PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Ian Danner (ranked 4257 p4p, 5300 weight class) and Yudai Kitamura (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Danner
vs
Kitamura

170 cm
25
135
0 - 0 - 0

173 cm
18
145
3 - 1 - 0

Good takedowns
Brawler
Granite chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Solid chin

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 London, Ian Danner!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Yudai Kitamura!
The judges for this bout are William Gold, Chris Edwards and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Danner throws a right and a left that both miss.
Danner slips a jab and a cross from Kitamura.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Danner checks a leg kick.
Danner checks a low kick from Kitamura.
Danner slips a jab and a cross from Kitamura.
Danner wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
Kitamura tries to work over Danner's front leg with a kick but Danner checks it.
Danner changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kitamura tries to avoid it but Danner manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kitamura to the ground. Kitamura escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Danner dodges the punch combination from Kitamura.
Kitamura loads up on a big right hand but Danner slips the punch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Danner fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Kitamura to the ground. Danner is now in Kitamura's guard.
Danner showing good wrestling skills to control the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Danner throwing strikes from guard but Kitamura blocks nicely.
Danner has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Danner 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.
Danner is standing up over Kitamura. Kitamura looks to escape but Danner dives into side control.
Danner throwing shots but missing, from side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Kitamura tries to escape but Danner is in control.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Danner tries to move to mount but Kitamura blocks the move with his legs.
Danner tries to score with some ground and pound. Kitamura controls his posture well this time though and the shots don't do any damage.
Danner controlling the position from side mount.
Danner creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Kitamura sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Danner cracks Kitamura with a big elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Danner working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.

Danner thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

Danner has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
We've been informed that Kitamura has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Kitamura misses with a low kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Danner checks the leg kick nicely there.
Kitamura keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Despite the aggression on Kitamura's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Kitamura tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Danner is able to avoid easily.
Kitamura tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Danner keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
An inside leg kick from Kitamura misses.
Kitamura slips a straight right by Danner.
Kitamura tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Kitamura tries to score with a low kick but Danner moves his leg out of the way.
Danner fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Kitamura tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Kitamura is looking to chop away at Danner's legs.
Kitamura throws a chopping leg kick but Danner manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Kitamura stuffs the takedown attempt from Danner. Danner gets slowly back to his feet.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Ian Danner will probably get the nod.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Danner goes for a double leg but Kitamura avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as Kitamura continues to drive forward.
Danner fails to pull guard.
Kitamura stops a takedown attempt from Danner.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ian Danner. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Kitamura breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Kitamura misses with a double jab.

Danner gets a takedown into half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Danner in particular looking to stall.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Kitamura pushes Danner off looking to stand but Danner dives back in and keeps control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kitamura keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Kitamura wants to get back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Danner missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Danner not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Kitamura is looking to escape.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Kitamura throws a series of punches but Danner moves out of range.
Kitamura tries to work over Danner's front leg with a kick but Danner checks it.
No joy there for Kitamura, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kitamura throws a leg kick that is checked

and Danner counters with a single leg into guard. Kitamura didn't expect that.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Danner throws a big elbow that misses.
Danner controls from within his opponent's guard.
Danner passes Kitamura's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Kitamura tries to kick Danner off but Danner keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Danner throwing shots but they're hitting the canvas more than the man.
Danner stalling.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Danner is looking to take a break and control but Kitamura is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Danner shoots in for a takedown but Kitamura shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Danner gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Danner moves out of range of the strikes.
Kitamura displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Danner.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Horrible takedown attempt by Danner or perhaps it was just good defense by Kitamura, which made it look bad.
Kitamura throws a counter combo.
Kitamura with a nice cross.
Kitamura falls off balance throwing a combination
and Danner counters with a two punch combo.
Danner shoots for a takedown but Kitamura saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Kitamura swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
A low kick from Kitamura is predictable there
and Danner makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Danner.
Ian Danner is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Kitamura lands a right hook to the body.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Yudai Kitamura will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Danner avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Good leg kick by Kitamura.
Kitamura throws a leg kick but Danner sees it coming and moves out of range.
Danner lifts his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Kitamura swinging wildly here.
Danner checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Danner closes the distance and clinches up with Kitamura, looking for a takedown. Danner pushes Kitamura against the cage but Kitamura circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Danner has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Danner checks the leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Danner shoots in looking for a takedown but Kitamura manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Danner's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Kitamura lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Kitamura pivots, looking for a leg kick but Danner is out of range and Kitamura settles back down.
Kitamura will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kitamura stalks Danner and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Danner's face. Danner staggers backwards, shaken.
Danner misses with a head kick.
Danner slips under a jab.
Kitamura blocks a head kick by Danner.
Kitamura tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.
Kitamura misses with a two punch combination.
No joy there for Kitamura, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Danner is defended easily by Kitamura.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ian Danner. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kitamura goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Danner.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Danner looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Danner working the head and body with strikes.
Ian Danner overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Kitamura is trying to escape and get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Danner controlling from side mount.
Kitamura tries to get back to his feet but has found himself mounted instead. Damn, that's gotta suck.
Danner controlling his opponent.

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.
Kitamura is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Danner controlling from the full mount.
Kitamura is squirming around, avoiding Danner's attempts to control the action.
Danner lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Danner working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.

And that's the end of the fight!
Yudai Kitamura comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Kitamura 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 William Gold scores the fight 28:29
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 28:29
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yudai Kitamura!
Yudai Kitamura decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.