PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Takeru Kyle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Max Steel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kyle comes to the cage accompanied by I Like to Move It. Steel is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Saliva - Ladies and Gentlemen. This should be fireworks!

Kyle
vs
Steel

184 cm
34
200 lbs
29 - 15 - 1

185 cm
34
204 lbs
29 - 11 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Very quick

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Cold Blooded Kemists ↑ 5x160Q
Heisenberg

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 29 - 15 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Takeru Kyle!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 29 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Max Steel!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, Donald Grub and Sam Margolis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kyle moves out of range of the body kick from Steel.
Steel misses with a kick to the body.

Kyle drives through with a takedown into Steel's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Kyle stops Steel from standing up.
Kyle stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Steel swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Kyle stops Steel from standing up.
Kyle throws a big right hand that misses.
Steel working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Kyle.
Kyle tries to free his leg and advance position but Steel is retaining full guard.
Kyle postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kyle advances to half guard.
Kyle misses with a head shot. Steel uses the momentum to regain guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Steel is on top in guard.
Steel tries to stand but Kyle is controlling from the bottom.
Kyle trying to strike off his back.
Steel wanted to stand there but Kyle had control of the position.
Kyle trying to strike from the bottom but really, it's not the best position to be doing that from!

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Kyle escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Steel gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

Steel avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Steel decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Kyle misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Kyle wants to slow Steel down by chopping away at his legs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Steel lands a leg kick that knocks Kyle off balance momentarily.
Steel works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Kyle thows a leg kick but Steel checks it
and Steel counters with a stiff right hand.
Kyle has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Steel.
Steel throws a wild body kick that Kyle sees coming a mile off.
Steel on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Kyle. Kyle obviously looking to wear him down.
Steel throws a leg kick but Kyle sees it coming and moves out of range.
Steel misses with an uppercut. Kyle saw that one coming.
Steel throws a hook but Kyle avoids it easily.
Kyle lands a jab to the head.
Steel fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Kyle.
Steel throws the kick towards the body but Kyle avoids it.
Steel swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Steel throws out a loose jab but Kyle uses good head movement to avoid it.
Steel misses with a kick to the body.
Steel throws a nice inside leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kyle sizes up Steel with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Nice body punch from Steel.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Kyle.
Steel scores with a kick to the midsection.
Steel ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Steel looks to land a right hand but Kyle moved out of range.
Steel throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Steel lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Max Steel dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Steel lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.

Kyle shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Steel trying to control but Kyle postures up.
Steel tries to kick Kyle off but Kyle keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Kyle thows a huge punch but Steel dodges it nicely.

Kyle is working for a kimura but Steel is defending it quite comfortably.
We've been hearing that Kyle has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.

Kyle is looking for a kimura but Steel is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Kyle to get the leverage.
Takeru Kyle overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kyle tries to pass the half guard into mount. Steel knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Kyle is working hard here to advance position.
Kyle throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.

Kyle is trying to work for a kimura but Steel is defending well.
Steel wants to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kyle not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Kyle looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Steel avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Kyle.
Steel wants to get back to his feet.

Kyle is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.

Steel makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kyle avoids a kick to the body.
Max Steel is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kyle lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Kyle moves out of range of the body kick from Steel.
Steel throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Steel throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Kyle tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Steel connects with a solid leg kick.
Steel throws a low kick, looking for Kyle's leg but Kyle calmly moves out of range.
Steel uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Kyle.
Steel's coach down at Homunculus Alembic was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Steel's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Kyle misses with a hook
and Steel makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Steel looks to throw the jab but Kyle is out of range.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kyle misses with a hook
and Steel counters with a good low kick that Kyle was not able to check.
Kyle cracks the inside of Steel's front leg.
Kyle takes one on the button.
Steel lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Kyle bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
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!
Kyle turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Kyle looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Steel throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Max Steel seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Steel scores with a body shot.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A swing and a miss from Steel.
Steel lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kyle circles away quickly and effectively.
Kyle connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Takeru Kyle dominated that second round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. This is the final round!

Kyle takes a jab right on the kisser.
Steel throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Kyle misses with a takedown attempt - Steel sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Kyle needs to keep his hands up - Steel had a free shot at his head there.
Steel tries to work over Kyle's front leg with a kick but Kyle checks it.
Steel does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
A telegraphed right hand from Steel misses the target.
Kyle shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Steel defends it nicely.
Steel scores with a nice strike.
Steel misses with a hook. Kyle ducked under it nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kyle with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Steel to score with a decent uppercut.
Kyle misses with a looping left.
Steel throws a predictable looking body shot
and Kyle makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kyle is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Steel lands a jab to Kyle's midsection.
The fighters circling - Steel throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Kyle misses with a body kick.
Kyle works Steel's body with a nice hook.
Steel looks to score with a jab to the body but Kyle is just out of range.
Kyle shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Steel sprawls well. Steel wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Kyle gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Takeru Kyle. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Kyle shoots in for a takedown and gets it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Steel avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Kyle.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Kyle thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Kyle wants to pass the guard but Steel is defending well.
Steel regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Kyle.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kyle postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kyle loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Steel looking to control.
Kyle tries to free his leg and advance position but Steel is retaining full guard.
Kyle throws a strike but Steel rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Steel decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Kyle throws a jab but it's blocked by Steel.
Max Steel seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Steel misses with a body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kyle is trying hard to land a takedown here. Steel sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Kyle walks forward, straight into a front kick from Steel.
Steel looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Kyle throws a leg kick but Steel moved away.
Kyle looks to land a left hand but Steel moved out of range nicely.
Kyle takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Steel throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Nice uppercut there from Steel.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kyle shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Steel but Steel pushes him off and we're back to square one.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Steel pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Steel looks to score with a jab to the body but Kyle is just out of range.

And that's the end of the fight!
Max Steel comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Steel 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 28:29
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 28:29
Judge Sam Margolis scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Max Steel!
After winning the bout, Max Steel thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.