PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Nobu Sanada (ranked 2504 p4p, 293 weight class) and Cajetan Shashi (ranked 3466 p4p, 371 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Sanada
vs
Shashi

175 cm
24
159 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

185 cm
28
169 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

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 - 3 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Nobu Sanada!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Cajetan Shashi!
The judges for this bout are Alan Glass, Wesley Smith and Cecil Peabody.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sanada slips a jab and a cross from Shashi.
Sanada misses with an uppercut.
Shashi ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Sanada misses with a wild body shot.
Sanada throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Shashi stalks Sanada and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Sanada's face. Sanada staggers backwards, shaken.
Sanada tests Shashi's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Shashi looks to land a combination. Sanada sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Shashi throws a body punch but Sanada moves out of range.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sanada punishes Shashi's body with a nice straight punch.
Shashi lands a nice shot to the body.
Sanada works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Sanada looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Shashi misses with a takedown attempt - Sanada sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Sanada is looking to counter with a shot to the body.
Shashi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shashi throws a hook to the side of Sanada's head but Sanada sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Shashi stalling in the clinch but Sanada improves position.
Sanada misses with some punches.
Sanada throws a punch but it's blocked by Shashi.
A nice right hand lands inside from Sanada.
Sanada lands a body shot in the clinch.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Shashi is trying to pull guard but Sanada turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Sanada lands on the inside with an uppercut.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Shashi.
Shashi tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Nobu Sanada has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Cajetan Shashi.
Shashi tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sanada just stands there and leans against the cage.
Shashi is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Sanada tries a body shot but Shashi blocks it.
Shashi can't find room to land a body shot as Sanada controls the action.
A short body shot lands from Sanada as the two fighters clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shashi blocks a body shot from Sanada.
Shashi lands an uppercut.
Stalling in the clinch from Sanada.
Shashi fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Sanada doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Shashi tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sanada just stands there and leans against the cage.
Sanada lands with a left to the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sanada lands a left hand.
Sanada working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Sanada gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Shashi.
A short left from Sanada.
Sanada is working Shashi over against the cage.
Sanada tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Shashi's elbow.
Shashi has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Sanada after a bit of a struggle.
Sanada misses with some punches.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Shashi.
Shashi is trying to break the clinch but Sanada is controlling him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sanada tries a body shot but Shashi blocks it.
Stalling in the clinch from Sanada.
Sanada doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Sanada goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Shashi trying to control the position but instead, Sanada has worked for underhooks and has pushed Shashi into the cage.
Sanada misses with a body punch.
Sanada misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Shashi prevents a body shot from Sanada.

Shashi breaks the clinch.
Shashi fails with the takedown.
Sanada misses with an uppercut

and Shashi holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.

Shashi breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Shashi keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Sanada.
Shashi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
A head kick misses from Shashi.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Shashi throws a head kick but Sanada moves out of range.
Shashi throws a chopping leg kick but Sanada manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Shashi takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Shashi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.

Shashi has managed to clinch.
Shashi drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Sanada misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Shashi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Sanada holding his opponent close, against the cage.
Sanada pressing his opponent against the cage.
Sanada misses with a punch to the body.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sanada misses with a punch to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nobu Sanada dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Shashi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Sanada slaps away a takedown attempt from Shashi, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Cajetan Shashi seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Sanada gets tackled into the cage by Shashi. Shashi maintains the clinch.
Sanada misses with a punch to the body.
Shashi is trying to break the clinch but Sanada is controlling him.
Shashi is looking for a takedown.
Sanada doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Shashi tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sanada just stands there and leans against the cage.
Nobu Sanada has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Cajetan Shashi.
Sanada tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sanada tries to work over Shashi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sanada misses with a hook to the ribs.
A right hand to the body from Sanada.
Sanada tries to work over Shashi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Shashi misses with a hook to the ribs.
Sanada misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sanada scores with a nice hook to the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sanada scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Sanada misses with a body punch.
Sanada lands a shoulder strike.
Sanada misses with a body punch.
Shashi is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Sanada to keep the fight standing.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Sanada lands a left hand that snaps the head of Shashi backwards.

Shashi escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Shashi dives in and grabs Sanada's left leg, looking for a takedown. Sanada pushes down on Shashi's head and hops out.
A little feinted left hand from Sanada on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Shashi misses with a takedown
and Sanada counters with a nice body shot.
Cajetan Shashi is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A decent looking cross lands there for Sanada.
Shashi takes a body punch but keeps moving.

Shashi fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Sanada, pushing him back against the cage.
Shashi is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Sanada is defending well.
Sanada avoiding damage as Shashi throws knees to the body.
Sanada lands a shoulder strike.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A short right from Sanada on the inside.
Sanada throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Shashis head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A hook to the body from Sanada.
Sanada tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Shashi's elbow.
A nice right hand lands inside from Sanada.
Still in the clinch, Sanada scores with a nice short uppercut.
Shashi stalls.
Shashi is trying to pull guard but Sanada has him pressed against the cage.
Sanada lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Sanada struggles to land a body shot inside as Shashi controls his hands.
Sanada digs a right hand underneath Shashi's ribcage. Shashi let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Sanada swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Shashi is looking for a takedown.
Shashi is breathing heavily.
Sanada scores with a hook to the body.
Shashi wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Nice body punch from Sanada.
Shashi is trying to drag Sanada to the mat but Sanada just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Sanada lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sanada swings wildly with an uppercut but Shashi uses good head movement to avoid it.
Shashi wants to get back to striking at distance but Sanada won't allow it.
Sanada lands with a right to the head.
Sanada misses with a punch to the body.
Sanada lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Sanada lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Shashi backwards.
Sanada is working Shashi over against the cage.

Shashi pulls Sanada into guard.
Sanada stands and throws Shashi's legs to the side, diving into side control.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Sanada tries to advance to mount but can't.
Sanada is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Sanada has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Sanada stands up.
Sanada throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Shashi on the side of the head.
Sanada is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Shashi can do to turn this around?
Sanada scores with a shot to the body.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Shashi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
A lazy left from Sanada finds it's target.
Sanada throws a right hand that Shashi ducks under and follows up with a left that Shashi also avoids with ease.
Shashi swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
A head kick misses from Shashi.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nobu Sanada 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!

Sanada thows a left - swing and a miss!
Sanada misses with an uppercut. Shashi saw that one coming.
Sanada throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Shashi fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Sanada has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Shashi finds it's way round the side to connect with Sanada's head.

Shashi instigates a clinch.
Sanada lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Sanada working aggressively here.
Sanada scores with a hook to the body.

Shashi breaks from the clinch.
Shashi pulls out of a head kick attempt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A swing and a miss from Sanada.
Shashi uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Sanada.
Sanada lands a nice looking body shot.
Shashi takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Shashi has his takedown stuffed
and Sanada counters with a nice uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sanada throws a body punch but Shashi moves out of range.

Sanada moves into the clinch successfully.
Shashi is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Sanada gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Sanada throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Shashis head.
Sanada misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Shashi has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Sanada is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Nobu Sanada has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Cajetan Shashi.
Sanada lands a shot to the body.
Sanada misses with a hook to the ribs.
A right handed body shot lands from Sanada.
Sanada goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Sanada digs a right hand underneath Shashi's ribcage. Shashi let out a lung full of air as it connected.
Sanada lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Shashi prevents a body shot from Sanada.
Shashi blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Shashi wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Sanada lands a hook to the side of the head.
Sanada stalling against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Shashi tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sanada just stands there and leans against the cage.
Shashi displaying some good clinch control by pressing Sanada up against the cage.
Sanada goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Sanada tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sanada cracks Shashi with a nice body shot.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Sanada tries to throw a body punch but Shashi avoids it by throwing Sanada back against the cage.
Sanada tries to throw a body punch but Shashi avoids it by throwing Sanada back against the cage.
Shashi takes a shot to the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sanada lands a shoulder strike.
A left hand lands to the body for Sanada.
Sanada stalling.
Sanada misses with the head strike.
Sanada lands with a left to the head.
Sanada lands a shot to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sanada tries to throw a body punch but Shashi avoids it by throwing Sanada back against the cage.
A short body shot lands from Sanada as the two fighters clinch.
Nice body punch from Sanada.
Sanada stalling in the clinch.
Shashi prevents a body shot from Sanada.
Sanada throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Sanada lands a body punch.
Sanada lands a body shot.
Sanada stalls.
Shashi trying to land knees to the body.
A nice left hand lands by Sanada.
A nice left hand lands by Sanada.
Sanada struggles to land a body shot inside as Shashi controls his hands.
Shashi has Sanada pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Sanada manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Sanada.
Shashi tries to land a knee to the head but Sanada blocks with his arms.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sanada lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Shashi backwards.

Shashi is rocked!
Sanada taking a breather.
Shashi is still on wobbly legs! Can Sanada finish him?
Shashi misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Shashi is trying to stall.
Shashi seems to have recovered his senses.
A short left from Sanada.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sanada throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Sanada lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Shashi takes a shot to the head.
Sanada throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Shashis head.
Cajetan Shashi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Sanada softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Sanada is leaning against Shashi and scores with a nice uppercut to the body.
Sanada pressing his opponent against the cage.
Sanada works on Shashi's body with a couple of short punches.
Sanada lands a left hand that snaps the head of Shashi backwards.

And that's the end of the fight!
Nobu Sanada showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Sanada 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 Alan Glass scores the fight 30:27
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Cecil Peabody scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nobu Sanada!