PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Taisto Murkula (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kenta Kobashi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Murkula comes to the cage accompanied by Forever Angel. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Murkula
vs
Kobashi

184 cm
36
188 lbs
36 - 11 - 2

186 cm
34
198 lbs
27 - 8 - 0

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Perkele!

Russian Bears Nutrition
Lion Fightwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 36 - 11 - 2, fighting out of Amsterdam, Taisto Murkula!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 27 - 8 - 0, fighting out of New York, Kenta Kobashi!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Murkula thuds a left hand into Kobashi's body.
Murkula lands an overhand right.

Murkula feints and as Kobashi raises his hands in defense, Murkula changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Kobashi is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Kobashi wants to sweep here but Murkula controlling him for the moment.
Kobashi pulls Murkula in close to prevent any damage.
Murkula stopping the sweep attempt from Kobashi.

Kobashi is edging up against the cage. He's using the cage to get back to his feet. Nice work there - the fighters are clinched.
Murkula wants a takedown.
Murkula lands on the inside with an uppercut.
Kobashi throws a head punch that misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Murkula misses with a hook from the clinch.
Kobashi wants to stall.
A short right from Murkula on the inside.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Murkula lands with a light punch inside.
Kobashi scores with a nice hook to the head.
Murkula tries a body shot but Kobashi blocks it.

Murkula has hold of one of Kobashi's legs. Kobashi is fighting the takedown attempt but Murkula gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.
Kobashi wants to stand but Murkula is controlling the position.
Kobashi avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Kobashi looking to hit a scissor sweep but Murkula is one step ahead there.
Murkula works over Kobashi with some ground and pound from guard.
Kobashi wants to stand and escape but Murkula is having none of it.
Murkula scoring with some ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murkula wants to control from the top but Kobashi keeps moving.
Murkula is looking to work some ground and pound but Kobashi has wrist control.
Murkula landing with the ground and pound.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Murkula accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Kobashi is on top in guard.

Murkula working for a triangle but Kobashi defends it easily.
Murkula 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.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Kobashi not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Murkula wants to sweep but no luck.
Kobashi is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Kobashi is continuing to stall.
Kobashi wants to control from the top but Murkula keeps moving.
Kobashi must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Murkula looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Kobashi stays in close to Murkula's body and controls the position.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

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.
Murkula keeping moving, preventing Kobashi from controlling successfully.

Kobashi avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Kobashi wants to get up but he can't break Murkula's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Murkula bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Kobashi throws out a loose jab but Murkula uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kobashi gets his head snapped back by a nice shot there.
Kobashi defending well as Murkula loads up on a big left hand.
Murkula throws a poor cross that misses
and Kobashi counters with a low kick, right behind Murkula 's knee.
Kobashi throws a nice inside leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Taisto Murkula dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Kobashi takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Murkula takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Murkula half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Murkula scores with a shot to the body.
Murkula connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Murkula walks into a left hand.
Kobashi with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Kobashi swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Murkula misses with a looping right.
It seemed like Kobashi was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Murkula misses the shot to the body.
Kobashi tries to bum rush Murkula with a series of wild strikes but Murkula uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Kobashi avoids a kick to the body.
Kobashi looks to land a body kick but Murkula moved away.
Kobashi walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Kobashi misses with an uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Kobashi darts in and clinches Murkula up against the cage.
Kobashi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Murkula lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kobashi goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Kobashi stalling in the clinch but Murkula improves position.
Kobashi tries a body shot but Murkula blocks it.
A right hook to the body lands for Kobashi.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Kobashi digs a right hand underneath Murkula's ribcage. Murkula let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Murkula misses with a short punch on the inside.
Kobashi scores with a nice hook to the head.
Murkula working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Murkula struggles to land a body shot inside as Kobashi controls his hands.
Kobashi blocking some punches.
Murkula swings away with an uppercut that misses.

Murkula breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Murkula throws a series of punches but Kobashi moves out of range.
Kobashi misses with a body punch
and Murkula counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Murkula 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.
Kenta Kobashi is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Kobashi cracks Murkula with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Murkula looks to score with a jab to the body but Kobashi is just out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murkula misses with a body shot.
Murkula seems to be moving with more speed, compared to his last bout. He must have been working on that in the gym.
Kobashi moves out of range of the body kick from Murkula.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kobashi connects with a right hand. Murkula shakes it off.
Murkula moves out of range as Kobashi throws a body kick.
Murkula tries to land a front kick but Kobashi steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
A telegraphed right hand from Kobashi misses the target.
Murkula is looking to counter punch.
Murkula shoots in for a takedown but Kobashi shows good takedown defense.

Kobashi clinches up against the cage.
Kobashi lands a shoulder strike.
Murkula swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Murkula is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Kobashi is defending well.
Murkula throws a punch but it's blocked by Kobashi.
A nice left hand lands by Kobashi.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Kobashi.
Still in the clinch, Kobashi scores with a nice short uppercut.
Murkula blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Kobashi tries a body shot but Murkula blocks it.
A right handed body shot lands from Kobashi.
Kenta Kobashi seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Kobashi lands with a right to the head.
Kobashi struggles to land a body shot inside as Murkula controls his hands.
Kobashi is pushing Murkula up against the cage, for a bit of lean and pray action. Action being used the in the loosest possible sense of the word.
Kobashi throws a head punch that misses.
Murkula lands with a light punch inside.
Kobashi is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Murkula misses with the head strike.
Murkula fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Murkula fails to land.
Kobashi swings wildly with an uppercut but Murkula uses good head movement to avoid it.
Murkula swings wildly with an uppercut but Kobashi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Kobashi taking a breather.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kobashi prevents a body shot from Murkula.
Kobashi pushes Murkula back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Kobashi misses with a punch to the body.
Murkula has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Kobashi avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Taisto Murkula. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Murkula has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Kobashi is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Kobashi lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Murkula tries a body shot but Kobashi blocks it.
Kobashi has a couple of punches blocked by Murkula.
Kobashi lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Good body shot from Kobashi.
Kobashi tries a body shot but Murkula blocks it.
Kobashi tries to work over Murkula's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Kobashi will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Murkula up against the cage.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kobashi lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Kobashi holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Kobashi swings wildly with an uppercut but Murkula uses good head movement to avoid it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kenta Kobashi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Kobashi lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Murkula throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kobashi swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Murkula 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.
Murkula waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Kobashi.
Murkula lunges at Kobashi with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Kobashi's hand.
Kobashi throws a hook but Murkula blocks it.
Kobashi scores with a kick to the midsection.
Kobashi throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Murkula throws a hook but Kobashi blocks it.
Kobashi tries a quick counter leg kick but Murkula is wise to it.
Kobashi comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kobashi changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kobashi throws an off balance right hand
and Murkula makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kenta Kobashi seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Murkula rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Murkula takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Kobashi swings for the body but Murkula moves out of range.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Murkula looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Murkula moves out of range of the body kick from Kobashi.
Kobashi is looking to score with low kicks.
Kobashi throws a front kick that sends Murkula stumbling back into the cage.
Murkula misses with a low kick.
Kobashi connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.

Murkula tries to keep at a distance but Kobashi has taken the fight into the clinch.
Murkula misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kobashi's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
A frustrated look appears on Murkula's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Murkula wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Kobashi has him pressed against the cage.

Kobashi escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Kobashi tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Murkula is able to avoid easily.
Murkula misses with a looping right.
Murkula lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Murkula fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kobashi manages to avoid it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Murkula with a jab.
Kobashi throws a leg kick but Murkula sees it coming and moves out of range.
Kobashi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Murkula.
Murkula lands a lovely overhand right.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Murkula with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Kobashi to score with a decent uppercut.
Kobashi lands with an overhand left.
Murkula ducks under a wild hook from Kobashi.
Murkula getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Kobashi throws a head kick that misses
and Murkula connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Kobashi, right into the meat.
Kobashi pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Murkula misses with a straight right.
Murkula swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kobashi is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A bone on bone clash there as Murkula blocks the leg kick.
A slow jab from Kobashi misses its intended target.
Kobashi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Murkula.
Murkula fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A slow jab from Kobashi misses its intended target.
Murkula dives in for a single leg takedown but Kobashi sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Murkula takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Kobashi scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

Kobashi clinches with his opponent.
Kobashi misses with a punch on the inside.
Murkula lands an uppercut.
Kobashi pushes Murkula back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Kobashi.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Kobashi.
Kobashi makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kobashi lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Still in the clinch, Kobashi scores with a nice short uppercut.
Kobashi leaning against his opponent.
Murkula prevents a body shot from Kobashi.
Murkula can't find room to land a body shot as Kobashi controls the action.
Murkula fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Kobashi lands with a short shot to the head.
Murkula misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A nice right hand lands inside from Murkula.
Murkula lands a hook to the side of the head.

Kobashi breaks from the clinch.
Murkula lands a leg kick that knocks Kobashi off balance momentarily.
Kobashi throws the left hand but Murkula avoids the punch easily.
Murkula misses with a kick to the body.
Murkula just misses with a punch to the body.
A jab from Kobashi misses.
Murkula lands with a thumping leg kick.
Kobashi goes for a high kick. It partially lands.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kenta Kobashi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Kobashi 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kenta Kobashi!