PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Orlando Gonzales (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kikiro Ko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Kikiro Ko has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Orlando Gonzales's chin.

Gonzales
vs
Ko

158 cm
21
161 lbs
3 - 0 - 0

175 cm
24
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Orlando Gonzales!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kikiro Ko!
The judges for this bout are Shirou Masuda, Taro Takaoka and Kenichi Hosakawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Gonzales throws a loose over hand right and dives in with a double leg takedown. Ko tries to sprawl but it's too late and the fighters hit the mat. Gonzales is in Ko's guard.
Gonzales could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Ko has momentary wrist control but Gonzales slips an elbow through the middle.
Gonzales throws a big elbow that misses.
Ko throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.
Gonzales working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Gonzales lands a couple of elbows.
Ko avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Gonzales throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Gonzales controls from within his opponent's guard.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Gonzales's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Gonzales 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.
Gonzales landing with the ground and pound.
Gonzales sitting in guard, not really doing much.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ko tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Gonzales not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gonzales accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ko pulls Gonzales in close to prevent any damage.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gonzales accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gonzales really is built like a bowling ball. I wonder if he'd roll if you pushed him down a hill...
Gonzales is in close to Ko's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Gonzales not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Ko looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Gonzales is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gonzales accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gonzales landing some decent shots from guard.
Gonzales keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Ko's head.
Gonzales scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Ko working a defensive guard here.
Gonzales throws a big elbow that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales stands up over Ko, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Ko has a closed guard, preventing Gonzales from standing up.
Gonzales is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Gonzales won't allow Ko to get back to his feet.
Gonzales throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Ko can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Gonzales controls the pace.
Gonzales trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Gonzales with a nice head shot there.
Gonzales lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Gonzales loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Ko tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Ko trying to control the position.
Ko has momentary wrist control but Gonzales slips an elbow through the middle.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ko being controlled here, momentarily.
Gonzales working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Ko thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Gonzales is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Gonzales stands up over Ko, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Gonzales scoring with punches to the head and body.
Gonzales with a nice head shot there.
Gonzales lands a couple of elbows.
Gonzales works over Ko with some ground and pound from guard.
Gonzales throws a big right hand that misses.
Ko working a defensive guard here.
Gonzales keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Ko's head.
Ko throws a couple of shots from the bottom but they don't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Gonzales is in close to Ko's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Gonzales lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Gonzales postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Ko has momentary wrist control but Gonzales slips an elbow through the middle.
Gonzales is stalling in the full guard.
Gonzales'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.
Gonzales is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Gonzales might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Gonzales controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Gonzales postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Gonzales connects with a couple of short punches.
Gonzales chips away with some ground and pound.

Ko pushes Gonzales off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
Gonzales shoots in for a double leg but Ko sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Orlando Gonzales dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Gonzales takes the fight into the clinch.

Ko breaks the clinch.
Gonzales shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Ko defends it nicely.
It seemed like Ko was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.

Ko changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Gonzales looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
You can see the frustration on Gonzales's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The ground and pound from Ko seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The strikes coming from Ko are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Gonzales tries to control but Ko manages to take his back.
Gonzales staying busy and making it hard for Ko to control.
Ko might have to switch it up a bit here because his efforts to control Gonzales haven't been going to plan, at least at the current moment in time.
Gonzales trying to control the hands but Ko breaks the grip.
Orlando Gonzales overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Ko is looking to finish the fight by rear naked choke. Gonzales knows exactly what he's got planned though, so he's defending well. Maybe a few strikes would soften Gonzales for a finish.
Gonzales tries to escape but Ko has the hooks in and won't let him break free.
Ko is trying to stick to Gonzales's back but Gonzales is turning into Ko. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Ko's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Gonzales.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales sitting in guard, not really doing much.

Ko looking for a guillotine here but Gonzales defends easily.
Gonzales lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Gonzales is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Ko can do to turn this around?
Gonzales working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Ko's head.
Ko is pulling down on Gonzales's head. It's preventing any offense from Gonzales, at least for the moment.
Gonzales loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Gonzales landing some decent shots from guard.
Gonzales lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Gonzales loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Gonzales thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
Gonzales is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Gonzales sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Gonzales lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Gonzales scoring with punches to the head and body.
Gonzales postures up and lands a big shot to Ko's brow.
Ko looking for a sweep. Not yet Ko, not yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gonzales slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Gonzales in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Gonzales connects with a couple of short punches.
Gonzales working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales with a nice head shot there.
Gonzales content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Ko working a defensive guard here.
Gonzales is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Gonzales postures up in Ko's guard and throws a big left but Ko blocks it.
Gonzales postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Gonzales chips away with some ground and pound.
Gonzales is working Ko over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Gonzales is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Gonzales connects with a couple of short punches.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Gonzales lands a couple of elbows.
Ko is trying to control the position but Gonzales postures up.
Gonzales landing with the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Orlando Gonzales dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Gonzales misses with a takedown attempt
and Ko counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Gonzales shoots in for a takedown but Ko shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Gonzales fails with the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Orlando Gonzales. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Gonzales looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Gonzales preventing the sweep.
Gonzales scoring with punches to the head and body.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gonzales won't allow Ko to sweep him here.
Gonzales is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Gonzales accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Gonzales keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Ko's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ko pulls Gonzales in close to prevent any damage.
Gonzales is working Ko over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.

Ko is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Gonzales working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Gonzales is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

Ko manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Gonzales avoids the clinch attempt nicely.

Ko has Gonzales up against the cage in a clinch.

Ko breaks the clinch.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Ko.
Gonzales wants to get back to his feet but Ko is dominant here and he's now got Gonzales's back!
Ko takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Gonzales is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
Ko misses with an elbow to the head.
Ko misses with punches from the back.
Gonzales manages to reverse the position and now he's in Ko's guard. Nice work there by Gonzales.
Ko is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Gonzales is controlling him.
Gonzales with a nice head shot there.
Gonzales is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Ko is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gonzales distracts Ko with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales scoring with some ground and pound.
Gonzales scoring with punches to the head and body.
Gonzales with a nice head shot there.
Gonzales sitting in guard here, content to control.
Gonzales scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Ko looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Gonzales seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Gonzales makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Gonzales with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Gonzales makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Ko has a closed guard, preventing Gonzales from standing up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gonzales stands up over Ko, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Gonzales not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Ko working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Gonzales.
Gonzales cracks Ko with a solid left hand.
Gonzales controlling from the top position.
Gonzales with a flurry of punches that miss.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Gonzales scores with a nice right hand.
Kikiro Ko is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Gonzales instigates a clinch.
Ko on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Gonzales struggles to land a body shot inside as Ko controls his hands.
Kikiro Ko has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Orlando Gonzales is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Ko makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Orlando Gonzales.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Gonzales, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Shirou Masuda scores the fight 30:27
Judge Taro Takaoka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Orlando Gonzales!