PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Kazushi Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Toreo Morimoto (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Sakuraba
vs
Morimoto

176 cm
25
152 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

165 cm
25
150 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Basic striking
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Knockout power

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 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazushi Sakuraba!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Toreo Morimoto!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Shigeki Fujiwara and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Morimoto scores with a kick to the midsection.

Morimoto moves into range and clinches up with Sakuraba.
Sakuraba changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Morimoto fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Sakuraba shoots in but no luck this time.

Sakuraba scores with a takedown into Morimoto's guard.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
Sakuraba is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Morimoto is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sakuraba is controlling him.
Morimoto is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Morimoto wants to stand up but Sakuraba is controlling him.
Sakuraba tries to free his leg and advance position but Morimoto is retaining full guard.
Sakuraba is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Sakuraba shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Morimoto pinned against the cage. Morimoto gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kazushi Sakuraba. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Morimoto lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morimoto slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Morimoto defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Sakuraba.
The crowd cheers as Morimoto lands an impressive looking overhand right. Sakuraba doesn't seem phased though.
Morimoto bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Sakuraba's head backwards.
Morimoto wants to clinch up but Sakuraba keeps it at a distance.
No luck for Sakuraba with that takedown attempt.
Morimoto lands a nice looking kick to the body. Sakuraba takes a step back to recover.
Morimoto connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Sakuraba dives in and grabs Morimoto's left leg, looking for a takedown. Morimoto pushes down on Sakuraba's head and hops out.
Morimoto stuffs the takedown attempt from Sakuraba. Sakuraba gets slowly back to his feet.
Sakuraba takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Morimoto moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Sakuraba doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sakuraba shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Morimoto as he avoids it easily.
Sakuraba is breathing heavily.
Morimoto stuffs the takedown attempt from Sakuraba. Sakuraba gets slowly back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Sakuraba dives in and grabs Morimoto's left leg, looking for a takedown. Morimoto pushes down on Sakuraba's head and hops out.
A solid body kick from Morimoto.
Morimoto lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Morimoto lands with a shot to the body.

Morimoto clinches up with Sakuraba and pushes him back against the cage.
Nice elbow from Morimoto.
Sakuraba wants to get back to striking at distance but Morimoto won't allow it.
Morimoto prevents a takedown attempt there.
Nice body punch from Morimoto.
Morimoto landing knees to the head.
Morimoto landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Morimoto lands a knee to the head.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto lands a damaging elbow.
Morimoto scores a nice knee to the body.
Morimoto with a knee to the head.

Sakuraba is rocked!
A nice right hand lands inside from Morimoto.
Oh Sakuraba is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Morimoto using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Morimoto scores with a knee to the head.
Morimoto pushes Sakuraba back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Morimoto scores a nice knee to the body.
Morimoto creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Sakuraba's defenses.
Morimoto works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Nice body punch from Morimoto - that landed with a thud.
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!
Morimoto lands a damaging elbow.
Morimoto lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Morimoto is stalling here.
Morimoto lands a body punch.
Morimoto lands a good knee to the midsection. Sakuraba won't want to take too many of those.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto lands a shoulder strike.
We've been informed that Morimoto has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Morimoto unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Morimoto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
The referee calls for Morimoto to work.
Morimoto unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Morimoto scores a nice knee to the body.
Morimoto stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Sakuraba seems to have got his legs back now.
Morimoto lands a knee to the body.
Morimoto landing knees to the head.
Morimoto lands a body punch in the clinch.
Morimoto lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Morimoto'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.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Toreo Morimoto dominated that round.
That's time! Sakuraba's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Sakuraba has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Kazushi Sakuraba is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Sakuraba shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Morimoto napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Sakuraba is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Morimoto will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
You can see the frustration on Morimoto's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Morimoto is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Sakuraba is controlling him well.

Sakuraba tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Morimoto prevents Sakuraba from moving into mount.

Sakuraba swings around for an armbar but Morimoto sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Sakuraba's guard.
Morimoto tries to stand but Sakuraba is controlling from the bottom.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Morimoto is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Morimoto stands up and waves to Sakuraba to follow him.

Morimoto has closed the distance and engaged Sakuraba in a clinch.
Good body shot from Morimoto.
Morimoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Morimoto comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
A nice right hand lands inside from Morimoto.
Sakuraba takes a shot to the head.
Morimoto unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Morimoto lands a body punch.
Morimoto stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Morimoto connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sakuraba's face.
Morimoto lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Sakuraba backwards.
Morimoto lands a nice elbow.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto lands an elbow just above Sakuraba 's eye.
Knees to the body from Morimoto.
A body shot lands from Morimoto.
Morimoto works on Sakuraba's body with a couple of short punches.
Morimoto working Sakuraba over with knees to the body.
Morimoto working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Nice elbow from Morimoto.
Morimoto scores with a knee to the head.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Morimoto.
Morimoto landing knees to the body.
Nice body punch from Morimoto.
A left hand lands to the body for Morimoto.
Morimoto stalling.
Morimoto lands a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto scores with a knee to the head.
Morimoto working Sakuraba over with knees to the body.
Morimoto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Morimoto effectively controlling the action here.
The crowd are getting on Morimoto's back here. They're not happy about his lack of aggression in the clinch.
Morimoto gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Morimoto lands an elbow just above Sakuraba 's eye.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Morimoto.
Morimoto working Sakuraba over with knees to the body.
Morimoto is stalling here.
Morimoto lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Morimoto creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
The referee is keeping an eye on Morimoto - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Morimoto lands a good knee to the midsection. Sakuraba won't want to take too many of those.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Morimoto digs a right hand into Sakuraba's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Sakuraba's gas tank.
Morimoto will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Sakuraba up against the cage.
Morimoto continues to stall. The referee tells him to work or he's going to break them up.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Toreo Morimoto.
Sakuraba takes a jab right on the kisser.
Sakuraba shoots for a takedown but Morimoto saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Morimoto lands a really nice looking cross but Sakuraba seems unphased.
Jab from Morimoto.
Morimoto feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Sakuraba's calf.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Toreo Morimoto showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Sakuraba with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Morimoto to score with a decent uppercut.

Morimoto forces Sakuraba back against the cage and clinches.
Toreo Morimoto seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Still in the clinch, Morimoto scores with a nice short uppercut.
Sakuraba changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Morimoto fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Sakuraba fails with the takedown
and Morimoto counters with a straight right hand.
Morimoto works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.

Morimoto clinches up against the cage.
Morimoto lands a knee to the body.
Morimoto lands a damaging elbow.
Morimoto lands an elbow inside.
Morimoto landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Morimoto lands a body punch in the clinch.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Morimoto with a knee to the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Morimoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Morimoto dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Morimoto lands with a left to the head.
Morimoto will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Sakuraba up against the cage.
Morimoto lands a nice uppercut.
Morimoto lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Sakuraba backwards.
A bit of stalling here from Morimoto.
Morimoto with a knee to the head.
Nice elbow from Morimoto.
A right handed body shot lands from Morimoto.
A shot in the inside from Morimoto.
Morimoto unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Nice body punch from Morimoto - that landed with a thud.
Morimoto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice body punch from Morimoto - that landed with a thud.
Morimoto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Morimoto utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Morimoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Sakuraba tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Morimoto is struggling to control the position.
Morimoto wants a takedown.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
Sakuraba takes a knee to the side of the body.
Morimoto is leaning against Sakuraba and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto lands with a right to the head.
A hook to the body from Morimoto.
Morimoto scores with a nice hook to the head.
Morimoto scores with a shoulder strike.
Morimoto working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Morimoto lands an uppercut.
Morimoto leaning his opponent against the cage.
Morimoto pushes Sakuraba back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Morimoto obliges.
Morimoto has Sakuraba pressed against the cage.
Morimoto lands a nice shot to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Morimoto has Sakuraba pushed against the cage.
Morimoto using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Morimoto with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Morimoto gets underhooks to prevent Sakuraba's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kazushi Sakuraba. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Morimoto works on Sakuraba's body with a couple of short punches.
Toreo Morimoto is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Morimoto lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Morimoto stalling in the clinch.
Morimoto utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sakuraba misses with a short punch on the inside.

And that's the end of the fight!
Toreo Morimoto comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Morimoto winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 26:30
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 26:30
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Toreo Morimoto!
An out of breath Toreo Morimoto thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.