PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Masakazu Aoki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rosen Strasser (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Aoki comes to the cage accompanied by Sandstorm by Darude. The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Aoki
vs
Strasser

155 cm
46
147 lbs
43 - 29 - 2

192 cm
29
159 lbs
13 - 11 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Lethal high kicks
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Good low kicks
Good gas tank

GREEN!160

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 43 - 29 - 2, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Masakazu Aoki!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Rosen Strasser!
The judges for this bout are Seu Braga, Felipe Paraventi and Emerson Jorge.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice body punch from Aoki.
Strasser has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Strasser darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Aoki misses with a hook.
Aoki has been working on his boxing with his coaches at The Warehouse in the buildup to the fight.
Strasser throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Aoki looks for the body kick but Strasser saw that one coming.
A left and a right from Strasser both land. Nice combination.
Strasser ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Aoki moves away.
Aoki tries to clinch but Strasser moves out of range.
Strasser misses with the combination.
Aoki tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Strasser is able to avoid easily.
Aoki scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Strasser misses with a low kick.

Strasser gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Aoki to score an easy takedown into full guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Strasser utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Aoki stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Strasser swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strasser is trying to control the position but Aoki postures up.
Aoki wants to control from the top but Strasser keeps moving.
Strasser looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Aoki might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Donk. Strasser catches Aoki right on the button with a cross.
A telegraphed right hand from Aoki misses the target.
Aoki avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aoki throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Aoki with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Aoki checks a leg kick.
Strasser missing with a left hand there. Aoki was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Strasser throws a lazy head kick
and Strasser takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Strasser misses with a wild body shot.
Aoki thows a left - swing and a miss!

Aoki shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Strasser is trying to defend but Aoki finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
Strasser is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Aoki is looking to stall here but Strasser recovers full guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Aoki content to stall in guard here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aoki trying to control but Strasser is working from the bottom.
Strasser looking to control.
Strasser keeping moving, preventing Aoki from controlling successfully.
Aoki slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Aoki looking to pass the guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Aoki blocks a jab.
Aoki throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Strasser keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Aoki throws a solid leg kick but Strasser takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Aoki.
Strasser swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Aoki counters with a slapping leg kick.
Aoki misses with a left hand
and Strasser counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Aoki walks into a jab.
Strasser avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Strasser throws a shot from downtown. Aoki moves away and avoids it.
No luck for Aoki with that takedown attempt.
Strasser buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Aoki tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Strasser defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Aoki.
Strasser tests Aoki's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Rosen Strasser is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Aoki pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Rosen Strasser will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Aoki throws an overhand right that lands on Strasser's shoulder, as Strasser tries to avoid the shot.
Aoki misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Strasser.
Strasser lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Aoki moves in looking to clinch but Strasser pushes him off.
Rosen Strasser seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Strasser throws the kick towards the body but Aoki avoids it.
Aoki fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Strasser checks it well.
Strasser closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Aoki misses with a looping left.
Strasser is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Strasser uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Aoki.

Aoki gets a takedown into half guard.
Aoki with the ground and pound but Strasser uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Aoki scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Aoki is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Strasser working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Aoki.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aoki in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Aoki trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Strasser being controlled here, momentarily.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Aoki throwing strikes from guard but Strasser blocks nicely.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Strasser fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Strasser misses with a hook.
Aoki throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rosen Strasser is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Strasser takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Strasser throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Strasser fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Aoki has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
That kick from Strasser tenderised Aoki's leg. Aoki is trying to keep his angry face on.
Strasser lands a head kick!
Strasser scores with a leg kick.
Aoki lands a jab to Strasser's midsection.
A jab from Strasser misses.
Aoki throws a leg kick but Strasser sees it coming and moves out of range.
Aoki shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Strasser sprawls well. Strasser wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Aoki gets slowly back to his feet.
Strasser misses with a few strikes there.
Aoki ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Strasser has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Aoki.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aoki moves out of range of the strikes.
Aoki misses the shot to the body.
Aoki fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Aoki takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Aoki fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Strasser avoids it really well and circles away.
Strasser is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Aoki with a body shot.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Masakazu Aoki. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Aoki blocks a head kick by Strasser.
Aoki throws a head kick but Strasser moves out of range.
Strasser misses with a head kick.
Jab from Aoki.
Strasser takes a swing at Aoki's ribcage but misses.
Aoki throws a head kick that misses.
Strasser misses with a hook.
Aoki stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Strasser.
Some bone on bone action there as Aoki checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Aoki throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Aoki fails to land the takedown.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Strasser, right into the meat.
A big left from Aoki misses.
Aoki shoots in looking for a takedown but Strasser manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Aoki's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Aoki takes a swing at Strasser's ribcage but misses.
Strasser was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Nice shot lands for Strasser.
Aoki throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Strasser's waist but Strasser gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Aoki off to one side.
A slow jab from Strasser misses its intended target.
Strasser defending well as Aoki loads up on a big left hand.
Strasser throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Strasser turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Strasser looks to land a combination but Aoki avoids it well.
Strasser ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Aoki moves away.
Aoki sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Aoki fails to land the takedown.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rosen Strasser showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Aoki manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Strasser on his heels. He'll look to pass Strasser's guard now, I'm sure.
Aoki wants to control from the top but Strasser keeps moving.
Strasser is trying to keep Aoki in close.
Aoki trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Aoki is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Aoki throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Strasser works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Aoki trying to control the position from guard on top but Strasser is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Aoki throws a big elbow that misses.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Strasser throws a head kick that misses.
Strasser ducks under a wild hook from Aoki.
Aoki fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Strasser.
Nice shot lands for Strasser.
Aoki misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Strasser takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Aoki wants to clinch up but Strasser keeps it at a distance.
Strasser misses with a head kick.
Aoki misses with a wild body shot.
Strasser works the jab nicely.
Aoki is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Aoki moves away from the strike by Strasser.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aoki displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Strasser throws out the jab.
Aoki misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Aoki throws out a loose jab but Strasser uses good head movement to avoid it.
Aoki takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
A low kick from Strasser is predictable there
and Aoki connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Strasser misses the shot to the body.
Aoki is looking to counter punch.
A jab lands there for Strasser.
Masakazu Aoki has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The fighters circling - Strasser throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Strasser.
Aoki shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Strasser as he avoids it easily.
A countering left hand to the body from Strasser misses.
Rosen Strasser seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Strasser keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Strasser lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Aoki at a distance.
Strasser getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Aoki avoids the body shot from Strasser.
Aoki throws a big shot that misses.
Aoki just misses with a punch to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Strasser misses with a leg kick.
Strasser connects with a nice looking jab.
Aoki throws a right and a left that both miss.
Strasser swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Strasser scores with a decent looking hook.
Strasser lands with a thumping leg kick.
Aoki takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Strasser's corner calls for a 1-2. Strasser obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Aoki tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Strasser paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Aoki takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Aoki loads up on a big right hand but Strasser slips the punch.
Aoki misses with a straight left.
Crunch! Strasser slams his shin into Aoki's torso.
Strasser throws a one two combo.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Strasser slaps away a takedown attempt from Aoki, before circling back to the center of the mat.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Masakazu Aoki. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Aoki drives through with a takedown into Strasser's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Aoki pushes down on Strasser's leg and manages to get into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Strasser preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Strasser gets back to full guard.
Aoki lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Strasser wants to sweep but no luck.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rosen Strasser comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Strasser 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 Seu Braga scores the fight 27:30
Judge Felipe Paraventi scores the fight 27:30
Judge Emerson Jorge scores the fight 28:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rosen Strasser!