PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Kieran Broderick (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kazushi Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kieran Broderick looks tired to me. Hopefully he has got enough gas left in the tank to put in a good performance.

Broderick
vs
Sakuraba

181 cm
18
152 lbs
0 - 2 - 0

176 cm
25
152 lbs
3 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kieran Broderick!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazushi Sakuraba!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Broderick tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Sakuraba defends well and Broderick ends up having to push Sakuraba into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Sakuraba's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Broderick breaks the clinch.
Broderick works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.

Sakuraba closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Broderick wants to get back to his feet.
Still in half guard, Sakuraba seems content to control.

Sakuraba seems to be working for a kimura but Broderick defends the submission attempt.
Broderick trying to control from the bottom.
Sakuraba controlling the action here.
Sakuraba's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Broderick is defending against the submission attempts here by Sakuraba.
Sakuraba frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Sakuraba tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.

Sakuraba working for a submission here. He's tucked his head under his opponent's arm, looking for an arm triangle. He's hopped off into side control, looking to tighten the submission... is it going to work? He's given up a good position looking for it. Broderick looks OK. Oh, I spoke too soon, he's out! That must have been tighter than I thought! Excellent work there by Sakuraba! Submission of the night perhaps?

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:47 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Arm Triangle). Kazushi Sakuraba!