PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight kickboxing rules bout between Ali Imushagh (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rico Hoekstra (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Imushagh
vs
Hoekstra

187 cm
26
180 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

182 cm
25
164 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

Lethal high kicks
KO power

Excellent MT
Granite chin

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 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Ali Imushagh!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Rico Hoekstra!
The judges for this bout are Patrick Alders, Albert Achterberg and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hoekstra tries to clinch up.

Imushagh rushes Hoekstra and pushes him back against the ropes in a clinch.
Imushagh is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Hoekstra is trying to break free.

Imushagh escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A head kick by Imushagh misses
and Hoekstra counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Hoekstra tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Imushagh counters with a good, hard body kick but Hoekstra shrugs it off.
Hoekstra is looking to clinch but Imushagh is avoiding it.
Imushagh swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Imushagh throws a push kick but Hoekstra slaps the foot to one side.
Hoekstra takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Hoekstra wants to clinch.
Imushagh throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Imushagh takes the fight into the clinch.

Imushagh's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hoekstra looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Imushagh rushes Hoekstra and presses him up against the ropes.
Hoekstra takes a knee to the side of the body.
Hoekstra looks winded!
Imushagh lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Hoekstra is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Imushagh lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Imushagh pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Imushagh seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.

Imushagh clinches with his opponent.
Imushagh tries to land knees in the clinch but Hoekstra avoids the damage to the body.

Imushagh breaks from the clinch.

Imushagh has managed to clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Imushagh digs a right hand into Hoekstra's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Hoekstra's gas tank.
Imushagh lands a shoulder strike.
Hoekstra tries to break the clinch but Imushagh is controlling the position.
Imushagh avoiding damage as Hoekstra throws knees to the body.

Imushagh's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Ali Imushagh seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Hoekstra is pinned up against the ropes taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Hoekstra throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

Imushagh has closed the distance and engaged Hoekstra in a clinch.
Imushagh working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Hoekstra has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Imushagh seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Hoekstra can turn it around.
Imushagh blocks a punch to the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Imushagh lands a nice elbow.

It looks like Rico Hoekstra has been cut.
Hoekstra on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
A nice left hand lands by Imushagh.
Imushagh lands a nice uppercut.
Hoekstra wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Imushagh has him pressed against the ropes.
Hoekstra working hard to break the clinch.

Imushagh escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Imushagh clinches up with Hoekstra and pushes him back against the ropes.
Imushagh utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Imushagh lands with a left to the head.

Imushagh's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hoekstra avoids the head kick by Imushagh.

Imushagh moves into the clinch.
Hoekstra tries to break the clinch but Imushagh is controlling the position.
Imushagh lands a right hand that snaps the head of Hoekstra backwards.

Imushagh pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Nice shot by Imushagh.

Imushagh clinches up against the ropes.
Imushagh looking to throw knees to the head but Hoekstra is blocking nicely.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Imushagh scores with a hook to the body.
Imushagh scores with a nice hook to the head.
A short body shot lands from Imushagh as the two fighters clinch.
Imushagh cracks Hoekstra with a nice body shot.

Imushagh's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Imushagh has Hoekstra up against the ropes in a clinch.
Hoekstra wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Imushagh has him pressed against the ropes.
Imushagh lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Imushagh breaks from the clinch.
Imushagh lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Imushagh forces Hoekstra back against the ropes and clinches.

Imushagh manages to break the clinch.

Imushagh clinches.

Imushagh pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Imushagh moves into range and clinches up with Hoekstra.
Imushagh unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Imushagh lands a shot to the body.
Hoekstra on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Imushagh breaks the clinch.

Imushagh gets a clinch.

Imushagh's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Imushagh gets a clinch.
Imushagh taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Imushagh scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Imushagh scores a nice knee to the body.
Imushagh lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Hoekstra backwards.
Imushagh cracks Hoekstra with a nice body shot.

Imushagh breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Imushagh closes the distance and pushes Hoekstra back into the ropes.

Imushagh breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Hoekstra avoids the head kick by Imushagh.

Hoekstra gets tackled into the ropes by Imushagh. Imushagh maintains the clinch.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A quick uppercut on the inside from Imushagh.
Imushagh lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

Imushagh escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Imushagh moves into the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ali Imushagh dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Rico Hoekstra's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Imushagh bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Hoekstra walks into a perfectly timed head kick by Imushagh and drops face first to the floor! Hoekstra's eyes are wide open but he's not all there - he's just flopping around the mat like a drunk on rollerskates! The referee doesn't even start the count - he's called an end to the fight, with Hoekstra in no position to continue!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 0:09 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Head Kick). Ali Imushagh!
A determined Ali Imushagh didn't want to dwell on this fight in his post fight interview. Instead he was more keen to state he wants a title shot. Let's see if he gets it!