PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Anti Half Assed (ranked 426 p4p, 775 weight class) and Kai Yamaguchi (ranked 53 p4p, 101 weight class). Yamaguchi comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Yama Yama kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! The atmosphere really building for this one as we go over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Half Assed
vs
Yamaguchi

179 cm
29
170
19 - 12 - 1

176 cm
39
157
40 - 15 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Granite chin

Shadow-Battle Clothing

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 19 - 12 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Anti Half Assed!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 40 - 15 - 1, fighting out of Sydney, Kai Yamaguchi!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Jack Bonds and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Good shot there by Half Assed.
Yamaguchi lands a jab.
Half Assed jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Yamaguchi jabs Half Assed right on the nose. Half Assed blinks but takes it well.
A clash of legs there as Half Assed blocks the low kick.
Yamaguchi ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Half Assed takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Yamaguchi lands with a good body shot.
A big right from Half Assed misses.
Yamaguchi comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Half Assed throws a lazy uppercut
and Yamaguchi counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Yamaguchi throws a half hearted mid kick.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Half Assed ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Yamaguchi lands a body shot.
A slapping body kick lands there for Yamaguchi.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Half Assed scores with a body shot.
A clash of legs there as Half Assed blocks the low kick.
Yamaguchi throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
We've been hearing reports that Half Assed has been drilling takedowns in recent sessions so let's see if that has an impact on the result of this fight.
Yamaguchi ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Half Assed scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Yamaguchi connects with a solid leg kick.
Half Assed steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Yamaguchi.
Half Assed drops his hands momentarily and Yamaguchi takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
A slow jab from Half Assed misses its intended target.
Half Assed walks into a left hand.
Kai Yamaguchi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yamaguchi connects with a right hand. Half Assed shakes it off.
Yamaguchi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Half Assed.
Half Assed lands with an overhand left.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Yamaguchi bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Half Assed uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Yamaguchi.
Half Assed needs to keep his hands up - Yamaguchi had a free shot at his head there.
Yamaguchi throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Yamaguchi takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Yamaguchi connects with a body shot that sends Half Assed's belly button to the back.
Yamaguchi misses with a shot to the body

and Half Assed holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Yamaguchi lands with a left to the head.
Half Assed blocking some punches.
Yamaguchi lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Half Assed.
Half Assed lands a nice uppercut.
Half Assed is trying to pull guard but Yamaguchi turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Half Assed misses with a body punch.
Yamaguchi gets through Half Assed's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Half Assed tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Half Assed blocks a body shot from Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Half Assed.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A right handed body shot lands from Yamaguchi.
A right hand to the body from Half Assed.
Nice body punch from Yamaguchi - that landed with a thud.
A short right from Yamaguchi.
Still in the clinch, Half Assed scores with a nice short uppercut.
Half Assed misses with a punch to the body.
Yamaguchi digs a right hand into Half Assed's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Half Assed's gas tank.
Half Assed working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Yamaguchi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Half Assed lands with a light punch inside.
Half Assed lands a hook that snaps the head of Yamaguchi backwards.
Half Assed misses with some punches.
Half Assed pushes Yamaguchi back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Half Assed has a couple of punches blocked by Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi is working Half Assed over against the cage.
Yamaguchi lands a shoulder strike.
This has been an exciting period of action!
A hook to the body from Half Assed.
Yamaguchi lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Yamaguchi tries a body shot but Half Assed blocks it.
Yamaguchi misses with some punches.
A short uppercut from Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A right hook to the body lands for Half Assed.
Yamaguchi tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Half Assed's elbow.
Yamaguchi swings wildly with an uppercut but Half Assed uses good head movement to avoid it.
Half Assed tries to land knees in the clinch but Yamaguchi avoids the damage to the body.

Half Assed pulls guard successfully.
Half Assed controls Yamaguchi momentarily but Yamaguchi frees himself.

Yamaguchi stands up and waves to Half Assed to follow him.
Yamaguchi is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Half Assed.
Yamaguchi misses with a right hand
and Half Assed makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Yamaguchi dodges the punch combination from Half Assed.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Half Assed throws the left hand but Yamaguchi avoids the punch easily.
Kai Yamaguchi is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Yamaguchi fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Half Assed has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kai Yamaguchi dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Half Assed blocks a jab.
Half Assed checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Half Assed drops his hands momentarily and Yamaguchi takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
A swing and a miss from Half Assed.
Yamaguchi throws an overhand right that lands on Half Assed's shoulder, as Half Assed tries to avoid the shot.
Half Assed on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
Half Assed moves out of range as Yamaguchi throws a body kick.
Half Assed tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Yamaguchi manages to circle out of the way.
Yamaguchi fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Half Assed manages to avoid it.
Yamaguchi's jab looks to have found its range, popping Half Assed under the eye.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Half Assed drives through with a takedown into guard.
Half Assed trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Yamaguchi trying to control the position.
Yamaguchi tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Half Assed is stalling in the full guard.
Yamaguchi trying to control the position here.
Half Assed is frustrating his opponent with some stalling tactics from top position.
Half Assed wants to control from the top but Yamaguchi keeps moving.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Half Assed pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Yamaguchi is keeping the position for now.

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

That's two 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.
Yamaguchi ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
Yamaguchi misses with a lunging right hand
and Half Assed counters with a straight right hand.
Yamaguchi takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Yamaguchi defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Half Assed.
Yamaguchi throws a leg kick but Half Assed moved away.
Yamaguchi misses with a hook. Half Assed ducked under it nicely.
Yamaguchi throws a predictable looking body shot
and Half Assed counters with a straight right hand.
Yamaguchi looks to throw a body kick
and Half Assed counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Yamaguchi scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Yamaguchi misses with a body shot.
Half Assed throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Half Assed throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Yamaguchi was covering up waiting for the punch and Half Assed finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Yamaguchi trying to keep a closed guard but Half Assed is proving a slippery customer.
Half Assed slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Half Assed passes Yamaguchi's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Yamaguchi is trying to maintain the position but Half Assed is very close to passing his half guard.

Half Assed seems to be working for a kimura but Yamaguchi defends the submission attempt.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Half Assed seems to be looking for submissions.
Yamaguchi is looking to get full guard. It looks like he might be successful but at the last minute Half Assed jumps into side control!
Half Assed is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Yamaguchi's shoulder. That is not cool.
Yamaguchi is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Half Assed goes for an armbar here - this could be all over! But no, Yamaguchi has escaped beautifully and is now on top in side control! Oh, that's unlucky for Half Assed but great work by Yamaguchi.
Half Assed is trying to get back to half guard.
Yamaguchi is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Half Assed will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Anti Half Assed will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Yamaguchi throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Half Assed counters with a nice body shot.
Yamaguchi uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Half Assed.
Half Assed connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Yamaguchi's hands.
Half Assed is looking to clinch but Yamaguchi is avoiding it.
Kai Yamaguchi seems to be getting the better of the standup.

Yamaguchi closes the distance and clinches.
Half Assed scores with a shot to the side of Yamaguchi's head.
Half Assed prevents a body shot from Yamaguchi.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Half Assed takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Half Assed lands a right hand that snaps the head of Yamaguchi backwards.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Half Assed.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Still in the clinch, Yamaguchi scores with a nice short uppercut.
Yamaguchi lands with a short punch from the clinch.

Half Assed manages to break the clinch.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Yamaguchi dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Half Assed. That did some damage!
Yamaguchi takes a swing at Half Assed's ribcage but misses.
Yamaguchi fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Half Assed on the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Half Assed moves out of range of the body kick from Yamaguchi.
A lazy left from Yamaguchi finds it's target.
Yamaguchi slips a jab from Half Assed.
Yamaguchi lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
A solid body kick from Yamaguchi.
Yamaguchi scores with a leg kick.
Half Assed lands a jab.
Half Assed moves out of range of the leg kick from Yamaguchi.
Half Assed misses the body punch
and Yamaguchi counters with a right hand to the body.
Half Assed doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Half Assed uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
A lazy body kick from Yamaguchi
and Half Assed counters with a right hand to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Half Assed misses with a jab to the body
and Yamaguchi counters with a lovely shot to the body.
An inside leg kick lands from Yamaguchi.
Half Assed looks to score with a jab to the body but Yamaguchi is just out of range.

Yamaguchi gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Half Assed to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Half Assed trying to control the position from guard on top but Yamaguchi is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Half Assed is really struggling to control Yamaguchi but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Half Assed trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yamaguchi working a defensive guard here.
Half Assed trying to control but Yamaguchi is working from the bottom.
Half Assed sitting in guard here, content to control.
Half Assed trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Yamaguchi feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Half Asseds jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Half Assed takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Yamaguchi throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A little feinted left hand from Half Assed on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Yamaguchi gets a clinch.
Yamaguchi misses with a body punch.
Half Assed tries to work over Yamaguchi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Half Assed tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Kai Yamaguchi seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Half Assed gets through Yamaguchi's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Yamaguchi misses with a hook to the ribs.
Yamaguchi lands a hook to the side of the head.
Half Assed manages to get underhooks and slows down the pace for a moment.
A short right from Half Assed on the inside.
A head punch on the inside from Yamaguchi fails to land.
Yamaguchi blocking some punches.
Yamaguchi gets through Half Assed's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Half Assed blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Yamaguchi misses with a hook from the clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for Half Assed.
Half Assed struggles to land a body shot inside as Yamaguchi controls his hands.
Half Assed tries to throw a body punch but Yamaguchi avoids it by throwing Half Assed back against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Kai Yamaguchi.
I think Yamaguchi 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 Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kai Yamaguchi!
An out of breath Kai Yamaguchi thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.