PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Katsuro Sato (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Mar Vell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Sato
vs
Vell

187 cm
36
196 lbs
35 - 19 - 0

189 cm
35
187 lbs
28 - 7 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

KAISER
Kemists ↑ 5x160Q

Conviction
Hellbent

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 35 - 19 - 0, fighting out of London, Katsuro Sato!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 28 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mar Vell!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sato throws a quick inside leg kick.
A jab lands there for Vell.
A low kick from Vell is predictable there

and Sato counters with a takedown into side control.
Sato tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Vell is trying to get back to half guard.
Sato misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Sato throws an elbow but Vell slips to the side and avoids it well.
Vell prevents Sato from moving into mount.
Vell struggling a bit here.
Sato is working Vell over with some ground and pound from side control.
Vell tries to get back to half guard but can't.

Sato tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Sato has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vell is looking for a sweep.
Sato working the head and body with strikes.
Sato advances nicely into full mount.
Vell bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Sato 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.
Vell trying to control the position from guard on top but Sato is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Vell is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Sato lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vell pulls Sato in close to prevent any damage.
Sato trying to control but Vell is working from the bottom.
Sato stands up over Vell, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Vell is controlling Sato's posture.
Sato sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Vell's guard.
Vell trying to control from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vell regains full guard. Nicely done.
Vell preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Vell working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Sato.
Vell is trying to control the position but Sato postures up.
Sato showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Sato looking to pass the guard.
Vell is pulling down on Sato's head to control his posture.
Vell is trying to keep Sato in close.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Vell slips under a jab from Sato.
Sato swings for the body but Vell moves out of range.
Sato paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Sato misses with a wild body shot.
That kick from Vell tenderised Sato's leg. Sato is trying to keep his angry face on.
Vell scores with a decent looking hook.

Sato throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Vell was covering up waiting for the punch and Sato finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Vell has Sato pulled in close to control his posture.
Vell trying to control the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Sato avoids a kick to the body.
Vell connects with a body shot.
Vell throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Sato sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Vell swings for the body but Sato moves out of range.
Vell fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Sato is out of range.
Vell scoring well with a low kick there.
Vell scores with a shot to the body.
Sato walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Vell checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Vell goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Sato moves out of range of the body kick from Vell.
A slow jab from Vell misses its intended target.
Sato misses with a kick to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vell scores with a sloppy right hand. Sato should have avoided that one.

It looks like Katsuro Sato has been cut.
Vell fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Sato manages to avoid it.
Mar Vell seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Sato throws a low kick but it's checked well by Vell.
Sato throws a hook to the side of Vell's head but Vell sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Sato gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Vell.
Sato throws a quick inside leg kick.
Sato scores with a push kick.
Vell bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Vell gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Sato.
Sato ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Vell moves away.
Sato throws a nice head kick!
A nice inside leg kick there by Sato. That's going to slow Vell down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
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!
Sato connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Vell rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Sato decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Vell's guard.
Vell controls Sato momentarily but Sato frees himself.
Vell can't keep his opponent in guard - Sato advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Sato wants to pass the guard but Vell is defending well.
Vell is refusing to be controlled, as Sato sits in half guard.
Vell is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Sato jumps into side control!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sato in side control, throwing shots but Vell defends.
Sato tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Sato is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vell can do to turn this around?
Vell is looking to reverse the position.
Sato passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Vell!
The referee warns Vell that he has to improve his position here as he takes two more clean shots to the head.
Sato is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Vell wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Sato.
Sato with the ground and pound from mount.
Sato scoring with strikes but Vell is staying in there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vell wants to control but Sato is having none of it.
Sato thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Sato raining down shots from the mount!
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sato thowing shots but they're missing.
Sato raining down hammerfists from mount.
Vell takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Vell avoids a series of strikes thrown by Sato.
Sato lands a nice shot to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Katsuro Sato dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Katsuro Sato's cut.
That's time! Sato's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Sato gets a double leg takedown into Vell's guard.
Sato wants to pass the guard but Vell is keeping the position.
Sato in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Sato scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Sato loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Sato pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Vell is keeping the position for now.
Katsuro Sato overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Vell looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sato wants to control from the top but Vell keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vell is pulling down on Sato's head. It's preventing any offense from Sato, at least for the moment.
Vell keeping moving, preventing Sato from controlling successfully.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Vell throws a leg kick which misses Sato's front leg but catches the back leg as Sato tries to avoid it.
Vell just misses with a punch to the body.
Nice body punch from Sato.
Sato lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Sato looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Sato bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Sato looks to score with a jab to the body but Vell is just out of range.
Mar Vell has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sato slips a jab from Vell.
Vell throws the left hand but Sato avoids the punch easily.
Vell swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Sato looks to throw a body kick
and Vell counters with a nice low kick that buckles Sato's knee momentarily.
Vell looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Vell takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
A swing and a miss from Sato.
Vell steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Sato. That one must have hurt.
Vell takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Vell throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
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!
Sato uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Vell.
Vell throws a sloppy head kick and Sato moves out of range easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vell takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Vell throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Sato stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Vell looks to throw the jab but Sato is out of range.
Horrible takedown attempt by Sato or perhaps it was just good defense by Vell, which made it look bad.
Sato throws out a loose jab but Vell uses good head movement to avoid it.
Sato tries for a takedown but Vell circles away easily
and Vell counters with a body kick that stops Sato in his tracks momentarily.
Sato throws a big shot that misses.
A good leg kick by Vell.
Vell thows a leg kick but Sato checks it

and Sato counters with a nice double leg into guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Vell looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Vell is trying to control the position but Sato postures up.
Sato being controlled here momentarily.
Sato trying to control the position from guard on top but Vell is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Vell throwing strikes off his back to little effect.

Vell working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Sato doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Sato manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

And that's the end of the fight!
Katsuro Sato showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Sato, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Don Winkell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Katsuro Sato!
Katsuro Sato took some time post fight to say the following; 'I'm just that good!'.
Mar Vell was interviewed post fight and said 'Tarmo asked me to take it easy on you.'.