PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Hakuin Ekaku Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Lyoto Parks (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Ekaku Jr comes to the cage accompanied by Jiu Jitsu. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Ekaku Jr
vs
Parks

175 cm
27
165 lbs
15 - 7 - 0

173 cm
42
159 lbs
38 - 13 - 1

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Voodoo Nutrition

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 15 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Hakuin Ekaku Jr!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 38 - 13 - 1, fighting out of Montreal, Lyoto Parks!
The judges for this bout are Yves DeLean, William Peck and Elvis Blanc.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ekaku Jr lands a head shot.
Ekaku Jr has been talking about how he's improved his wrestling in the run up to the fight so let's see if that's enough to sway the balance.
A punch combination from Ekaku Jr misses.
Ekaku Jr swings for the body but Parks moves out of range.
A jab from Parks misses.
A telegraphed right hand from Ekaku Jr misses the target.
Ekaku Jr closes the distance and clinches up with Parks, looking for a takedown. Ekaku Jr pushes Parks against the cage but Parks circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Parks lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Ekaku Jr steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Parks.
Ekaku Jr throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hakuin Ekaku Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A cross from Parks lands.
Ekaku Jr loads up on a big right hand but Parks slips the punch.
Parks misses with an uppercut.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Parks pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Parks misses with an uppercut.
Ekaku Jr fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Jab by Ekaku Jr.

Ekaku Jr manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Parks on his heels. He'll look to pass Parks's guard now, I'm sure.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Parks keeping moving, preventing Ekaku Jr from controlling successfully.
Parks preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Parks trying to control the position here.
Parks is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Ekaku Jr wants to control from the top but Parks keeps moving.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

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.
Ekaku Jr with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Ekaku Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Parks is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ekaku Jr preventing the sweep.
Parks pulls Ekaku Jr in close to prevent any damage.
Parks keeping full guard, as Ekaku Jr tries to pass.
Ekaku Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Parks is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Ekaku Jr closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Ekaku Jr lands in his opponent's guard.
Parks keeping moving, preventing Ekaku Jr from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Parks is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Parks pulls Ekaku Jr in close to prevent any damage.
Ekaku Jr pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Parks is keeping the position for now.
Ekaku Jr trying to control the position from guard on top but Parks is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

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.
Ekaku Jr missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Ekaku Jr is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

Parks forces Ekaku Jr back against the cage and clinches.
Ekaku Jr working aggressively here.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Ekaku Jr.
A short left from Parks.
Ekaku Jr misses with a punch on the inside.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Ekaku Jr creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Parks misses with the head strike.
Ekaku Jr blocks an uppercut.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ekaku Jr lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A right handed body shot lands from Ekaku Jr.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Parks.
Ekaku Jr lands a left hand.
Ekaku Jr fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hakuin Ekaku Jr dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Ekaku Jr fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Parks on the side of the head.
Parks takes one to the chin there.
Nice cross by Parks.
Ekaku Jr keeps Parks at a distance using the push kick.
Parks throws a big shot that misses.
Jab, jab by Ekaku Jr - just one landing.
Parks defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Ekaku Jr.
Parks misses with a wild body shot.
Ekaku Jr tries to counter with a takedown but Parks is quick to defend against it.
Ekaku Jr keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Ekaku Jr tries to clinch but Parks moves out of range.
Ekaku Jr moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Ekaku Jr shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Parks sprawls well. Parks wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Ekaku Jr gets slowly back to his feet.
Hakuin Ekaku Jr is winning the standup battle so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Ekaku Jr clinches up against the cage.
Parks fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ekaku Jr.
Parks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Ekaku Jr is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Parks can do to turn this around?
Ekaku Jr lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Parks backwards.
Parks misses with a hook from the clinch.
Parks swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A nice right hand lands inside from Ekaku Jr.
Ekaku Jr is working Parks over against the cage.
Ekaku Jr taking a breather.
Ekaku Jr scores with a shoulder strike.
Parks lands a body shot.
Ekaku Jr lands with a left to the head.
Parks lands with a right to the head.
Hakuin Ekaku Jr has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Ekaku Jr lands a right hand.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ekaku Jr tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Ekaku Jr throws a head punch that misses.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Ekaku Jr.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ekaku Jr goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Ekaku Jr misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A head punch on the inside from Parks fails to land.
Ekaku Jr fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Parks has a couple of punches blocked by Ekaku Jr.
Ekaku Jr stalling the fight.
Ekaku Jr tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Parks just stands there and leans against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hakuin Ekaku Jr. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Parks lands a shoulder strike.
Parks misses with a punch on the inside.
A short uppercut from Ekaku Jr.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Parks.
Ekaku Jr cracks Parks with a nice body shot.
Ekaku Jr struggles to land a body shot inside as Parks controls his hands.
A right hook to the body lands for Ekaku Jr.
Parks misses with a short punch on the inside.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Parks.
Parks misses with a punch on the inside.
Ekaku Jr lands a right hand that snaps the head of Parks backwards.
Ekaku Jr is trying to pull guard but Parks turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Parks misses with a hook from the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ekaku Jr lands a left hand.
Ekaku Jr lands with a short shot to the head.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Ekaku Jr.
Ekaku Jr blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Ekaku Jr is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Parks gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Parks lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Ekaku Jr tries to work over Parks's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A short right from Parks on the inside.
Parks blocking some punches.
Ekaku Jr digs a right hand underneath Parks's ribcage. Parks let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Parks swings wildly with an uppercut but Ekaku Jr uses good head movement to avoid it.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Ekaku Jr.
A body shot lands from Ekaku Jr.
Parks tries to work over Ekaku Jr's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Ekaku Jr misses with a hook to the ribs.
Parks misses with a short punch on the inside.

Ekaku Jr drags the fight down to the ground.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Parks sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Ekaku Jr bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Parks's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ekaku Jr slips nicely into half guard.
Parks is trying to maintain the position but Ekaku Jr is very close to passing his half guard.
Parks wants to improve his position but Ekaku Jr is controlling well.

Parks kicks off Ekaku Jr and gets to his feet.
Ekaku Jr feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Parkss jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Parks swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Ekaku Jr throws a hook but Parks blocks it.
Ekaku Jr feints and then cracks Parks's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Parks down.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Hakuin Ekaku Jr dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Ekaku Jr fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Parks.
Ekaku Jr misses with a series of wild punches.
Ekaku Jr throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Parks sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Parks looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Ekaku Jr throws a jab when Parks was well out of range.
Parks swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

Ekaku Jr gets a clinch.
Ekaku Jr lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Ekaku Jr misses with a hook from the clinch.
Parks lands a hook to the side of the head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Parks misses with a punch to the body.
Parks lands a shoulder strike.
Parks throws a punch but it's blocked by Ekaku Jr.
Parks misses with the head strike.
Ekaku Jr is looking for a takedown.
Parks lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Parks lands a right hand that snaps the head of Ekaku Jr backwards.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Parks lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Ekaku Jr misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Ekaku Jr prevents a body shot from Parks.
Ekaku Jr looking for a takedown.
Ekaku Jr misses with a short punch on the inside.
Ekaku Jr blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Ekaku Jr misses with some punches.
Parks prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hakuin Ekaku Jr. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Parks has a couple of punches blocked by Ekaku Jr.
Ekaku Jr misses with a punch on the inside.
Parks misses with the head strike.
Parks misses with some punches.
Parks throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Parks misses with the head strike.
Ekaku Jr lands a body punch in the clinch.
Parks misses with the head strike.
A short left from Ekaku Jr.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Ekaku Jr creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Parks slowing the pace effectively.

Ekaku Jr gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Parks is looking to stand up but Ekaku Jr isn't so interested in that idea.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ekaku Jr controlling from the top position.
Parks trying to keep a closed guard but Ekaku Jr is proving a slippery customer.
Ekaku Jr wants to control from the top but Parks keeps moving.
Ekaku Jr throws a strike but Parks rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.

Parks trying to stand up but can't free himself from Ekaku Jr's guard.
Parks stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Ekaku Jr swivels though and keeps the full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ekaku Jr working a defensive guard here.
Ekaku Jr is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Parks is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Ekaku Jr has his hands on Parks's head, controlling the position.
Ekaku Jr tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Ekaku Jr not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Ekaku Jr throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Lyoto Parks has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four 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.
Ekaku Jr swings for the body but Parks moves out of range.
Parks doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Lyoto Parks is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Ekaku Jr uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Parks.
Ekaku Jr feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Parkss jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Parks tries to clinch up.
Ekaku Jr dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Parks wants to clinch.
Ekaku Jr attempts a counter takedown but Parks avoids it well and moves away.
Ekaku Jr scores with a crisp jab that stopped Parks in his tracks.
Parks misses with the combination.

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 Hakuin Ekaku Jr.
Well Ekaku Jr 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 Yves DeLean scores the fight 30:27
Judge William Peck scores the fight 29:28
Judge Elvis Blanc scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Hakuin Ekaku Jr!
In his post fight interview, Hakuin Ekaku Jr gave a big smile as he said 'Thank you to my inspiration, my father, THE GREATEST EVER Hakuin "Zen" Ekaku.'.