PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kazuzki Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Manny Sakubaba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sakubaba has a niggling injury. He would have liked to come in 100% fit but that's not always possible. There are an array of beautiful celebrities at ringside tonight! I wonder if any of them paid for their tickets.

Sakuraba
vs
Sakubaba

187 cm
22
212 lbs
0 - 3 - 0

185 cm
20
195 lbs
0 - 3 - 0

Good takedowns
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazuzki Sakuraba!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Manny Sakubaba!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Yuuki Gou and Kenichi Hosakawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Sakuraba closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Sakubaba to the mat! Sakubaba manages to get full guard.
Sakubaba looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Sakuraba distracts Sakubaba with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Sakuraba lands a couple of elbows.
Sakuraba missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sakuraba with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Sakuraba passes Sakubaba's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Sakuraba seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Sakuraba working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Sakubaba is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots.
Sakuraba is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Sakubaba has hold of Sakuraba's hands but Sakuraba slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Sakuraba has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Sakuraba wants to pass to mount but Sakubaba is defending the position.
Sakubaba tries to kick Sakuraba off but Sakuraba keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Sakubaba has hold of Sakuraba's hands but Sakuraba slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuraba works his way into full mount!
Sakuraba working Sakubaba over with strikes here.
Sakuraba landing punches.
Sakuraba postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Sakubaba looks a forlorn figure.
Sakuraba lands a big elbow.
Sakuraba working away from the top, dropping strikes.
The referee warns Sakubaba that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Sakuraba lands with some strikes.
Sakuraba is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Sakubaba can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
Sakuraba working the ground and pound effectively.
Sakuraba is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Sakubaba can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba raining down shots from the mount!
Sakuraba working Sakubaba over with strikes here.
Sakuraba with good strikes from the mount here!
Sakubaba in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Sakubaba squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
BOOM! Sakuraba connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Sakuraba with a couple of short strikes.
Sakuraba unloading with bombs!
Sakuraba pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
BOOM! Sakuraba connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Sakuraba in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Sakuraba with the ground and pound from mount.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakubaba'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.
Sakuraba has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Sakubaba's face.
You get the feeling that Sakubaba really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Sakuraba fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Sakuraba fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Sakuraba connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Sakuraba has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Sakubaba's face.
Sakubaba is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sakuraba lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Sakubaba squirming around on the bottom, looking to escape.
Sakuraba lands a heavy elbow.
Sakuraba is landing with some decent strikes but Sakubaba is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of good head shots there.
Sakuraba is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Sakubaba takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Sakuraba landing strikes, looking to finish!
Sakuraba lands with some strikes.
Sakubaba wants to get back to his feet.
Sakuraba lands with some strikes.
Sakuraba lands a big elbow.
Sakuraba with shots to the head and body - Sakubaba looks very uncomfortable down there.
A nice elbow there by Sakuraba.
Sakuraba connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Sakuraba working Sakubaba over with strikes here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sakubaba misses with an attempted mid kick.

Sakuraba looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Sakubaba!
Sakuraba lands a heavy elbow.
Sakuraba landing strikes from the mount.
Sakuraba working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sakuraba landing strikes from the mount and Sakubaba is in trouble!
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Sakuraba cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Sakuraba is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Sakubaba in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Sakuraba fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Sakubaba is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Sakuraba lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Sakubaba hang on?
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes but Sakubaba is staying in there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuraba with the ground and pound from mount.
Sakuraba landing strikes from the mount.
Sakuraba working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sakuraba landing strikes, looking to finish!
Sakuraba lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Sakubaba is really trying hard to get back to his feet.
Sakuraba cracks Sakubaba with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Sakubaba is trying to stand up.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes but Sakubaba is staying in there.
Sakubaba trying desperately to get to his feet.
Sakuraba unloading with bombs!
Sakubaba is really trying hard to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Sakuraba is landing with some decent strikes but Sakubaba is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Sakubaba is trying to get back to his feet but can't.
Sakuraba dominating with strikes here.
Sakuraba with the ground and pound from mount.
Sakubaba tries to buck Sakuraba off but he can't manage it.
Sakuraba lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Sakubaba is bucking up trying to escape but Sakuraba cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Sakuraba is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Sakuraba scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Sakubaba?
Sakuraba punishing his opponent with strikes.
Sakuraba postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Sakubaba looks a forlorn figure.
Sakuraba is in the full mount, landing strikes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba lands a nice shot to the head.
Sakubaba is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Sakuraba working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sakubaba'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.
A nice elbow there by Sakuraba.
Sakuraba in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Sakuraba lands with some strikes.
Sakuraba putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Sakubaba'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.
Sakubaba in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.

That's four 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.
Sakuraba with good strikes from the mount here!
Sakuraba working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Sakubaba really wants to buck Sakuraba off and get back to his feet.
Sakuraba is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Sakubaba can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
A nice elbow there by Sakuraba.

Sakubaba bucks Sakuraba off and manages to get back to his feet!

Sakuraba shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Sakuraba showed some decent athleticism there.
Sakuraba throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Sakuraba lands a nice short elbow.
Sakuraba takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Sakubaba blocking the ground and pound attempt from Sakuraba.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kazuzki Sakuraba dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Sakuraba looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sakubaba is fending him off so far but Sakuraba persists. Nope, Sakubaba circles away and we're back to standing.

Sakuraba changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Sakubaba looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
Sakuraba scores with punches from side control.
Sakuraba lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Sakuraba working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Sakubaba is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Sakuraba scoring with punches from side control.
Sakubaba pushes Sakuraba away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Sakuraba gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Sakuraba works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Sakuraba in side control lands a decent elbow.
Sakuraba landing a few strikes.
Sakuraba lands a nice forearm strike.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakubaba is trying to get back to his feet.
Sakubaba takes a couple of big shots there - the referee warns him that he has to defend himself better.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Sakubaba to see if he's OK.
Sakuraba lands a nice forearm strike.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Sakubaba to see if he's OK.
Sakubaba is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Sakuraba is controlling him well.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Sakubaba to see if he's OK.
Sakuraba is putting a hurting on Sakubaba here, landing some big shots from side control.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Sakuraba landing a few strikes.
Sakubaba is trying to stand back up. He's worked his way up against the cage but Sakuraba has just dragged him back down to the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Sakuraba in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Sakubaba takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
Sakuraba lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Sakubaba takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.

Sakubaba throws Sakuraba to one side and escapes!
Sakuraba shoots in and drives through. Sakubaba sprawls well.
Sakuraba shoots for a takedown but Sakubaba saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kazuzki Sakuraba. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sakuraba changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Sakubaba tries to avoid it but Sakuraba manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Sakubaba to the ground. Sakubaba escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.

Sakuraba closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Sakuraba slips a nice elbow through Sakubaba's hands, connecting with Sakubaba's forehead.
Sakuraba prevents Sakubaba from standing back up.
Sakuraba is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sakuraba connects with a nice short shot to Sakubaba's temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Sakubaba wants to get back to his feet.
Sakubaba on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Sakuraba sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Sakubaba defending well though.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Sakubaba misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Sakuraba.
Sakubaba avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Sakuraba.
Sakuraba in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Sakuraba connects with a decent looking elbow from side control that caused Sakubaba some visible discomfort.
Sakubaba wants to get back to his feet but Sakuraba drags him back down.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Sakubaba!
Sakuraba lands a nice shot to the head.
Sakuraba landing punches.
Sakuraba with shots to the head and body - Sakubaba looks very uncomfortable down there.
Sakubaba wants to try and get back to his feet.
Sakuraba cracks Sakubaba with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Sakubaba'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.
Sakuraba with good strikes from the mount here!
Sakuraba won't let Sakubaba get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Sakuraba unloading with bombs!
Manny Sakubaba has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Sakubaba is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kazuzki Sakuraba showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Sakuraba, 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 Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:27
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kazuzki Sakuraba!