PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Rafael Santa Cruz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yuya Shimizu (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Santa Cruz's entrance music is 50 cent P.I.M.P. A fine choice. Shimizu has chosen Lost Frequencies - Are You With Me as his entrance music. These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Santa Cruz
vs
Shimizu

180 cm
34
175 lbs
28 - 21 - 1

168 cm
27
153 lbs
23 - 9 - 1

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

GREEN!160
V-Mask Clothing (10%)

V-Mask Clothing (10%)
Spartan Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 1 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 28 - 21 - 1, fighting out of New York, Rafael Santa Cruz!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 23 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Yuya Shimizu!
The judges for this bout are , Jack Bonds and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shimizu scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Shimizu 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.
Santa Cruz throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Shimizu swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Shimizu misses with a wild body shot.
Shimizu misses with an uppercut. Santa Cruz saw that one coming.
Santa Cruz quickly followed up with a counter body kick but doesn't connect.
Shimizu throws a low kick but Santa Cruz moves out of range easily.
Shimizu misses with an uppercut. Santa Cruz saw that one coming.
Santa Cruz scores with a kick to the midsection.
Shimizu is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Santa Cruz.
Shimizu just misses with a punch to the body.
A jab from Santa Cruz does it's job there.
Shimizu displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Santa Cruz throws out the jab.
Shimizu looks like he wanted to counter with a high kick but didn't throw it.
Shimizu throws a nice inside leg kick.
Santa Cruz scores with a hook.
Shimizu uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz scores with a nice right hand.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Santa Cruz uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Shimizu.
The fighters circling - Santa Cruz throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santa Cruz jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Shimizu throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Santa Cruz sees it coming and avoids it easily.

Santa Cruz gets a double leg takedown into Shimizu's guard.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Santa Cruz accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Santa Cruz with a flurry of punches that miss.
Santa Cruz trying to control the position from guard on top but Shimizu is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Shimizu looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Shimizu controls Santa Cruz momentarily but Santa Cruz frees himself.
Santa Cruz 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 two minutes gone in the round.
Santa Cruz with a flurry of punches that miss.
Santa Cruz's corner is telling him to maintain position.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.
Shimizu connects with a jab.
Santa Cruz misses with an uppercut.
Santa Cruz misses with an uppercut
and Shimizu counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Santa Cruz throws a hook to the side of Shimizu's head but Shimizu sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Santa Cruz ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
A looping hook to the body misses from Santa Cruz. Shimizu does a little dance to reset his feet.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Santa Cruz.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Santa Cruz slows the pace down.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shimizu defending against the ground and pound.
Santa Cruz working the ground and pound.
Santa Cruz throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.
Santa Cruz controlling from side mount.
Santa Cruz trying to control the action but Shimizu is working from the bottom.
Shimizu struggling a bit here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
Santa Cruz scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Shimizu to see if he's OK.
Santa Cruz misses with the ground and pound.
Santa Cruz is looking to take a break and control but Shimizu is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Both fighters take a look at the clock.
Santa Cruz trying to control the action but Shimizu is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Santa Cruz fails to land a wild elbow strike.
Shimizu parries the strikes from Santa Cruz easily there. Santa Cruz is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Shimizu to escape.
Santa Cruz working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Santa Cruz trying to control the position but Shimizu is working away.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Santa Cruz throws an overhand right that lands on Shimizu's shoulder, as Shimizu tries to avoid the shot.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Shimizu! But no joy.
Shimizu on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
A jab from Santa Cruz misses.
Shimizu throws a series of punches but Santa Cruz moves out of range.
A counter left hand to the body from Santa Cruz misses its target.
Shimizu misses with a series of wild punches.
Yuya Shimizu is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Santa Cruz misses with a double jab
and Shimizu counters with a straight right hand.
Shimizu lands a body shot.
Shimizu throws a leg kick but Santa Cruz moved away.
A little feinted left hand from Santa Cruz on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Santa Cruz throws a right and a left that Shimizu avoids nicely.
Shimizu slips a straight right by Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Nice takedown defense from Shimizu. No joy for Santa Cruz on that attempt.
Santa Cruz misses with a straight right.
Shimizu looks like he wants to counter punch here.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Shimizu swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Santa Cruz shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Shimizu defends it nicely.
Shimizu lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Shimizu lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Shimizu tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
The fight stays on the outside here - Shimizu looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Santa Cruz just misses with a punch to the body.
Santa Cruz uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Shimizu.
Santa Cruz uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Shimizu.
Santa Cruz connects with a right hand. Shimizu shakes it off.
Shimizu sizes up Santa Cruz with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Shimizu tries to land a leg kick but Santa Cruz saw it coming and moves away.
Santa Cruz thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Shimizu if he has to take too many more of those.
Shimizu throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Santa Cruz throws an off balance right hand
and Shimizu counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shimizu slips a straight right by Santa Cruz.
Shimizu blocks a low kick nicely.
A jab lands there for Shimizu.
Santa Cruz misses with a body shot.
Shimizu looks to throw the jab but Santa Cruz is out of range.
Santa Cruz connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Shimizu momentarily.
A looping hook to the body misses from Shimizu. Santa Cruz does a little dance to reset his feet.
Shimizu throws a series of punches but Santa Cruz avoids them all with ease.
Shimizu tries to clinch up
and Santa Cruz counters with a nice body kick.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Santa Cruz works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Santa Cruz, as that shot connected.

Santa Cruz gets tackled into the cage by Shimizu. Shimizu maintains the clinch.
Santa Cruz is looking to break free of the clinch but Shimizu has double underhooks.
Shimizu working aggressively here.
Shimizu prevents a takedown attempt there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rafael Santa Cruz. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Shimizu lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Shimizu.
Shimizu lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Shimizu is trying to break the clinch but Santa Cruz is controlling him.
Santa Cruz blocking some punches.
Shimizu doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Shimizu swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Santa Cruz works on Shimizu's body with a couple of short punches.

Shimizu's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Santa Cruz will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Shimizu doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Rafael Santa Cruz.
I think Santa Cruz has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1 round of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 9:10
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 9:10
Judge Don Winkell scores the fight 9:10

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yuya Shimizu!
A very excited looking Yuya Shimizu rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.
Rafael Santa Cruz was interviewed post fight and said 'sorry, I am a feather fisted chump.'.