
al Din looking to throw knees to the head but Kenji is blocking nicely.
A head punch on the inside from Kenji fails to land.
al Din tries to throw a body punch but Kenji avoids it by throwing al Din back against the cage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kurokawa Kenji showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Kurokawa Kenji's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Kenji throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
An inside leg kick from Kenji misses.
Kenji throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Kenji will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Kenji misses with a low kick.
al Din moves out of range of the strikes.
A bone on bone clash there as al Din blocks the leg kick.
Kenji tries a head kick but it misses.
Kenji misses with a wild body shot.
al Din avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
al Din takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Kenji chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before al Din can pounce on him.
Kenji swings widly with a right hand
and al Din counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
al Din throws a one two combo.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kenji misses with a leg kick
and al Din counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.

al Din closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.
Kenji takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
al Din lands with a short punch from the clinch.
al Din pushes Kenji back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
al Din blocks an uppercut.
Kenji misses with a punch on the inside.
al Din blocks an uppercut.
Knees in the clinch landing for al Din.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, al Din creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Kenji tries to work over al Din's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
al Din tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Kenji smiles and moves away.
al Din lands with an uppercut that bounces Kenji off the cage and back into range.

That has opened up Kurokawa Kenji's cut even more.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kenji throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
al Din misses the shot to the body.
al Din tries to clinch but Kenji moves out of range.
Kenji is looking to slow al Din down with leg kicks.
Kenji slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Kenji misses with a hook. al Din ducked under it nicely.
al Din staying out of range there.
Kenji with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
al Din takes one to the side of the head.

al Din clinches up with Kenji and pushes him back against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kenji.
Kenji pushes al Din back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenji lands an uppercut.
A frustrated look appears on al Din's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Kenji can't find room to land a body shot as al Din controls the action.
Kenji misses with a knee strike.
A short body shot lands from al Din as the two fighters clinch.
Kenji misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kenji working aggressively here.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Kenji creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.

al Din gets control of Kenji's arms and successfully pulls guard. al Din will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Kenji being controlled here momentarily.
al Din is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

al Din working away from the bottom but not quite defensive enough there because Kenji has passed into half guard!

Kenji decides to stand up.
Nice jab there from Kenji.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kenji tests al Din's chin there with a solid looking shot.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Kenji.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but Taj al Din did the better work so I'd imagine he'll take it.
The cut man is working on Kurokawa Kenji's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Kenji fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt al Din.
Kenji throws a big shot that misses.
Kenji scoring well with a low kick there.
al Din misses with a body kick.
al Din just misses with a punch to the body.
Kenji checks the leg kick.
Kenji fakes high and swings low for a body shot but al Din manages to avoid it.
al Din lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
al Din uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kenji.
Kenji throws a good cross that connects.
al Din moves out of range of the body kick from Kenji.
Kenji drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
al Din avoids the body shot from Kenji.
A leg kick checked by al Din.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kenji feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits al Dins jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Kenji throws a leg kick
and al Din counters with a nice uppercut.
Kenji throws a big shot that misses.
Kenji swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Some wild striking there from al Din.
Kenji shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
al Din slips a jab from Kenji.
Kenji lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Kenji misses with a body shot.
al Din throws a wild body kick that Kenji sees coming a mile off.
Kenji dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on al Din. That did some damage!
Kenji throws a leg kick but al Din checks it.
Kenji finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kenji tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but al Din was well out of range. Poor timing from Kenji.
Kenji uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from al Din.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from al Din, right into the meat.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kenji connects with a body shot that sends al Din's belly button to the back.
al Din misses with a wild body shot.
al Din keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kenji.
Kenji misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Left hook, right uppercut from al Din.
Kenji connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Kenji throws a head kick that misses
and al Din counters with a leg kick.
Kenji is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
al Din looks for the body kick but Kenji saw that one coming.
Kenji thumps al Din with a low kick.
al Din just misses with a punch to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenji throws a leg kick which misses al Din's front leg but catches the back leg as al Din tries to avoid it.
al Din misses the shot to the body.
al Din keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
al Din walks into a stiff left hand from Kenji.
Kenji pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Kenji misses with a looping left.
al Din pulls out of a head kick attempt.
al Din dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
al Din blocks a head kick by Kenji.
al Din scores with a nice right hand.
Kenji tries to work over al Din's front leg with a kick but al Din checks it.
Kenji attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Kenji misses with a body shot
and al Din counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
al Din looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kenji scores with a decent looking hook.
Kenji lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kenji misses with a looping right.
al Din throws a body kick that misses.
al Din slips under a jab.
al Din is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
al Din misses with a hook.
Kenji missing with a left hand there. al Din was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Kenji cracks a nice hook into al Din's ribs.
al Din cracks Kenji with an open hand slap.
Kenji walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. al Din checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
al Din ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kenji moves away.
al Din keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
al Din changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from al Din.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Kurokawa Kenji will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Kurokawa Kenji's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Kenji scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

al Din closes the distance and clinches.
al Din fails to pull guard.

al Din gets control of Kenji's arms and successfully pulls guard. al Din will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Kenji gets to his feet. al Din looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
al Din staying out of range there.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from al Din. Kenji shrugs it off though.
Kenji thows a body shot but no joy.
al Din thows a body shot but no joy.
Kenji throws a shot from downtown. al Din moves away and avoids it.
Kenji digs a good body shot into al Din's ribs.
al Din connects with a solid leg kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
al Din uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kenji.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kenji ducks down and throws a hook to the body but al Din moves away.
al Din takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Kenji misses with a body shot
and al Din counters with a nice body kick.
Kenji is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Kenji swings away with a leg kick that misses.
al Din throws a nice outside leg kick.
A big right from Kenji misses.
al Din throws a body kick that misses.
Kenji tries to work over al Din's front leg with a kick but al Din checks it.
Kenji misses with a right hand
enabling al Din to counter with a crisp jab.
Kenji takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Kenji misses with a hook. al Din ducked under it nicely.
al Din lands with an uppercut that bounces Kenji off the cage and back into range.
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!

al Din clinches up with Kenji and pushes him back against the cage.
Taj al Din has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kenji swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Kenji swings away with an uppercut that misses.
al Din unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Kenji misses with a punch on the inside.
Kenji tried to land a shot to the body but connects with al Din's elbow.
al Din connects with a knee to the head.
al Din misses with a punch to the body.
al Din throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Kenji blocks it with crossed arms.
al Din misses with a hook to the ribs.
al Din struggles to land a body shot inside as Kenji controls his hands.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kenji misses with some punches.
Kenji working aggressively here.
Taj al Din has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Kenji lands a shot to the body.
Kenji working aggressively here.
Kenji using the Thai plumb to throw knees but al Din has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
al Din tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
al Din blocks an uppercut.

al Din breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
al Din fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kenji lands with a hook. al Din tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Some wild striking there from Kenji.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
al Din wants to clinch up but Kenji keeps it at a distance.
Kenji looks to throw the jab but al Din is out of range.
al Din steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kenji.
al Din tries to clinch there but Kenji circles away.
Kenji has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from al Din.
al Din defending well as Kenji loads up on a big left hand.
A telegraphed right hand from al Din misses the target.
Kenji connects with a good right hand that stumbles al Din. al Din circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
al Din takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Kenji throws a head kick that misses.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
al Din fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kenji.
Kenji throws an ugly left hook that misses
and al Din counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

The cut above Kurokawa Kenji's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Kenji staying out of range there.

And that's the end of the fight!
Taj al Din showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Kenji 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 48:48
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 46:49
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 47:49

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Kurokawa Kenji!
Kurokawa Kenji is the new light heavyweight champion!
A victorious Kurokawa Kenji thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.