PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Yoshihiro Imanari (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akira Toriyama (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Toriyama has chosen Three 6 Mafia - It's a Fight as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Imanari
vs
Toriyama

172 cm
28
165 lbs
14 - 6 - 0

173 cm
26
167 lbs
19 - 4 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
World class MT
Good gas tank

Milwaukee's Best 160 SALE $140

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 14 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Yoshihiro Imanari!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 19 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Akira Toriyama!
The judges for this bout are Viktor Lagutenko, Sergei Dronov and Aleksei Zolotukhin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Imanari shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Toriyama counters with a leg kick.
Toriyama attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.

Imanari gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Imanari displaying some good clinch control by pressing Toriyama up against the cage.
Toriyama throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Toriyama swings wildly with an uppercut but Imanari uses good head movement to avoid it.
Imanari lands a nice uppercut.
A short left from Imanari.
Toriyama is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The referee is keeping an eye on Imanari - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Toriyama blocks a body shot from Imanari.
Toriyama blocks a body shot from Imanari.

Imanari has Toriyama pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Imanari pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Toriyama tumbling to the mat - Imanari dives into Toriyama's guard.
Imanari is stalling in the full guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Imanari throws a big elbow that misses.

Toriyama looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Imanari is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Toriyama is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Imanari loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Imanari wants to pass the guard but Toriyama is keeping the position.

Toriyama is looking for a triangle here but Imanari uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
Imanari scores with a couple of short elbows.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Toriyama tries to buck Imanari off but Imanari is having none of it.
Imanari wants to lay and pray for a moment but Toriyama keeps working.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Toriyama is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Imanari throws a strike aimed at the side of Toriyama's head but Toriyama avoids it well.
Toriyama parries the strikes from Imanari easily there. Imanari is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Toriyama to escape.
Toriyama takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Toriyama throws a couple of strikes even though he's not really in a good position to do so.
Imanari controls the position from side control.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Imanari in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yoshihiro Imanari dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Imanari has closed the distance and engaged Toriyama in a clinch.
Toriyama has a couple of punches blocked by Imanari.
Toriyama misses with a punch to the body.
Toriyama blocking some punches.
Toriyama swings wildly with an uppercut but Imanari uses good head movement to avoid it.
Toriyama lands with a short shot to the head.
Imanari trying to stall but Toriyama improves his position.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Toriyama is trying to slow the pace down but that's a couple of times in a row that he's tried to get underhooks and Imanari has denied him.
Imanari stalling in the clinch.
Toriyama lands a damaging elbow.

It looks like Yoshihiro Imanari has been cut.
Toriyama manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Imanari takes an elbow to the forehead.
With the fighters up against the cage, Toriyama throws an elbow but misses.
Imanari is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Imanari lands a hook that snaps the head of Toriyama backwards.
Imanari misses with a knee to the head.
Toriyama lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Toriyama doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Imanari misses with a punch on the inside.
Toriyama lands a damaging elbow.
Toriyama throws a head punch that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Toriyama stalling in the clinch but Imanari improves position.
Toriyama working aggressively here.
Toriyama misses with a body punch.
Toriyama is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Toriyama lands an uppercut.
Imanari trying to control the position but instead, Toriyama has worked for underhooks and has pushed Imanari into the cage.
Imanari tries to work over Toriyama's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Imanari blocks the elbow strike.
Imanari blocks an uppercut.
Imanari is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Imanari lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Imanari lands a body punch in the clinch.
Imanari manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Toriyama misses with a body punch.
Toriyama tries to throw a body punch but Imanari avoids it by throwing Toriyama back against the cage.
Toriyama is leaning against Imanari and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Toriyama cracks Imanari with a nice body shot.
Imanari unloads a knee to the mid-section. Toriyama lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Toriyama misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Imanari misses with a body punch.
Toriyama has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. So far he's outscoring his opponent in the clinch so it seems to have been worthwhile.
Imanari is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Toriyama is defending well for now.
Toriyama is pushing Imanari up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Toriyama misses with a knee to the head.
I was talking to Imanari's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
With the fighters up against the cage, Toriyama throws an elbow but misses.
Imanari's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Toriyama throws an elbow but it's blocked.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Toriyama's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Akira Toriyama showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Yoshihiro Imanari's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Toriyama stuns Imanari with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Imanari misses with a few strikes there.
Imanari slips under a jab from Toriyama.
A lazy left from Toriyama finds it's target.
Imanari throws a combination that misses
and Toriyama counters with a stiff right hand.
Toriyama is looking to chop away at Imanari's legs.

Imanari takes the fight into the clinch.
Nice body punch from Toriyama.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toriyama on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Toriyama works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Toriyama on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Toriyama is struggling to control the position.
Toriyama prevents a body shot from Imanari.
Imanari misses with a punch to the body.
Good body shot from Imanari.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Toriyama's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Imanari is pushing Toriyama up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Imanari lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Toriyama tries to work over Imanari's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Toriyama misses with a hook from the clinch.
A right handed body shot lands from Toriyama.
Imanari blocks an elbow strike.
Imanari misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Toriyama.
Toriyama misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Toriyama stalling in the clinch but Imanari improves position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toriyama tries a body shot but Imanari blocks it.
Toriyama tries to throw a body punch but Imanari avoids it by throwing Toriyama back against the cage.
Stalling in the clinch from Imanari.
Imanari tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Toriyama misses with the head strike.
Imanari blocking some punches.
Toriyama gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Imanari blocks an uppercut.
Imanari blocks a body shot from Toriyama.
Toriyama creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Imanari swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Toriyama trying to control the position but instead, Imanari has worked for underhooks and has pushed Toriyama into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Imanari dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Toriyama has Imanari pressed against the cage, preventing Imanari from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Toriyama is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Imanari effectively controlling the action here.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Imanari.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Imanari swings wildly with an uppercut but Toriyama uses good head movement to avoid it.
Toriyama on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Akira Toriyama comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Toriyama 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 Viktor Lagutenko scores the fight 28:29
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 28:29
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Akira Toriyama!
Akira Toriyama spent the whole post fight interview bigging himself up. It didn't go down that well with the fans after a while as they thought it was a bit arrogant.