PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Harry Sears (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akihiro Matsushina (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Akihiro Matsushina acknowledges the crowd's support as he enters the cage.

Sears
vs
Matsushina

170 cm
23
205 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

177 cm
23
210 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid boxing
Cuts easily

Good takedowns
Basic striking
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Harry Sears!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Akihiro Matsushina!
The judges for this bout are Kenichi Hosakawa, Hirohito Nitta and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Matsushina throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Sears's waist but Sears gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Matsushina off to one side.

Matsushina drives through with a takedown into Sears's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Matsushina wants to pass the guard but Sears is keeping the position.
Sears keeping moving, preventing Matsushina from controlling successfully.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Matsushina controls from within his opponent's guard.
Matsushina works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Matsushina tries to pass the half guard into mount. Sears knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Matsushina is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Sears sees it coming and defends easily.
Matsushina is looking to take a break and control but Sears is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sears avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Matsushina.
Matsushina not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sears could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Sears has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Matsushina is working away from the top position though.
Matsushina not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.

Matsushina is looking for a kimura but he's never going to get it from there.
Sears regains full guard, whilst avoiding punches from Matsushina.
Sears is pulling down on Matsushina's head. It's preventing any offense from Matsushina, at least for the moment.
Matsushina preventing the sweep.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Matsushina postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Sears is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Matsushina, into his guard.

Matsushina has his hands on Sears's head, controlling the position.
Sears has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Sears trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Sears throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Matsushina is pulling down on Sears's head. It's preventing any offense from Sears, at least for the moment.
Sears engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matsushina is avoiding any damage by keeping wrist control.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Matsushina trying to control the position.
Sears with a flurry of punches that miss.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Sears looking to sit in guard and control but Matsushina gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.

Sears keeping moving, preventing Matsushina from controlling successfully.

Matsushina is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Sears is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Matsushina trying to control but Sears is working from the bottom.
Matsushina controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Matsushina stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Sears swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Left hook, right uppercut from Sears.
Matsushina fails with a takedown attempt.
Matsushina fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Sears lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Matsushina shoots in but Sears avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Harry Sears has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akihiro Matsushina.
Matsushina shoots and misses
and Sears counters with a right hand to the body.

Matsushina fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Sears to the ground. Matsushina is now in Sears's guard.

Sears pushes Matsushina off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Matsushina changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Sears tries to avoid it but Matsushina manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Sears to the ground. Sears escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Matsushina avoids a kick to the body.
Sears throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Matsushina shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Sears as he avoids it easily.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Sears!
Matsushina is breathing heavily.
Sears looks to land a combination but Matsushina avoids it well.
Matsushina takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sears closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Danga de danga de dang - Sears scores with a four punch combination!
Sears ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Matsushina takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Sears scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Harry Sears is winning the standup battle so far.
Sears scores with a one two! Matsushina had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Matsushina takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sears lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Sears throws a series of strikes that have Matsushina backpedaling.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Sears!
Sears scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Sears bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Sears lands a jab-cross combination.
Sears is working the combinations to good effect here.
Sears lands a jab-cross combination.
Sears moves into range and lands a nice body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A shot to the liver by Sears. Beautiful body shot.
Sears throws a right and a left that both miss.
Matsushina feints the counter takedown.
Sears connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Sears throws a series of punches but Matsushina moves out of range.
Matsushina shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Sears pinned against the cage. Sears gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Sears moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Harry Sears is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Matsushina gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Sears counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Sears scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Sears throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Matsushina.
Sears explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Sears is looking to wear down Matsushina with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Matsushina takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Sears throws a combination. Matsushina tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Sears throws a nice looking combination but Matsushina bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Matsushina shoots in for a takedown but Sears shows good takedown defense.
Sears leaves Matsushina with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Harry Sears is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sears stuffs the takedown attempt from Matsushina. Matsushina gets slowly back to his feet.
Sears rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Matsushina moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Sears catches Matsushina with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Sears fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Matsushina with the counter takedown but Sears avoids it easily.
Sears throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Matsushina stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Sears lands a right hook to the body.
Sears throws a nice looking combination but Matsushina bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sears throws a right hand that Matsushina ducks under and follows up with a left that Matsushina also avoids with ease.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Sears throws a body kick despite being completely out of range

and Matsushina counters with a single leg into guard. Sears didn't expect that.
Matsushina is looking to work some ground and pound but Sears has wrist control.
Sears is controlling Matsushina's posture.

Matsushina drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Matsushina jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Sears is pulling down on Matsushina's head to control his posture.
Matsushina trying to control but Sears is working from the bottom.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Matsushina drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Sears dives on top into guard.

And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Harry Sears dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Sears lands with a right hand.
Sears lands with a nice body punch.
Sears lands with a nice combination. Matsushina backs away looking to recover.
Akihiro Matsushina seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sears ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Sears lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
Matsushina looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Sears is fending him off so far but Matsushina persists. Nope, Sears circles away and we're back to standing.
Matsushina doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Sears counters with a nice body shot.
Sears pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Matsushina back to the cage. Sears follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sears looks to land a combination but Matsushina avoids it well.
Sears lunges at Matsushina with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Matsushina's hand.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A punch combination from Sears misses.
Sloppy strikes from Sears. Those never looked like landing.
Sears lands a jab to the head.
Matsushina will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Harry Sears has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akihiro Matsushina.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Matsushina is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Sears.
Sears lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Matsushina circles away quickly and effectively.
Sears is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Matsushina can do to turn this around?
Matsushina shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Sears as he avoids it easily.
It looked like Sears was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.
Sears scores with a three punch combo!
Sears stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Matsushina is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Sears.
Sears works over Matsushina's head and body with a nice combination.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Matsushina closes the distance and clinches up with Sears, looking for a takedown. Matsushina pushes Sears against the cage but Sears circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Sears feints a jab promting Matsushina to slip. Sears then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Matsushina slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Sears slaps away a takedown attempt from Matsushina, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Sears lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Matsushina at a distance.
Matsushina takes one on the button.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
No joy there for Sears, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Matsushina has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Sears tries to bum rush Matsushina with a series of wild strikes but Matsushina uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Horrible takedown attempt by Matsushina or perhaps it was just good defense by Sears, which made it look bad.
Sears lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Matsushina on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Matsushina fails with the takedown.
Sears lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Matsushina backs up against the cage.
Sears moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Matsushina shoots in looking for a takedown. Sears tries to sprawl out of it but Matsushina keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Sears manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A left and a right from Sears both land. Nice combination.
Sears lands with a good body shot.
Matsushina shoots in but Sears avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Sears fails to land with a series of punches.
Sears misses with a few strikes there.
Matsushina shoots in for a double leg but Sears sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Matsushina shoots and misses
enabling Sears to counter with a crisp jab.
Matsushina looks to land a left hand but Sears moved out of range nicely.
Sears was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Sears changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Sears feints a jab promting Matsushina to slip. Sears then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Matsushina slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
A right-left combo lands from Sears.
Harry Sears is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Matsushina looks for a takedown but Sears sprawls well.
Sears connects with a right hand. Matsushina shakes it off.
Sears swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Sears lands a jab.
Sears lands an overhand right.
Matsushina is trying hard to land a takedown here. Sears sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Matsushina shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Sears but Sears pushes him off and we're back to square one.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sears throws a combination. Matsushina tries to block but a couple of punches get through.

And that's the end of the fight!
Harry Sears showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Sears 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight for Harry Sears!
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight for Harry Sears!
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight for Harry Sears!

Harry Sears wins by unanimous decision!
After winning the bout, Harry Sears thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.