PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Daken Akihiro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jami Balkan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Akihiro
vs
Balkan

172 cm
33
162 lbs
20 - 4 - 1

177 cm
31
162 lbs
25 - 9 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Pearson Specter Litt

Perkele!

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Daken Akihiro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 25 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Jami Balkan!
The judges for this bout are Donald Grub, James Ackerman and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Akihiro fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Balkan has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
A good leg kick by Balkan.
Akihiro definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
Akihiro throws a low kick, looking for Balkan's leg but Balkan calmly moves out of range.
Akihiro connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Akihiro scores with a one two! Balkan had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

It looks like Jami Balkan has been cut.
Akihiro misses with a head kick.
Daken Akihiro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Balkan's corner calls for a 1-2. Balkan obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Balkan throws a leg kick but Akihiro sees it coming and moves out of range.
Akihiro scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Balkan scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Akihiro turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
An inside leg kick lands from Balkan.
A head kick misses from Akihiro.
Akihiro tries to clinch up but Balkan circles away and keeps his distance.
A leg kick checked by Balkan.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Balkan! But no joy.
Akihiro scores with a leg kick.
Balkan blocks a jab.
Akihiro takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Akihiro throws a leg kick that misses.
Balkan looks like he wants to counter punch here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Akihiro throws a nice inside leg kick.
That kick from Akihiro tenderised Balkan's leg. Balkan is trying to keep his angry face on.
Balkan is looking to score with low kicks.
An inside leg kick from Balkan misses.
Balkan cracks the inside of Akihiro's front leg.
Balkan has done a lot of speed work in the buildup to this fight.
Balkan throws the left hand but Akihiro avoids the punch easily.
Balkan sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Balkan keeps the fight on the outside.
A nice side step and Balkan releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
A low kick from Akihiro misses
letting Balkan counter with a right hand.
Balkan lands a leg kick that knocks Akihiro off balance momentarily.
Akihiro throws a wild body kick that Balkan sees coming a mile off.
Balkan misses with a right hand
and Akihiro counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Balkan thinking.
Akihiro sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Akihiro tests Balkan's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Akihiro tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Balkan paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Balkan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Akihiro checks a leg kick.
Akihiro walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balkan checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Akihiro looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Balkan on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Akihiro looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Balkan cracks Akihiro with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Akihiro scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Akihiro throws a shot from downtown. Balkan moves away and avoids it.
Akihiro scoring well with a low kick there.
Akihiro swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Akihiro takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Balkan scoring well with a low kick there.
Balkan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Akihiro chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Akihiro goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Balkan throws a right hand that misses
and Akihiro finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
A jab from Balkan misses.
Balkan scores with a punch to the head.
Balkan throws a body kick that misses
and Akihiro counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Akihiro feints and then cracks Balkan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Balkan down.
Akihiro tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Akihiro tries to move into range but Balkan moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Akihiro drops his hands momentarily and Balkan takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Akihiro ducks under a wild hook from Balkan.
Akihiro throws a leg kick which misses Balkan's front leg but catches the back leg as Balkan tries to avoid it.
Balkan fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Akihiro.
Akihiro wants to slow Balkan down by chopping away at his legs.
Balkan throws out a counter right but Akihiro avoids it with no problem.
Balkan throws a big shot that misses.
Akihiro just misses with a punch to the body.
Balkan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Balkan dips to his left and cracks Akihiro with an uppercut!
Balkan lands a body shot.
Akihiro moves out of range of the body kick.
Akihiro throws a quick inside leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
A looping hook to the body misses from Balkan. Akihiro does a little dance to reset his feet.
Balkan turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akihiro throws a leg kick that misses.
Balkan tries to score with a low kick but Akihiro moves his leg out of the way.
Akihiro misses with an attempted mid kick.
Balkan moves out of range as Akihiro strikes.
Balkan misses the jab.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Balkan checks a leg kick.
Akihiro darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Akihiro displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Balkan throws out the jab.
An inside leg kick lands from Akihiro.
Balkan feints and then cracks Akihiro's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Akihiro down.
Akihiro tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Balkan is able to avoid easily.
Akihiro connects with a high kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Akihiro checks a low kick from Balkan.
Balkan works Akihiro's body with a nice hook.
Balkan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Akihiro manages to avoid it.
Akihiro checks a leg kick nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Daken Akihiro will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Jami Balkan's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Balkan scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Akihiro doesn't seem bothered though.
Akihiro is looking to score with low kicks.
Akihiro throws a quick inside leg kick.
Akihiro checks a low kick from Balkan.
Akihiro tried to counter with a leg kick but Balkan avoided it.
Balkan scores with a spinning back kick!
Akihiro takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Akihiro defending well as Balkan loads up on a big left hand.
Akihiro throws a leg kick
and Balkan counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Balkan connects with a good right hand that stumbles Akihiro. Akihiro circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Akihiro scoring well with a low kick there.
Akihiro lands with a thumping leg kick.
Balkan buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Akihiro connects with a single shot there.
Akihiro scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Akihiro avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Balkan takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Balkan looks to throw the jab but Akihiro is out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan misses with a wild body shot.
Akihiro wants to slow Balkan down by chopping away at his legs.
Balkan looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Akihiro misses the shot to the body.
Akihiro uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Balkan.
A big right from Akihiro misses.
Balkan now looks to counter with a shot at the body.
Akihiro on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
A bone on bone clash there as Balkan blocks the leg kick.
Akihiro moves to clinch but Balkan breaks away
and Balkan counters with a slapping leg kick.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Akihiro.
Balkan misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Akihiro.
Balkan misses with a lunging right hand
and Akihiro counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Balkan's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Akihiro digs a good hook to Balkan's body.
Balkan tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
The fighters circling - Balkan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A shot to the liver by Balkan. Beautiful body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balkan smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Akihiro doesn't manage to clinch there - Balkan circles away.
Balkan throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Akihiro.
Akihiro feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Balkans jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Akihiro misses with a wild body shot.
Akihiro pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Balkan on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Balkan connects with a jab.
Balkan just misses with a punch to the body.
Akihiro feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Balkan on the wrong end of a nice hook.
A leg kick checked by Akihiro.
Akihiro throws a leg kick but Balkan checks it.
Akihiro throws a nice outside leg kick.
Balkan steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Akihiro. That one must have hurt.
Akihiro takes one on the button.
Balkan keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balkan thows a leg kick but Akihiro checks it
and Akihiro counters with an inside leg kick.
Akihiro looks to land a right hand but Balkan moved out of range.
Balkan scores with a leg kick.
Akihiro feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Balkans jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Akihiro avoids the body shot from Balkan.
Akihiro looked to counter that last move with a leg kick but didn't pull the trigger.
Akihiro walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Balkan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Akihiro moves away.
Akihiro walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Balkan checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Balkan lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Balkan thumps Akihiro with a low kick.
Balkan fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Akihiro manages to avoid it.
Akihiro keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Balkan moves forwards but Akihiro connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Balkan throws a leg kick but Akihiro checks it.
Akihiro fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Balkan moves out of range as Akihiro throws a body kick.
Balkan walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
A clash of legs there as Balkan blocks the low kick.
Balkan moves out of range as Akihiro strikes.
Balkan throws out a counter right but Akihiro avoids it with no problem.
Akihiro takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Akihiro rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Balkan counters with a nice body shot.
Balkan swats away the attempt to clinch by Akihiro.
Balkan swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Akihiro doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Balkan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Balkan connects with an inside leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Akihiro shoots in and drives through. Balkan sprawls well.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Daken Akihiro. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Balkan connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Akihiro lands the left hand.
Balkan misses the shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Jami Balkan will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Jami Balkan's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Nice shot by Balkan.
Akihiro misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Balkan counters with a stiff right hand.
Akihiro thows a leg kick but Balkan checks it
and Balkan counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Balkan throws a low kick, looking for Akihiro's leg but Akihiro calmly moves out of range.
Akihiro tries to clinch up but Balkan circles away and keeps his distance.
A countering left hand to the body from Balkan misses.
Balkan throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Akihiro stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Balkan scoring well with a low kick there.
Balkan throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Akihiro throws a head kick that misses
and Balkan counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Akihiro thinking.
Akihiro wants to land a leg kick but Balkan is out of range.
A jab from Akihiro does it's job there.
Akihiro tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Balkan was well out of range. Poor timing from Akihiro.
Balkan let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Akihiro throws a jab but it's blocked by Balkan.
Akihiro scoring well with a low kick there.
Akihiro lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Akihiro scoring well with a low kick there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan misses with a low kick as Akihiro jumps back.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Balkan.
Akihiro avoids the head kick by Balkan.
Balkan uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Akihiro.
Balkan was about to counter that last move with a leg kick but changes his mind.
Akihiro has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Balkan.
Balkan dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Akihiro. That did some damage!
Akihiro tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Balkan paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Akihiro misses with a body punch
and Balkan counters with a straight right hand.
Akihiro throws a body kick that digs right into the meat.
Balkan throws a low kick but it's checked well by Akihiro.
Akihiro takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Balkan pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
A quick step to the side and Akihiro tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Balkan misses with a low kick.
Akihiro throws a leg kick but Balkan sees it coming and moves out of range.
Balkan misses with a wild combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A chopping leg kick lands by Akihiro.
Akihiro misses with a leg kick
and Balkan connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Balkan just misses with a punch to the body.
Akihiro shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Balkan appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Balkan misses with an attempted mid kick.
Akihiro throws a low kick, looking for Balkan's leg but Balkan calmly moves out of range.
Balkan moves away from the strike by Akihiro.
Jami Balkan seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Balkan fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Akihiro checks it well.
Balkan cracks Akihiro with a nice right hand that draws applause from the crowd.
Akihiro swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Balkan lands a nice shot that snaps Akihiro's head back.
Akihiro feints and then cracks Balkan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Balkan down.
Balkan turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Akihiro.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balkan takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Balkan takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Balkan staying out of range there.
Akihiro scores with a leg kick.
Akihiro throws a quick inside leg kick.
You can see that Balkan has visibly slowed down as a result of the leg kicks
Balkan sizes up Akihiro with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Balkan connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Balkan lunges at Akihiro with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Akihiro's hand.
Balkan buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
The fighters circling - Balkan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
It looked like Akihiro wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Balkan swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Akihiro uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Balkan.
Akihiro looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Akihiro lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Balkan just misses with a punch to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balkan thows a leg kick but Akihiro checks it
and Akihiro counters with a stiff right hand.
Akihiro looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Akihiro just misses with a punch to the body.
Balkan looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Akihiro misses with a body kick.
Akihiro checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Balkan connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
A punch combination from Balkan misses.
A slapping leg kick lands for Akihiro.
Akihiro lunges at Balkan with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Balkan's hand.
Balkan chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Balkan on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Nice jab there from Balkan.
Akihiro is looking to chop away at Balkan's legs.
Balkan misses with a body shot.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Akihiro, right into the meat.
Akihiro throws a quick inside leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jami Balkan really dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Jami Balkan's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Akihiro blocks a low kick nicely.
Akihiro moves into range and connects with a jab.
Akihiro fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Balkan checks it well.
Balkan connects with a nice looking jab.
Balkan lands a head kick. Akihiro smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Akihiro fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Balkan has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Balkan thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Akihiro if he has to take too many more of those.
Akihiro throws a body shot but no joy.
Akihiro throws a lazy body kick
and Balkan counters with a thumping low kick.
Balkan throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Akihiro stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Akihiro swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Balkan looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Balkan fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balkan shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
A counter left hand to the body from Akihiro misses its target.
Akihiro takes a push kick to the midsection and stumbles backwards.
Balkan displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Akihiro throws out the jab.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan throws a solid leg kick but Akihiro takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Balkan.
Balkan throws a front kick aimed at Akihiro's knee but Akihiro avoids it well.
Balkan scores with a jab to the head.
Akihiro ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Balkan moves away.
Akihiro fakes the leg kick and cracks Balkan in the body.
Balkan throws a poor cross that misses
and Balkan takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Balkan misses with a double jab.
Akihiro misses with a hook.
A clash of legs there as Balkan blocks the low kick.
Akihiro uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Balkan.
Balkan swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Akihiro throws a hook to the side of Balkan's head but Balkan sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Balkan throws out a counter right but Akihiro avoids it with no problem.
Balkan lands an overhand right.
Akihiro tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Balkan! But no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balkan throws a leg kick but Akihiro checks it.
A clash of legs there as Balkan blocks the low kick.
Balkan throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Balkan takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Balkan scores with a jab.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Balkan pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Balkan blocks a leg kick.
Akihiro throws a hook but Balkan blocks it.
Balkan throws a body shot but no joy.
Balkan throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Akihiro looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Balkan keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Akihiro.
Balkan chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Akihiro can pounce on him.
Balkan checks a low kick from Akihiro.
Balkan connects with a leg kick. Akihiro looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balkan checks a low kick from Akihiro.
Akihiro backing away here, and Balkan unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Balkan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Balkan looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Balkan is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Balkan lands a nice shot to the body.
Akihiro connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Balkan is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Akihiro.
Balkan with a jab.
Balkan connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Balkan throws a leg kick but Akihiro sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Akihiro lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Balkan looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Akihiro throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Akihiro lands with a hook. Balkan tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Akihiro keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Balkan.
Balkan misses with an uppercut. Akihiro saw that one coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nice straight punches there by Balkan. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Balkan.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Akihiro on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Balkan. Balkan obviously looking to wear him down.
Akihiro misses with a hook to the body
and Balkan counters with a slapping leg kick.
Akihiro throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Balkan throws a lazy right hand but Akihiro sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Akihiro fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Balkan is out of range.
Balkan takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Akihiro tries to close the distance and clinch up but Balkan swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Akihiro throws a series of punches but Balkan moves out of range.
Balkan is looking to land body kicks.
Balkan goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Akihiro takes one to the chin there.
Balkan lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.

Akihiro rushes Balkan and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Akihiro lands an uppercut.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jami Balkan dominated that fourth round.
The cut man is working on Jami Balkan's cut.
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. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Balkan throws a body punch but Akihiro moves out of range.
Akihiro scores with a body shot.
Akihiro fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Balkan is out of range.
Balkan swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Balkan checks a leg kick.
A nice inside leg kick there by Balkan. That's going to slow Akihiro down.
Balkan looks to land a body kick but Akihiro moved away.
Akihiro lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Balkan backs up against the cage.
Akihiro wants to land a leg kick but Balkan is out of range.
Akihiro defending well as Balkan loads up on a big left hand.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Akihiro misses with an uppercut. Balkan saw that one coming.
Akihiro throws a lazy head kick
and Balkan counters with a nice uppercut.
Balkan is looking to slow Akihiro down with leg kicks.
Akihiro tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Balkan connects with the punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Balkan avoids a punch combination nicely.
A little jabbing left from Balkan on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Balkan throws the left hand but Akihiro avoids the punch easily.
Balkan throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Balkan checks the leg kick nicely there.
Akihiro scores with a sloppy right hand. Balkan should have avoided that one.
A punch lands to the side of Balkan 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Balkan takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Akihiro connects with a solid leg kick.
Balkan blocks a head kick by Akihiro.
Akihiro slips under a jab.
Akihiro scores with a jab.
Akihiro throws a quick inside leg kick.
A chopping leg kick lands by Balkan.
Balkan blocks a low kick nicely.
Daken Akihiro has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Balkan with a hook.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Akihiro shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Akihiro lands with a straight right. Balkan didn't see that one coming.
Akihiro steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Balkan.
Akihiro misses with a straight right.
Akihiro moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Akihiro takes one to the chin there.
Akihiro throws a low kick but it's checked well by Balkan.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Balkan! But no joy.
Balkan misses with a looping right.
Akihiro is looking to land body kicks.
Akihiro doesn't manage to clinch there - Balkan circles away.
Balkan scores with a kick to the midsection.
Balkan tests Akihiro's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Akihiro throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Balkan scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Balkan moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Akihiro tried to score with a low kick but Balkan checks it.
Akihiro takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Balkan takes a swing at Akihiro's ribcage but misses.
Akihiro feints and then cracks Balkan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Balkan down.
Akihiro changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Balkan lands a body shot.
Balkan scores with a nice right hand.
Akihiro throws a chopping leg kick but Balkan manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Akihiro will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Balkan takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Balkan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Balkan is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Balkan throws a push kick but Akihiro slaps the foot to one side.
Akihiro misses with a low kick as Balkan jumps back.
Akihiro misses with a low kick as Balkan jumps back.
Balkan circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Balkan connects with a leg kick. Akihiro looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Balkan on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Akihiro is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Akihiro tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Balkan was well out of range. Poor timing from Akihiro.
Balkan fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
Akihiro does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Akihiro scores with a three punch combo!
Balkan scores with a jab. Akihiro acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Balkan throws a leg kick that misses.
Akihiro is looking to slow Balkan down with leg kicks.
Akihiro misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Balkan.
Nice shot by Akihiro.
Balkan throws a chopping leg kick but Akihiro manages to avoid taking any serious damage.

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 Daken Akihiro.
I think Balkan 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 Donald Grub scores the fight 46:49
Judge James Ackerman scores the fight 45:50
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 47:48

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jami Balkan!
Jami Balkan seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.
In defeat, Daken Akihiro stepped up to the mic, saying 'Good fight...If i had to lose at least it was to someone with a badass nickname.'.