PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Nakki Fakiiri (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Evan Better (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Fakiiri might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Sir Mix-a-Lot - Baby Got Back. Better has chosen Mother by Danzig as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Fakiiri
vs
Better

182 cm
27
175 lbs
12 - 4 - 0

188 cm
28
181 lbs
15 - 13 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
Excellent MT
Good gas tank

Conquer

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Nakki Fakiiri!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 13 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Evan Better!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Fakiiri loads up on a big right hand but Better slips the punch.
Better keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Fakiiri.
Better is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
Better uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Fakiiri.
Better tries a quick counter leg kick but Fakiiri is wise to it.
Better is looking to clinch.
Jab by Fakiiri.
Fakiiri avoids the head kick by Better.
Fakiiri moves into range and connects with a jab.
A bone on bone clash there as Better blocks the leg kick.
Fakiiri lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Fakiiri wants to clinch up but Better keeps it at a distance.
Better looks like he wants to counter punch here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Fakiiri thuds his right hand into Better's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Better moves out of range as Fakiiri strikes.
Fakiiri tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Better was well out of range. Poor timing from Fakiiri.
An inside leg kick from Better misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Better manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Fakiiri on his heels. He'll look to pass Fakiiri's guard now, I'm sure.
Better passes Fakiiri's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Better trying to mount his opponent but Fakiiri defends it.
Better prevents Fakiiri from improving his position.
Better wants to control but Fakiiri is keeping him busy.
Fakiiri keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Better tries to pass to full mount but Fakiiri defends it.
My spies in Bi-Polar Asylum LV's #1 Public Training Center inform me that Better has been getting involved in the gym's BJJ sparring sessions. Let's see whether that pays dividends!
Better controlling the pace.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Better lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

Better is looking for a kimura. It's pretty deep but Fakiiri still has the half guard so he's probably OK. Oh, Fakiiri has exploded into a beautiful escape there and after a quick scramble, he's ended up in side control on top! Nice work!
Fakiiri working the strikes but Better uses the opportunity to regain half guard.
Fakiiri is pressing down on Better's thigh, looking to free his foot. Better is holding on for now.
Fakiiri controlling the action here.
Fakiiri trying to control the action but Better is working from the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Better controlling the position well.
Fakiiri wants to pass the guard but Better is defending well.
Better trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Better tries to hold on but Fakiiri postures 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.
Better is desperately trying to improve his position but Fakiiri has a good base and remains in mount.
Better sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Better is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Fakiiri pulls his head out easily.
Fakiiri sitting and controlling from the half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Fakiiri's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nakki Fakiiri dominated that round.
That's time! Fakiiri's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Fakiiri misses with an uppercut.
Fakiiri misses with a jab, cross combination.
Fakiiri misses with a right hand

and Better counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Better.
Fakiiri presses Better against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.
Fakiiri blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Fakiiri lands a shot to the body.
Fakiiri has Better pressed against the cage.
Fakiiri scores with a shot to the side of Better's head.
A nice right hand lands inside from Fakiiri.
Better throws a head punch that misses.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Fakiiri.
Fakiiri tries a body shot but Better blocks it.
Better trying to land knees to the body.
Better is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Fakiiri is defending well for now.
Fakiiri misses with the head strike.
Fakiiri is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Better can do to turn this around?
Fakiiri lands a right hand.
Better missing with knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fakiiri can't find room to land a body shot as Better controls the action.
Better tries to throw a body punch but Fakiiri avoids it by throwing Better back against the cage.
Better is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Fakiiri is defending well for now.
Fakiiri throws a punch but it's blocked by Better.
Better avoids a wild elbow strike from Fakiiri.
Fakiiri will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Better up against the cage.
Fakiiri blocks a body shot from Better.
Fakiiri throws a head punch that misses.
Fakiiri using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Better has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Fakiiri blocks an uppercut.
Fakiiri is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Better pushes Fakiiri back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Better.
Better is looking to take this one to the mat.
Fakiiri pushes Better back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A nice left hand lands by Fakiiri.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fakiiri working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Better misses with the head strike.
Better wants to take the fight to the mat but Fakiiri manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Nakki Fakiiri has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Evan Better.
Better is trying to pull guard but Fakiiri has him pressed against the cage.
Better misses with some punches.
Fakiiri dictating the pace here, as the fighters clinch against the cage.
Better cracks Fakiiri with a nice body shot.
Better landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Better changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Fakiiri fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Fakiiri uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Better has time to react.
Fakiiri thuds his right hand into Better's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Nakki Fakiiri seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Fakiiri moves in looking to clinch but Better pushes him off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Fakiiri uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Nakki Fakiiri is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Fakiiri looks to land a right hand but Better moved out of range.
Fakiiri connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Better throws a hook but Fakiiri blocks it.
Fakiiri misses with a wild combination.
Better takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Better is trying to avoid his opponent's strikes and get into the clinch.
A combination from Fakiiri does no damage.
Fakiiri throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Fakiiri thows a body kick. Better tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Better throws a hook but Fakiiri blocks it.
A little feinted left hand from Fakiiri on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Better throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Better is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Nakki Fakiiri is winning the standup battle so far.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fakiiri 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.
Fakiiri jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A countering left hand to the body from Better misses.

Fakiiri clinches with his opponent.
Fakiiri tries a body shot but Better blocks it.
Fakiiri lands with a left to the head.
Fakiiri tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Fakiiri throws a head punch that misses.
Better misses with a hook to the ribs.
Nakki Fakiiri has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Better lands a right hand.
A short left from Fakiiri.
Better missing with knees to the body.
Fakiiri lands a hook that snaps the head of Better backwards.
Better throws a head punch that misses.
Better is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Fakiiri is keeping busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nakki Fakiiri dominated that second round.
That's time! Fakiiri's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Fakiiri tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Better feints the counter takedown.
Better fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Fakiiri manages to avoid it.
Fakiiri lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Fakiiri throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Better takes a kick to the side of the head.
Fakiiri lands a high kick!
Fakiiri clobbers Better with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Fakiiri looks to land a right hand but Better moved out of range.
Better drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Fakiiri defends it well.
A nice inside leg kick there by Better. That's going to slow Fakiiri down.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A head kick misses from Fakiiri.
Better slips a jab from Fakiiri.
Fakiiri thows a left - swing and a miss!
It seemed like Better was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Better tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Fakiiri manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Fakiiri slips a jab from Better.
Better uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Fakiiri.
Better on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Fakiiri. Fakiiri obviously looking to wear him down.
Better keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Fakiiri.
Fakiiri dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Fakiiri throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Better counters with an inside leg kick.
Fakiiri loads up on a big right hand but Better slips the punch.
Better with the counter takedown but Fakiiri avoids it easily.
Fakiiri fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Fakiiri staying out of range there.
Donk. Fakiiri catches Better right on the button with a cross.
Fakiiri connects with a high kick.
Fakiiri lands an overhand right.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Fakiiri closes the distance and clinches.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Better just misses with a elbow thrown towards Fakiiri's brow.
Better goes for a takedown in the clinch but Fakiiri prevents it.
A short left from Fakiiri.
Stalling in the clinch from Fakiiri.
Better swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Better struggles to land a body shot inside as Fakiiri controls his hands.
Better misses with a short punch on the inside.
Better misses with a short punch on the inside.
Fakiiri misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Better.
Fakiiri blocking some punches.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Fakiiri blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Better takes a shot to the head.
Better tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Still in the clinch, Fakiiri scores with a nice short uppercut.
Better scores a nice knee to the body.
Better tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Fakiiri smiles and moves away.
Better avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Better looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Fakiiri bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Better scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Fakiiri doesn't seem bothered though.
Better throws an off balance right hand
and Fakiiri counters with a thumping low kick.
Evan Better has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Better on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Fakiiri shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Better throws a body punch but Fakiiri moves out of range.
Fakiiri throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Better let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Better throws a low kick but it's checked well by Fakiiri.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fakiiri dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Better's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Fakiiri connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Better scrambles back to his feet.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Better misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Fakiiri.
A nice leg kick lands there from Fakiiri.
Fakiiri misses the jab.
Better with the counter takedown but Fakiiri avoids it easily.
Fakiiri feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Betters jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Fakiiri thumps Better with a low kick.
That kick from Fakiiri tenderised Better's leg. Better is trying to keep his angry face on.
Fakiiri feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Betters jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Fakiiri lands with a nice body punch.
Some wild striking there from Fakiiri.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nakki Fakiiri showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Fakiiri has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight 30:27
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 30:27
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nakki Fakiiri!
Nakki Fakiiri thanked the fans post fight for their support.
Evan Better spoke after the fight, saying 'Lucky, lucky, lucky.'.