PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Zatoichi Johnson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Debaditya Pal (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Johnson
vs
Pal

170 cm
20
175 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
18
176 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Zatoichi Johnson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Debaditya Pal!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Fujiwara, Shirou Masuda and Yukihiro Shimada.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Pal looks to clinch
and Johnson counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Pal pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Johnson back to the cage. Pal follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Pal closes the distance looking to clinch
and Johnson counters with a straight right hand.
Pal fails with an attempt to clinch.
Pal moves to clinch but Johnson breaks away

and Johnson counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Johnson.
Johnson takes an elbow to the forehead.

It looks like Zatoichi Johnson has been cut.
Pal misses with a knee to the head.
Johnson blocks an elbow strike.
Pal lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Pal being controlled against the cage.
Johnson wants a takedown.
Pal scores with a shoulder strike.
Pal misses with a knee strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pal throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Johnson blocks it with crossed arms.
Pal is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Pal stops a takedown attempt from Johnson.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zatoichi Johnson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pal tries to land a knee to the head but Johnson blocks with his arms.
Pal has Johnson pressed against the cage, preventing Johnson from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Pal with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Pal landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Pal landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Pal pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Pal landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Pal takes a shot to the head.

Johnson jumps guard.
Johnson is breathing heavily.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Johnson has his feet on Pal's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Pal wants to clinch but Johnson slips to the side

and Johnson counters by clinching up.
Johnson has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Pal lands a nice elbow from the clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A knee to the head by Pal.
Johnson avoiding damage as Pal throws knees to the body.
Johnson takes a knee to the side of the body.
Pal tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Pal keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Johnson's efforts to push away.
Pal lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Johnson is working for takedown but Pal is calmly controlling the position for now.
Johnson taking a breather.
Pal creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Johnson's defenses.
Pal tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Pal landing knees to the head.
Johnson jumps guard but Pal turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Pal gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A knee to the head by Pal.
Johnson jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Pal walks away with a smile on his face. Johnson gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Pal tries to clinch there but Johnson circles away.
Pal swats away the attempt to clinch by Johnson.
Pal fails with an attempt to clinch.
Pal doesn't manage to clinch there - Johnson circles away.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Pal.
Pal wants to clinch
and Johnson counters with a three punch combo that has Pal backing up. Pal nods at Johnson to acknowledge the strikes.
Pal moves in looking to clinch but Johnson pushes him off.
Pal tries to clinch but Johnson is having none of it.
Debaditya Pal seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Pal tries to clinch up
letting Johnson counter with a right hand.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson swats away the attempt to clinch by Pal.
Johnson could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Pal darts in trying to clinch
and Johnson counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Pal closes the distance but Johnson moves to the side
and Johnson counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Johnson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Johnson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Pal wants to clinch
and Johnson counters with a lovely straight right hand!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Johnson avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Pal tries to clinch but Johnson moves out of range.
Pal fails in his attempt to clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Debaditya Pal dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Zatoichi Johnson's cut.
That's time! Johnson's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Johnson darts in and clinches Pal up against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Pal.
A frustrated look appears on Johnson's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Pal scores with a knee to the head.
Pal gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Johnson stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Pal trying to land knees to the body.
Johnson working hard to break the clinch.
Pal landing knees to the head.
Johnson tries to break the clinch but Pal is controlling the position.
Pal lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Johnson dodges an elbow strike from Pal.
Johnson is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Pal to keep the fight standing.
Pal working Johnson over with knees to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Pal landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pal unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Pal lands a nice elbow.
Pal throws a knee to the head but misses.
A hook to the body from Pal.
Pal scores with a knee to the head.
Pal lands a hook that snaps the head of Johnson backwards.
Pal creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Johnson's defenses.
Pal tries a knee to the head but Johnson blocks it.
Debaditya Pal seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Pal lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Pal lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Pal creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Johnson's defenses.
Johnson misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Pal tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Johnson avoids it.
Pal lands an elbow that stopped Johnson in his tracks for a moment.
Pal connects with a knee to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pal landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Pal tries to land a knee to the head but Johnson blocks with his arms.
Johnson tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Pal just stands there and leans against the cage.
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!
Pal keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Johnson's efforts to push away.
Pal tries to land knees in the clinch but Johnson avoids the damage to the body.
Johnson tries for a takedown but Pal manages to get underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zatoichi Johnson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Pal landing knees to the head.
Pal with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Pal lands a nice elbow.
Pal crunches a lovely knee into Johnson's ribcage.
Pal tries a body shot but Johnson blocks it.
Pal with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Johnson goes for a takedown in the clinch but Pal prevents it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pal lands a nice knee to the body.
Pal connects with a nasty looking knee right to Johnson's face.
Johnson tries to break free but Pal pushes him back against the cage.
Pal throws a knee to the head but misses.
Pal keeps control of Johnson as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Johnson managing to block the knees to the body from Pal.

Johnson pulls Pal into guard.
Pal trying to stand up but can't free himself from Johnson's guard.

Pal avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Johnson punching to the body, from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Johnson is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.
Johnson seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Pal taking some punishment here, with Johnson in his half guard.
Pal wants to get back to his feet.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Johnson in particular looking to stall.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Johnson is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
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!
Johnson controlling from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Debaditya Pal showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Zatoichi Johnson's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're 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.

Pal closes the distance but Johnson moves to the side

and Johnson counters by moving into the clinch.
Pal looking to throw knees to the head but Johnson is blocking nicely.
Johnson tries to score a body lock takedown but Pal shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Pal throws a knee to the head but misses.
Pal misses with a knee strike.
Pal creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Johnson's defenses.
Pal lands a good knee to the midsection. Johnson won't want to take too many of those.
Pal misses with a body punch.
Johnson holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Pal working Johnson over with knees to the body.
Pal with a knee to the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pal lands a good knee to the midsection. Johnson won't want to take too many of those.
Pal lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Johnson is trying to break free.
Johnson looking to stall.
Johnson blocks an uppercut.
Johnson trying to stall but Pal improves his position.
A knee to the head by Pal.
The referee is keeping an eye on Johnson - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Johnson tries to pull guard but Pal forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Pal lands an elbow that stopped Johnson in his tracks for a moment.
Johnson is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Pal pulls him back up using the underhooks.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Zatoichi Johnson. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A knee to the head by Pal.
Pal landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Johnson takes an elbow to the temple.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pal unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Pal lands an elbow just above Johnson 's eye.
Pal crunches a lovely knee into Johnson's ribcage.
Pal working Johnson over with knees to the body.
Pal lands a damaging elbow.
Pal throws a knee to the head but misses.
Pal prevents a body shot from Johnson.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Pal lands an elbow just above Johnson 's eye.
Pal scores with a knee to the head.
Johnson tries to pull guard but Pal holds him up against the cage and eventually Johnson drops back down to his feet.
Pal creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Johnson has Pal pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Pal manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Pal is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pal landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Johnson wants to get back to striking at distance but Pal won't allow it.
Pal landing knees to the body.
Johnson stalling against the cage.
Pal gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Pal with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Johnson wants a takedown.
Pal lands an elbow inside.
Pal tries to land knees in the clinch but Johnson avoids the damage to the body.
Johnson working hard to break the clinch.
A short right from Pal.
Pal misses with an elbow over the top.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pal gets underhooks to prevent Johnson's takedown attempt.
Pal lands an elbow inside.
Pal fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Pal connects with a nasty looking knee right to Johnson's face.
Pal prevents Johnson from breaking the clinch.

Johnson jumps guard and drags Pal to the mat. He's obviously going to be looking for submissions off his back.
Pal wants to get up but he can't break Johnson's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Pal wants to stand and escape but instead Johnson has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Johnson's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Debaditya Pal is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
This has been an exciting period of action!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Johnson advances position into side control!
Zatoichi Johnson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Pal wants to escape from the position here - easier said than done!

And that's the end of the fight!
Debaditya Pal comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Pal winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Fujiwara scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Debaditya Pal!
Debaditya Pal was full of energy after the big win and talked about how he thinks he can do big things in this sport. The crowd were appreciative of his determination to succeed.