UB 1: First Blood PBP Commentary

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Ichigo Curas (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Daniel Sandoval (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Curas
vs
Sandoval

170 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

178 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent MT
Big heart

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Experienced

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Ichigo Curas!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Daniel Sandoval!
The judges for this bout are , Frank Antenori and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Curas displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Sandoval.

Curas is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Sandoval's half guard.
Sandoval tries to get to full guard but Curas has control of the leg.
Sandoval is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Curas tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Sandoval.

Curas decides to return to a standing position.
Curas buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Curas dives in and grabs Sandoval's left leg, looking for a takedown. Sandoval pushes down on Curas's head and hops out.
Sandoval shoots and misses
and Curas makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Sandoval looks gassed!
Sandoval takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Curas shoots in and bounces Sandoval off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.

Sandoval is rocked!

Curas gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Sandoval is still on wobbly legs! Can Curas finish him?

Curas is looking for a takedown. Wow, that's a brutal slam - Sandoval is in big trouble! Curas is landing strikes from the mount and this one is all over! The ref jumps in to save a confused looking Sandoval. Poor guy.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:29 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Slam). Ichigo Curas!

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
90%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Omi Shuai (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kid CuDi (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Shuai comes to the cage accompanied by Xiaolin Showdown. We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Shuai
vs
CuDi

165 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

173 cm
18
160 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Very quick

BJJ White Belt
Good kicks
Granite 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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Omi Shuai!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Kid CuDi!
The judges for this bout are , Timothy Bukovac and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
CuDi shoots in looking for a takedown. Shuai tries to sprawl out of it but CuDi keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Shuai manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Shuai scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
CuDi looks to score with a jab to the body but Shuai is just out of range.
CuDi misses with a kick to the body

and Shuai counters with a single leg into guard. CuDi didn't expect that.
Shuai won't allow CuDi to sweep him here.
CuDi trying to keep a closed guard but Shuai is proving a slippery customer.
CuDi working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Shuai.
Shuai would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
CuDi is trying to control the position but Shuai postures up.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Kid CuDi was stalling too much, according to the referee.
CuDi throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Shuai.

CuDi feints and then dives in with a takedown. That was a long way out but the feint bought him enough time to close the distance and complete the takedown. Now we'll play guard for a bit and see who can get the better of that position.
Shuai trying to keep a closed guard but CuDi is proving a slippery customer.
Shuai is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
CuDi trying to control but Shuai is working from the bottom.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Shuai is trying to control the position but CuDi postures up.

Shuai working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. CuDi doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. CuDi manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
CuDi would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

CuDi avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
CuDi trying to control the position from guard on top but Shuai is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
CuDi looks gassed!
Shuai is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst CuDi is controlling him.
CuDi trying to control the position from guard on top but Shuai is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
CuDi wanted to stand there but Shuai had control of the position.
Shuai bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in CuDi's guard.
Shuai not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Shuai wants to control from the top but CuDi keeps moving.

CuDi escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Shuai gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Shuai sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed CuDi's guard.
Shuai is looking to take a break and control but CuDi is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
CuDi taking some punishment here, with Shuai in his half guard.
Shuai is taking a breather. CuDi says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Shuai is thwarting CuDi's attempts to control the position.
Shuai tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Omi Shuai dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Shuai throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around CuDi's waist but CuDi gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Shuai off to one side.

CuDi scores a takedown into full mount!
CuDi in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
CuDi blocks Shuai's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Shuai is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Shuai is squirming around, avoiding CuDi's attempts to control the action.
Shuai is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
CuDi won't let Shuai get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shuai is working to get back to half guard.
CuDi throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
CuDi wants to control the pace but Shuai is squirming around nicely.

CuDi is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Shuai can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Shuai doing his best to control the position. Can he escape?

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
CuDi trying to control but Shuai is having none of it.
Shuai slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Shuai slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Shuai is on top in guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
CuDi keeping moving, preventing Shuai from controlling successfully.
CuDi looking to control.
Shuai pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. CuDi is keeping the position for now.
CuDi trying to keep a closed guard but Shuai is proving a slippery customer.
Shuai tries to free his leg and advance position but CuDi is retaining full guard.

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.
Shuai trying to control but CuDi is working from the bottom.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Shuai closes the distance and lands a one-two.

Shuai closes the distance and clinches.
Shuai drops to a knee looking for a takedown but CuDi gets the underhooks and prevents it.
CuDi is stalling here.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

CuDi is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Shuai can't fight it off and eventually CuDi manages to take the fight to the floor. Shuai looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
CuDi stops Shuai from standing up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kid CuDi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Shuai cracks the inside of CuDi's front leg.
CuDi stuffs the takedown attempt from Shuai. Shuai gets slowly back to his feet.
Shuai misses with a jab to the body

and CuDi counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Shuai!
Shuai could do with loosing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
CuDi trying to control but Shuai is having none of it.
Poor strikes thrown by CuDi there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
CuDi is looking to work his way around to Shuai's back. He needs to be careful though, as he's in danger of losing this dominant position.
Shuai tries to lock up and control but CuDi gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
CuDi tries to control but Shuai wriggling away.
Shuai is wriggling around trying to escape.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shuai wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by CuDi.
CuDi unloads with some shots from mount but Shuai bucks and avoids them well.
Shuai wants to improve position but instead he's given up his back.
CuDi really has the hooks in deep now - there seems like no escape for Shuai.
Shuai has his hands over his head blocking the strikes from CuDi.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
CuDi throwing lazy shots from the back mount that aren't doing any damage.
CuDi lands a shot to the body.
CuDi is landing with strikes from the back.
Shuai tries to escape the position.
CuDi throwing wild punches that miss their target.
CuDi throwing sloppy strikes.

CuDi is looking for the choke from the back position but Shuai is controlling his hands well.
Shuai trying to control the hands but CuDi breaks the grip.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shuai breaks CuDi's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Shuai trying to control but CuDi is working from the bottom.
Shuai trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
CuDi is trying to control the position but Shuai postures up.
CuDi 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.
CuDi controls Shuai momentarily but Shuai frees himself.
Shuai wants to control from the top but CuDi keeps moving.

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.

We're going to have a standup here because Omi Shuai wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Shuai falls off balance throwing a combination
and Shuai takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Shuai throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
CuDi throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
CuDi shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Shuai but Shuai pushes him off and we're back to square one.
CuDi tries to score a power double leg takedown but Shuai sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten CuDi somewhat.
Shuai defends well against a solid takedown attempt from CuDi.
Omi Shuai has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kid CuDi.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

CuDi shoots in and gets a takedown into Shuai's guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kid CuDi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think CuDi 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 Suge Night scores the fight 28:29
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 28:29
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kid CuDi!

C
A

C
B

energy
A | B

hype
A | B

pop
A | B

mgr
A | B

FIGHT
RATING
35%

Undercard bout

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kato Hong (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and bo Wang (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hong comes to the cage accompanied by Nunchucks. We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Hong
vs
Wang

180 cm
18
187 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

200 cm
18
185 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Dangerous knees
Solid chin

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Kato Hong!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, bo Wang!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Wang tries to clinch there but Hong circles away.
Hong moves in looking to clinch but Wang pushes him off.

Wang closes the distance and clinches.
Hong jumps guard but Wang stands there with Hong around his waist. Hong gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Hong working hard to break the clinch.
Come on Wang - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Hong fails to pull guard.
Wang blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Wang tries a body shot but Hong blocks it.
Hong jumps guard but Wang stands there with Hong around his waist. Hong gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kato Hong. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hong tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Wang with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Hong tries to pull guard but Wang won't allow it.
Hong jumps guard but Wang stands there with Hong around his waist. Hong gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Hong drops down for a takedown but doesn't get it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hong trying to control the position but instead, Wang has worked for underhooks and has pushed Hong into the cage.
Wang putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Hong in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Wang tries to pull guard but Hong won't allow it.
Hong tries for a takedown. No joy.
Wang misses with a knee to the head.
Wang is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Wang jumps guard but Hong stands there with Wang around his waist. Wang gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Hong drops down looking for an ankle pick but Wang pulls his leg out and moves away.
Hong cracks Wang with a good jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Hong shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. Wang manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Hong stopping the sweep attempt from Wang.
Hong slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Wang looking to control.
Hong scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Wang 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.
Wang wants to stand and escape but Hong is having none of it.
Wang looks gassed!
Hong is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Hong gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Hong misses with a head kick.

That's four 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.
Hong wants to clinch up but Wang keeps it at a distance.
Wang misses with a jab, cross combination.
Hong dips to his left and cracks Wang with an uppercut!

It looks like bo Wang has been cut.

Hong gets the takedown into side control.
You can see the frustration on Wang's face as Hong controls the position.
Hong looks up at the clock and then as Wang takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Hong smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Wang is trying to escape the position but Hong is controlling the position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kato Hong dominated that round.
The cut man is working on bo Wang's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Hong lands with a nice body kick.

Hong decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Hong performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Hong'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.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Wang has hold of Hong's hands but Hong slips his arm to the side and lands an elbow.
Wang is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hong is taking a breather. Wang says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.

The ref stands the fighters back up because Kato Hong just wasn't active enough.

Hong shoots in and gets a takedown into Wang's guard.
Hong controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.
Hong is pushing down on Wang's leg trying to pass to half guard. Wang is fighting to maintain full guard but Hong has managed to sneak the leg through.
Hong is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Hong is landing with some decent strikes but Wang is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hong controlling the position easily from mount.
Kato Hong overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Wang takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
Hong controlling the pace for now.
Wang really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Hong. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Wang is flailing around, obviously not happy about being mounted. Hong locks hold of one of his arms and spins for an armbar. He's got it! Wang is forced to tap!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:26 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Kato Hong!