PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Ichi Takeshi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Arnold Rothstein (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Takeshi
vs
Rothstein

155 cm
29
138 lbs
12 - 5 - 0

170 cm
28
140 lbs
10 - 5 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

HERITAGE Threads
Darkness

HGH Nutrients Q160 Tycoons Best Quality supps
Fury Nutrition Inc.

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the bantamweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Ichi Takeshi!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Arnold Rothstein!
The judges for this bout are Ben Zyskovitsi, Johanna Lukiainen and Anni Minnemäki.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Takeshi shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Rothstein counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Rothstein just misses with a punch to the body.
Rothstein scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Takeshi shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Rothstein trying to control from the bottom.
Rothstein wants to improve his position but Takeshi is controlling well.
Takeshi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Takeshi in particular looking to stall.
Takeshi throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Takeshi has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Takeshi not landing any meaningful shots this time.

Takeshi looking for a submission but Rothstein manages to get full guard, putting an end to that submission attempt.
Rothstein not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Takeshi in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Takeshi wants to control from the top but Rothstein keeps moving.

Takeshi drops back, looking for a kneebar! Rothstein looks panicked! The fighters roll across the mat, one looking to finish, one looking to escape. Rothstein looks to have wriggled free... Yes, he's got his leg free and he's dived into side control! Good work there from Rothstein!
Rothstein working away.
Takeshi is in a tricky position but he's been working on his transitions down at St Petersburg MMA Gym, so we'll see if he gets out of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein wants to control but Takeshi is keeping him busy.
Rothstein controlling the position.
Takeshi is trying to improve his position.
Takeshi manages to work his way to half guard, despite Rothstein's best efforts.
Rothstein is thwarting Takeshi's attempts to control the position.
Rothstein wants to control but Takeshi is keeping him busy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Rothstein in particular looking to stall.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Rothstein is looking to advance position but Takeshi won't allow it.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Arnold Rothstein.

Takeshi darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Takeshi is trying to control the action in half guard but Rothstein is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Takeshi wants to free his trapped foot but Rothstein is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Rothstein trying to control from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi wants to control but Rothstein is keeping him busy.
Rothstein tries to roll over but Takeshi keeps him under control.

Takeshi is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Rothstein doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Takeshi.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Rothstein is looking for a sweep. Takeshi is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ichi Takeshi dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Rothstein throws a front kick that sends Takeshi stumbling back into the cage.

Rothstein shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Rothstein showed some decent athleticism there.
Rothstein working over Takeshi with some ground and pound. Takeshi looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Takeshi is looking for a sweep. Rothstein is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Takeshi is not content to let Rothstein control the position.
Takeshi keeping control of the leg, stopping his opponent passing to mount.
Rothstein seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Takeshi does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Rothstein might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Takeshi haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Well, if Rothstein is going to just lie there, perhaps we should talk about what we're having for dinner tonight… I'm having a ham and pineapple pizza… Yum. Can't wait.

OK we're going to have a standup here. Arnold Rothstein hasn't been effective enough on the ground and the referee wants a restart.
Rothstein looks for the body kick but Takeshi saw that one coming.
Rothstein throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nice defenses there by Rothstein.
Rothstein defending well as Takeshi loads up on a big left hand.

Takeshi darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.
Takeshi sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Rothstein defending well though.
Takeshi is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Rothstein felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi wants to control but Rothstein is keeping him busy.
Takeshi is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Takeshi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Rothstein keeps working.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Ichi Takeshi just wasn't active enough.
Takeshi dodges the punch combination from Rothstein.
Takeshi fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.

Takeshi shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Rothstein's guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Takeshi wants to control from the top but Rothstein keeps moving.
Takeshi is fighting to break Rothstein's control of his arms but Rothstein is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi stopping the sweep attempt from Rothstein.
Rothstein keeping full guard, as Takeshi tries to pass.
Takeshi controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
Takeshi postures up in Rothstein's guard and throws a big left but Rothstein blocks it.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Rothstein scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein swings for the body but Takeshi moves out of range.
Takeshi throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Rothstein counters with a left to the body.
Takeshi takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Rothstein throws a head kick that misses.
Rothstein misses with a body kick.
Rothstein uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Takeshi.
Rothstein slips under a jab.

Rothstein closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Takeshi wants to control but Rothstein postures up.
Rothstein wants to lay and pray for a moment but Takeshi keeps working.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rothstein is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Takeshi's shoulder. That is not cool.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Arnold Rothstein will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Takeshi on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Takeshi misses with a hook.
Takeshi avoids the body shot from Rothstein.
Rothstein defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Takeshi.
A jab from Takeshi does it's job there.
Rothstein misses with a body shot.
Rothstein uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Takeshi.
Rothstein throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Rothstein fails to land with a series of punches.
Rothstein misses the shot to the body.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Takeshi is defended easily by Rothstein.

Takeshi closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Rothstein did well to prevent Takeshi getting side control.
Takeshi throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Takeshi trying to control the action but Rothstein is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

We're going to have a standup here because Ichi Takeshi wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Nice defenses there by Rothstein.
Rothstein throws a body kick that misses.
Rothstein dodges the punch combination from Takeshi.
Rothstein swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Rothstein.
Rothstein stuffs the takedown attempt from Takeshi. Takeshi gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ichi Takeshi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nice body kick there by Rothstein.

Takeshi fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Rothstein to the ground. Takeshi is now in Rothstein's guard.
Takeshi wants to control from the top but Rothstein keeps moving.
Rothstein is trying to control the position but Takeshi postures up.
Rothstein has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Takeshi misses with a wild body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Takeshi's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Takeshi duly obliges.
Takeshi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Rothstein scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Rothstein uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Takeshi.
Takeshi misses with an uppercut
and Rothstein counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Rothstein jabs Takeshi to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Takeshi shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Rothstein dodges the punch combination from Takeshi.
A looping hook to the body misses from Rothstein. Takeshi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Arnold Rothstein seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Rothstein looks for the body kick but Takeshi saw that one coming.
Rothstein swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rothstein fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Rothstein is looking to land body kicks.
Rothstein is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Takeshi rather than just go for the knockout.
Takeshi has his takedown stuffed
and Rothstein counters with a good, hard body kick but Takeshi shrugs it off.
Rothstein throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Arnold Rothstein seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Rothstein throws a body shot but no joy.
Takeshi on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
No joy there for Takeshi, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Rothstein lands with a nice body punch.
Rothstein is looking to land body kicks.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Rothstein misses with a series of wild punches.
Rothstein misses with a takedown attempt - Takeshi sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Rothstein looks to score with a jab to the body but Takeshi is just out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close third round but Arnold Rothstein just about did enough to take it.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Rothstein swinging wildly here.
Rothstein uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Takeshi.
Rothstein bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Takeshi scores with a punch to the head.
Rothstein closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Rothstein throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Takeshi checks a leg kick.
Rothstein throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Takeshi is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Rothstein's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.

Takeshi closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Takeshi lands in his opponent's guard.
Rothstein is trying to keep Takeshi in close.
Takeshi trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rothstein keeping moving, preventing Takeshi from controlling successfully.
Takeshi working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Takeshi wants to control from the top but Rothstein keeps moving.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Ichi Takeshi wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Rothstein scores with a jab to the body.
Takeshi slips a jab and a cross from Rothstein.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rothstein moves forwards but Takeshi connects with a nice, crisp jab.
No luck for Takeshi with that takedown attempt.
Takeshi slips a jab and a cross from Rothstein.
Rothstein staying out of range there.
Takeshi misses with a wild body shot.
Rothstein lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Takeshi throws a shot to the body.
Takeshi swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Takeshi lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Rothstein has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Rothstein and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Rothstein tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Takeshi is able to avoid easily.
Takeshi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Takeshi connects with a jab.
Rothstein just misses with a punch to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Takeshi manages to avoid it.
Takeshi dodges the punch combination from Rothstein.

Rothstein scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Takeshi is trying to improve his position.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.
Rothstein throws an elbow but Takeshi slips to the side and avoids it well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein throwing shots but missing, from side control.
Takeshi is looking for a sweep.
Takeshi might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Rothstein is looking to take a break and control but Takeshi is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Rothstein throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Rothstein misses with the ground and pound.
Rothstein cracks Takeshi with a big right hand but Takeshi just smiles back at him and invites him to have another go.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Takeshi is looking to reverse the position.
Rothstein scoring with punches from side control.
Takeshi is trying to escape the position but Rothstein is controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Arnold Rothstein dominated that fourth round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Rothstein pivots, looking for a leg kick but Takeshi is out of range and Rothstein settles back down.
Nice sprawl there from Rothstein as Takeshi shoots in.
Takeshi tries to score a power double leg takedown but Rothstein sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Takeshi somewhat.

Takeshi decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Ichi Takeshi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Rothstein is trying to control but can't.
Takeshi prevents Rothstein from improving his position.
Takeshi working over Rothstein with some ground and pound. Rothstein looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Takeshi trying to pass the guard but Rothstein defending well.
Takeshi trying to control the action but Rothstein is working from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rothstein wants to control but Takeshi is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Rothstein wants to improve his position but Takeshi is controlling well.
Takeshi is trying to control. Rothstein wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Ichi Takeshi.
Takeshi tries for a takedown but Rothstein sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ichi Takeshi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Takeshi ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Rothstein moves away.
Rothstein misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Takeshi.
Takeshi fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rothstein swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Takeshi misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Rothstein.
Takeshi shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Takeshi fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Rothstein with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Takeshi avoids the body shot from Rothstein.

Takeshi scores with a takedown into Rothstein's guard.
Takeshi throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Rothstein works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Takeshi accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Rothstein working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Takeshi.
Rothstein controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Rothstein looking to sweep using the butterfly guard but Takeshi puts pay to that idea as he passes nicely into half guard.
Rothstein wants to improve his position but Takeshi is controlling well.
Takeshi working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Rothstein is in trouble now - Takeshi has advanced to mount!
Rothstein is looking to get to half guard.
Takeshi can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Rothstein is looking to escape.
Ichi Takeshi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Takeshi blocks Rothstein's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Takeshi avoids the attempt from Rothstein to control.
Takeshi thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Takeshi lands an elbow that was bordering on illegal but the referee lets it go with a warning.
Takeshi throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ichi Takeshi showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Rothstein 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Ben Zyskovitsi scores the fight 47:48
Judge Johanna Lukiainen scores the fight 47:48
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Arnold Rothstein!
Arnold Rothstein is the new bantamweight champion!
Our winner, Arnold Rothstein, made sure he spent some time buttering up the crowd during his post fight interview, which will no doubt bring him a few more fans.