PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Ezekiel Cross (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hideaki Ryota (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Ryota's choice of entrance music: Kabuki Gomen-Jyo by Wadaiko Matsuriza. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Cross
vs
Ryota

186 cm
18
177 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

170 cm
21
166 lbs
0 - 3 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Big heart

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Ezekiel Cross!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Hideaki Ryota!
The judges for this bout are Yuuki Gou, Ren Mimura and Yukihiro Yamamoto.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ryota avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ryota closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Ryota takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Cross lands an overhand right.
Cross pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Ryota back to the cage. Cross follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Cross lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Cross lands a jab to the nose.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Cross misses with a wild body shot.
A decent looking cross lands there for Cross.
Cross is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Cross darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Jab from Cross.
Ryota tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Ryota takes one to the chin there.
Cross is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Cross throws a one two combo.
Cross lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Cross throws a shot from downtown. Ryota moves away and avoids it.
Ezekiel Cross seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Cross clobbers Ryota with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ryota keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cross.
Cross misses with a double jab.
Cross is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Ryota fails with the takedown.
Ryota looks winded!
Cross connects with a right hand. Ryota shakes it off.
Cross misses with a hook to the body
and Ryota counters with a two punch combo.
Cross dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Cross lands the left hand.
Nice shot lands for Cross.
Cross lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Ryota at a distance.
Cross throws a series of punches but Ryota moves out of range.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Jab, jab by Cross - just one landing.
Ryota wants to clinch.
Cross throws a body punch but Ryota moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cross throws a body shot but no joy.
Cross misses with an uppercut. Ryota saw that one coming.
Cross misses the shot to the body.
Ryota misses with a body kick.
Cross connects with a single shot there.
Cross throws a hook but Ryota blocks it.
Cross throws the left hand but Ryota avoids the punch easily.
Cross scores with a shot to the body.
Cross lands a nice shot that snaps Ryota's head back.
Cross ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Ryota moves away.
Cross closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Cross throws a series of punches but Ryota avoids them all with ease.
Cross throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Ryota.
Ryota dives in for a single leg takedown but Cross sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Cross jabs at Ryota's body.
Cross will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ryota is looking to clinch.
Ryota keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Cross lands with a nice combination. Ryota backs away looking to recover.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Cross.
Some wild striking there from Cross.
Cross uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Cross just misses with a punch to the body.
A shot to the liver by Cross. Beautiful body shot.
Ryota walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Cross misses with an uppercut. Ryota saw that one coming.
Ryota dodges the punch combination from Cross.
Cross swinging wildly here.

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!
Cross throws a hook but Ryota avoids it easily.
Cross throws a series of punches but Ryota avoids them all with ease.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Ryota is defended easily by Cross.
Ezekiel Cross has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Hideaki Ryota.
Nice jab there from Cross.
Good exchange - Cross coming out on top.
Nice cross by Cross.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Ryota walks into a straight right hand from Cross.
Cross moves into range and throws a lovely three punch combination.
Cross throws a right and a left that Ryota avoids nicely.
Ryota looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Ryota shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Cross but Cross pushes him off and we're back to square one.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ezekiel Cross dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Cross misses with a wild combination.
Cross goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Cross throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A shot to the liver by Cross. Beautiful body shot.
Cross swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Cross lands a jab-cross combination.
Cross lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Ryota is looking to clinch but Cross is avoiding it.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Ryota.
No luck for Ryota with that takedown attempt.
Cross throws a right and a left that Ryota avoids nicely.
Ryota is breathing heavily.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Cross throws a shot from downtown. Ryota moves away and avoids it.
Cross is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Ryota can do to turn this around?
Cross lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Ryota at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross works the jab nicely.
Ryota shoots in looking for a takedown. Cross tries to sprawl out of it but Ryota keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Cross manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Ezekiel Cross has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Hideaki Ryota.
Cross lands a jab.
A shot to the liver by Cross. Beautiful body shot.
Cross cracks Ryota with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Cross feints a jab promting Ryota to slip. Cross then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Ryota slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.
Ezekiel Cross is winning the standup battle so far.
Cross throws out a powerful jab.
Ryota avoids a punch combination nicely.
Cross ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cross throws a series of strikes that have Ryota backpedaling.
Ryota takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Ryota takes a big uppercut there. He seems a bit wobbly but no, he's OK.
Ezekiel Cross is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Cross misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Ryota.
Ryota takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Cross!
Ryota fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Nice straight punches there by Cross. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Cross.
Ezekiel Cross is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Cross fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ryota manages to avoid it.
Cross misses with a double jab.
Despite the aggression on Ryota's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Ryota keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Cross.
Ryota walks into a left hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cross throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Cross scores with a sloppy right hand. Ryota should have avoided that one.
Cross looks to land a combination but Ryota avoids it well.
The fight stays on the outside here - Ryota looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Ryota is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Cross scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Ryota doesn't seem bothered though.
Cross moves into range and connects with a jab.
Cross fails to land with a series of punches.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with eachother but Ryota might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Cross has got the better of the exchanges.
Cross fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Ryota lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Cross lands with an uppercut that bounces Ryota off the cage and back into range.
Ryota has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Nice uppercut lands for Cross. That snapped Ryota's head back.

Ryota changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Cross looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Ryota working away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cross is looking to reverse the position.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Ryota working away.
Ryota scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Cross to see if he's OK.
Cross on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Cross tries to get out of the position.
Cross is looking for a sweep.
Ryota scores with punches from side control.
Cross is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Ezekiel Cross 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!

Cross throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Cross fails to land with a series of punches.
Ryota is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Cross.
Cross keeps the fight on the outside.
Ryota tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A combination from Cross does no damage.
Ryota dives in and grabs Cross's left leg, looking for a takedown. Cross pushes down on Ryota's head and hops out.
Cross will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Ryota tries to counter by closing the distance.
Cross swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Cross tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Ryota was well out of range. Poor timing from Cross.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cross lands with a cross.
Ryota moves away from the strike by Cross.
Cross throws the left hand but Ryota avoids the punch easily.
As Cross backs off Ryota throws a huge counter combo but Cross manages to avoid it all.
Cross pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Ryota looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Ryota tries to clinch but Cross moves out of range.
A little feinted left hand from Cross on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Ryota fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Cross lands a body shot.
Cross misses with a series of wild punches.
Despite the aggression on Ryota's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Ryota walks into a jab.
Horrible takedown attempt by Ryota or perhaps it was just good defense by Cross, which made it look bad.
Ezekiel Cross has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Hideaki Ryota.
Cross throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Ryota drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Cross defends it well.
Cross throws a good cross that connects.
Cross lands the left hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cross lands a body shot.
Ryota showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Cross.
Cross misses with a wild combination.
Cross jabbing away but nothing is landing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cross catches Ryota with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Ryota takes a jab right on the kisser.
A left and a right from Cross both land. Nice combination.
Cross scores with a one two! Ryota had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

Ryota bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Cross tries to bench press Ryota off him but Ryota keeps the position.
Cross is working hard here to advance position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ryota looks up at the clock and then as Cross takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Ryota smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
Cross is looking to regain half guard here but Ryota keeps moving and retains side control.

Ryota is trying to get an arm triangle but Cross is defending well.
Cross wants to control but Ryota postures up.
Cross tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Cross tries to control the position but he's not in luck - Ryota easily slips into full mount!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cross keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Ryota trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Cross is wriggling around trying to escape.
Ryota controlling from mount.
Cross keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Ezekiel Cross showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Cross, 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 Yuuki Gou scores the fight 30:26
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:26
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 30:26

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ezekiel Cross!
In defeat, Hideaki Ryota stepped up to the mic, saying 'Thank you fans for your support!'.