PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Kyoji Horiguchi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yves Jabouin (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Jabouin comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Trobule On My Mind- Pusha T and Tyler The Creator kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Horiguchi
vs
Jabouin

164 cm
28
137 lbs
19 - 11 - 0

175 cm
32
145 lbs
20 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Lethal high kicks
Granite chin

Sun-Tzu

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 19 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kyoji Horiguchi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 20 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Yves Jabouin!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Ren Mimura and Sosuke Kotani.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Horiguchi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Horiguchi lands a slapping body shot.
Jabouin wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
A shot to the liver by Horiguchi. Beautiful body shot.
Horiguchi lands with a nice body kick.
Jabouin lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.

It looks like Kyoji Horiguchi has been cut.

Jabouin tries to sprawl but Horiguchi drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Horiguchi wants to pass the guard but Jabouin is defending well.
Horiguchi keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Horiguchi is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Horiguchi trying to control from half guard but Jabouin is working away.
Horiguchi thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Jabouin's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jabouin blocking the ground and pound attempt from Horiguchi.
Horiguchi slows the pace down in half guard.
Jabouin really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Horiguchi. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Jabouin trying to control here.
Horiguchi tries to pass to full mount but Jabouin defends it.
Jabouin trying to hold on to Horiguchi's head to control him but Horiguchi postures up.
Horiguchi throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Horiguchi trying to control from Jabouin's half guard. Jabouin has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Horiguchi missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

That's two 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.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Horiguchi's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Horiguchi missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Horiguchi throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Horiguchi pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Jabouin is keeping the position for now.
Horiguchi stands up over Jabouin, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Horiguchi might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Jabouin looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Horiguchi trying to control but Jabouin is working from the bottom.
Jabouin managing to control the position.
Horiguchi stands up over Jabouin, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Horiguchi accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horiguchi sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Jabouin's guard.
Horiguchi trying to control from half guard but Jabouin is working away.
Horiguchi throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Ground and pound from Horiguchi.
Horiguchi not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Horiguchi thows a huge punch but Jabouin dodges it nicely.
Horiguchi 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.

Horiguchi is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Jabouin defends it well.
Jabouin won't allow Horiguchi to pass to mount.
Horiguchi throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.

Horiguchi is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Jabouin has managed to free his arm - good work.
Jabouin wants to get back to full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Horiguchi not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Horiguchi missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Horiguchi is trying to control the action in half guard but Jabouin is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Jabouin is trying to maintain the position but Horiguchi is very close to passing his half guard.

Horiguchi seems to be looking for submissions.
Jabouin tries to roll over but Horiguchi keeps him under control.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Horiguchi wants to take a breather but Jabouin is having none of it.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Horiguchi sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Jabouin defending well though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kyoji Horiguchi dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Kyoji Horiguchi's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Horiguchi misses with a kick to the body.
Horiguchi gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Horiguchi takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Jabouin throws a head kick that misses.
Horiguchi fails with the takedown.
Horiguchi uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Jabouin.
Horiguchi drops down looking for a counter takedown but Jabouin sprawls and moves away.
Horiguchi scoring well with a low kick there.
The fighters circling - Horiguchi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

Horiguchi drives through with a takedown into Jabouin's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Horiguchi trying to control but Jabouin is working from the bottom.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Horiguchi advances to half guard.
Horiguchi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Jabouin keeps working.
Horiguchi performing his best blanket impression for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Horiguchi is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Jabouin sees it coming and defends easily.
Horiguchi missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Jabouin has hold of Horiguchi's hands but Horiguchi slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Jabouin wants to control but Horiguchi is keeping busy.

Horiguchi seems to be looking for submissions.
Horiguchi wants to free his trapped foot but Jabouin is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Jabouin regains full guard. Nicely done.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two 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.
Horiguchi trying to control the position from guard on top but Jabouin is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Horiguchi is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Jabouin is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Jabouin is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Horiguchi pushing down on Jabouin's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Horiguchi trying to control from half guard but Jabouin is working away.
Horiguchi thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Jabouin's head.
Horiguchi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Jabouin keeps working.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Horiguchi connects with a nice short shot to Jabouin's temple.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Horiguchi seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Jabouin avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Horiguchi.
Jabouin is trying to control but can't.
Jabouin wants to get back to full guard.
Jabouin avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Horiguchi.
Horiguchi controlling the action here.
Horiguchi trying to pass the guard but Jabouin defending well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Horiguchi is nestled in close to Jabouin, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Jabouin trying to control but Horiguchi postures up.
Horiguchi wants to take a breather but Jabouin is having none of it.
Horiguchi passes to full mount!
Horiguchi trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Horiguchi is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Jabouin can do to turn this around?
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Jabouin blocking the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kyoji Horiguchi dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Kyoji Horiguchi'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. This is the final round!

A head kick misses from Jabouin.
Jabouin has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Horiguchi shoots in for a double leg but Jabouin sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Horiguchi closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Horiguchi lands in his opponent's guard.
Jabouin wants to get back to his feet but he's too absorbed in his own little project and Horiguchi manages to pass to side control.

Horiguchi slows the pace down in half guard.
Horiguchi wants to free his trapped foot but Jabouin is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Jabouin regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Horiguchi.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jabouin preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Horiguchi trying to control but Jabouin is working from the bottom.
Horiguchi loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Horiguchi is looking to work some ground and pound but Jabouin has wrist control.
Horiguchi trying to control but Jabouin is working from the bottom.
Horiguchi looking to pass the guard.
Horiguchi is working hard here to advance position.
Horiguchi working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Yves Jabouin has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Kyoji Horiguchi is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Jabouin looking for a sweep. Not yet Jabouin, not yet.
Horiguchi forces his way into half guard.
Horiguchi content to control rather than advance.
Horiguchi'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.
Horiguchi wants to pass the guard but Jabouin is defending well.
Horiguchi controlling the action here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

The referee has motioned to the fighters to stand back up. He just wasn't happy with the level of activity.

Horiguchi changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Jabouin looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
You can see the frustration on Jabouin's face as Horiguchi controls the position.
Jabouin is looking to reverse the position.
A bit of a lull in the action. I'm sure it will pick up again soon... even if the ref has to physically pick them up and put them back on their feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Jabouin tries to improve position but can't.
Jabouin being controlled for a moment.
Jabouin is putting a lot of effort into getting back to his feet here.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Jabouin is letting Horiguchi control him for a moment.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kyoji Horiguchi showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Horiguchi 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 Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:27
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kyoji Horiguchi!
A less than humble Kyoji Horiguchi misjudged his post fight interview somewhat and came across a little too arrogant whilst trying to hype up his own abilities.