PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Cleveland Harding (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Lord Sake (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Harding
vs
Sake

154 cm
20
278 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

187 cm
18
210 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Experienced

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Cleveland Harding!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Lord Sake!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Kenichi Hosakawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sake with a poor takedown

and Harding counters with a takedown into side control.
Sake looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!

Harding working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Harding wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Sake, who protects the arm well.

Harding looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Harding working away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Harding is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Sake is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harding working the ground and pound but Sake is defending the strikes.

Harding thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Harding tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Harding throws a strike aimed at the side of Sake's head but Sake avoids it well.
Harding working away.
Harding could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.

Harding is trying to get an arm triangle but Sake is defending well.
Harding throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.

Harding is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Sake has escaped the position, nice work there.
Harding in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.

Harding working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Sake dodges the ground and pound from Harding.
You can see the frustration on Sake's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sake is trying to get back to half guard.
Sake told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.

Harding working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Harding tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
You can see the frustration on Sake's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's four 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.

Harding looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.

Harding tries for a kimura but Sake is defending well.
Sake tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!

Harding is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Sake is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cleveland Harding dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Harding throws a head kick that half lands.
Harding stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Harding wants it to stay on the feet.
Harding feinted with a counter takedown.
Sake has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.

Sake gets tackled into the cage by Harding. Harding maintains the clinch.
Nice body punch from Harding - that landed with a thud.

Harding breaks the clinch.
Cleveland Harding is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Sake avoids the head kick by Harding.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

The fight moves into the clinch position.

Harding manages to break the clinch.
Sake is breathing heavily.
A slapping leg kick lands for Harding.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Harding pushes Sake up against the cage in a clinch.
Harding taking a breather.
Harding stalling the fight.
Harding comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

Harding drops Sake with a big knee straight up the middle! Sake is covering up against the cage but manages to escape and gets back to his feet!

Sake is rocked!

It looks like Lord Sake has been cut.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Sake is still on wobbly legs! Can Harding finish him?
Harding manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
Knees to the body from Harding.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Harding is struggling to control the position.
Harding working Sake over with knees to the body.
A bit of stalling here from Harding.
Harding unloads a knee to the mid-section. Sake lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.

Harding breaks the clinch.
Sake seems to have recovered his senses.

Harding has Sake up against the cage in a clinch.
Harding taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Harding connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sake's face.

Harding breaks the clinch.

Harding darts in and clinches Sake up against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Harding just leaning against Sake, taking a breather.

Harding breaks from the clinch.
Sake shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Harding but Harding pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Harding lands a nice leg kick that just misses Sake's sensitive parts.

Harding has closed the distance and engaged Sake in a clinch.
Harding lands a knee to the body.
Harding is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Sake can do to turn this around?
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.

Harding manages to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Harding lands a body punch.

Harding manages to break the clinch.
Harding punishes Sake's body with a nice straight punch.

Harding pushes Sake up against the cage in a clinch.
Harding slowing the pace effectively.
Harding lands a body punch in the clinch.
Harding lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cleveland Harding dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Lord Sake's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Harding throws a nice inside leg kick.
Sake fails with the takedown
and Harding counters with a nice low kick that buckles Sake's knee momentarily.
Sake has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Harding.
That kick from Harding tenderised Sake's leg. Sake is trying to keep his angry face on.
Sake steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Harding. That one must have hurt.

Harding pushes Sake up against the cage in a clinch.
Cleveland Harding has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Stalling in the clinch from Harding.

Harding breaks from the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Harding fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Sake, pushing him back against the cage.
A body shot lands from Harding.
Harding throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Sake blocks it with crossed arms.
Harding with a knee to the head.
Sake takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Harding connects with a nasty looking knee right to Sake's face.

Harding breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Harding connects with a body shot that sends Sake's belly button to the back.
Donk. Harding catches Sake right on the button with a cross.

Harding shoots in for a takedown. Oh, that's a huge slam! Sake is on queer street and Harding is pounding down on him with a barage of strikes. The ref is forced to step in and stop the fight. Great finish!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:32 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Slam). Cleveland Harding!