PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Ben Tucker (ranked 5639 p4p, 6373 weight class) and Hayato Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Well, I have no idea who's going to take this one!

Tucker
vs
Sakuraba

165 cm
19
146
0 - 0 - 0

165 cm
27
142
2 - 5 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Good chin

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ben Tucker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 5 - 0, fighting out of New York, Hayato Sakuraba!
The judges for this bout are Eddie Farnsworth, Chad Campbell and Franklyn Lucas.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Tucker throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Tucker throws a right and a left that both miss.
A cross from Sakuraba lands.
Sakuraba cracks Tucker with a right hand to the side of the head.
Tucker on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Sakuraba lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Tucker tries for a takedown but Sakuraba circles away easily
and Sakuraba cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Tucker shoots and misses
and Sakuraba counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A chopping leg kick lands by Sakuraba.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Sakuraba closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
You can see the frustration on Tucker's face as Sakuraba controls the position.

Sakuraba has hold of Tucker's arm here. He's working for an Americana. It looks like he might have it! Tucker tries to escape but he's just digging himself in deeper - Sakuraba cranks the arm and Tucker screams in pain! The ref makes a decision and ends the fight before the tap - no complains from Tucker, who is just happy to have his arm attached to his body.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:55 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Americana). Hayato Sakuraba!