PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Shape Shifter (ranked 1081 p4p, 827 weight class) and Sora Izanagi (ranked 161 p4p, 124 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Shape Shifter has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Shape Shifter seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Shifter
vs
Izanagi

191 cm
28
215
12 - 11 - 0

190 cm
27
210
17 - 6 - 0

BJJ Red Belt
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Olympic wrestler
World class MT
Heavy handed

Un-Kaged Nutrition
Urban Fighter

SynCity Fightwear
Shadow Realm Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 11 - 0, fighting out of London, Shape Shifter!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 17 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Sora Izanagi!
The judges for this bout are Steven Brown, Daniel Bishop and Richard Clark.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Shifter fails to land the takedown.
Izanagi swings and misses with a hook to the body.

Izanagi has Shifter up against the cage in a clinch.
Izanagi swings wildly with an uppercut but Shifter uses good head movement to avoid it.
Izanagi lands a shoulder strike.
Izanagi lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Shifter is trying to drag Izanagi to the mat but Izanagi just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Shifter is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shape Shifter. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Izanagi lands a right hand.
Shifter has Izanagi pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Izanagi manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Shifter jumps guard but Izanagi stands there with Shifter around his waist. Shifter gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Izanagi goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Izanagi swings wildly with an uppercut but Shifter uses good head movement to avoid it.

Shifter successfully pulls guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Izanagi trying to stand up but can't free himself from Shifter's guard.

Shifter throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Izanagi escapes and throws Shifter's legs to the side, diving into side control!
Shifter is trying to improve his position.
Shifter tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Izanagi presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Shifter tries to improve his position but instead Izanagi has taken his back!
Shifter is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
Izanagi really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Shifter. 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 two minutes gone in the round.

Izanagi has Shifter's back but decides to stand back up... Obviously he fancies his chances in the standup department!
Sora Izanagi is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Izanagi dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Izanagi works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Shifter on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Nice defenses there by Shifter.
Shifter changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Shifter doesn't succeed with the takedown
enabling Izanagi to counter with a crisp jab.
Izanagi lands a head shot.
A big right from Izanagi misses.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Nice defenses there by Shifter.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Nice sprawl there from Izanagi as Shifter shoots in.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Izanagi! But no joy.
Izanagi fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Izanagi throws out a loose jab but Shifter uses good head movement to avoid it.
Izanagi stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Shifter moves out of range as Izanagi strikes.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Izanagi stuffs the takedown.
Izanagi throws a looping overhand right but Shifter ducks down to avoid it.
Shifter changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Izanagi throws a big shot that misses.
Shifter appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Izanagi connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A big right from Izanagi misses.
Izanagi keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Izanagi stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Shifter ducks right into an uppercut from Izanagi.
Izanagi misses the shot to the body.
Shifter dives in for a single leg takedown but Izanagi sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
Izanagi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
A short right from Izanagi.
Izanagi gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Shifter.
Izanagi misses with a short punch on the inside.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Izanagi throws a punch but it's blocked by Shifter.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Izanagi.
Shifter tries to pull guard but Izanagi won't allow it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shape Shifter. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Izanagi swings wildly with an uppercut but Shifter uses good head movement to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shifter tries for a takedown but Izanagi manages to get underhooks.
Izanagi throws a punch but it's blocked by Shifter.
Izanagi gets through Shifter's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Shifter looking for a takedown.
Shifter is trying to drag Izanagi to the mat but Izanagi just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Izanagi working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Izanagi is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Izanagi misses with a short punch on the inside.
Shifter jumps guard but Izanagi stands there with Shifter around his waist. Shifter gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Shifter is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Shifter is trying to pull guard but Izanagi has him pressed against the cage.
Shifter blocking some punches.
Izanagi has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Shifter blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Shifter blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Izanagi lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Izanagi throws a head punch that misses.
Izanagi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi prevents a takedown attempt there.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Shifter.
Izanagi gets underhooks to prevent Shifter's takedown attempt.
Sora Izanagi seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Izanagi misses with some punches.
Shifter tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Shifter looking for a takedown.
Izanagi is pressed up against the cage. Shifter has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Izanagi down to the mat. Izanagi avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Izanagi with a nice cross.
Sora Izanagi is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Izanagi scores with a nice right hand.
Nice defenses there by Shifter.
Shifter drops down looking for a counter takedown but Izanagi sprawls and moves away.
Izanagi misses with a hook.
Shifter changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Shifter looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Izanagi with a nice cross.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi looks to land a right hand but Shifter moved out of range.
Shifter tries to counter with a takedown but Izanagi is quick to defend against it.
Sora Izanagi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Izanagi lands with an overhand left.
Izanagi has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Izanagi tries to clinch up but Shifter circles away and keeps his distance.
Izanagi misses the jab.
Shifter drops down looking for a counter takedown but Izanagi sprawls and moves away.
Izanagi thows a left - swing and a miss!
Shifter thinks about countering with a head kick.
Izanagi lands a really nice looking cross but Shifter seems unphased.
Izanagi misses with a hook. Shifter ducked under it nicely.
Shifter changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Shifter uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Izanagi.
Shifter is looking to counter the offense by Izanagi and move into the clinch.
Izanagi misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Shifter.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Izanagi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Shifter.
Shifter tries to counter with a takedown but Izanagi is quick to defend against it.
Shifter moves out of range as Izanagi strikes.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Izanagi misses the shot to the body.
Izanagi throws a body punch but Shifter moves out of range.
Shifter feinted with a counter takedown.
Sora Izanagi seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Shifter tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Izanagi paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Izanagi missing with a left hand there. Shifter was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Izanagi slaps away a takedown attempt from Shifter, before circling back to the center of the mat.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Sora Izanagi showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Shifter's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Izanagi just misses with a punch to the body.
Izanagi dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Shifter bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Izanagi sizes up Shifter with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Izanagi looks to land a right hand but Shifter moved out of range.
Izanagi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Shifter.
Shifter half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Izanagi cracks Shifter with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Nice takedown defense from Izanagi. No joy for Shifter on that attempt.
Izanagi doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Shifter shoots for a takedown but Izanagi saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Shifter defending well as Izanagi loads up on a big left hand.
Shifter feinted with a counter takedown.
Shifter fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shape Shifter. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Izanagi throws out a loose jab but Shifter uses good head movement to avoid it.
Izanagi misses with a hook.
Shifter tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Izanagi manages to circle out of the way.
Izanagi throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Shifter attempts a counter takedown but Izanagi avoids it well and moves away.
Shifter displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Izanagi throws out the jab.
Shifter is trying to close the distance and clinch up, after that failed offence from Izanagi.
Shifter takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Izanagi lands a slapping body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Izanagi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Shifter shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Izanagi defends it nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Izanagi! But no joy.
Izanagi's corner calls for a 1-2. Izanagi obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Shifter displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Izanagi throws out the jab.
Shifter tries to counter with a takedown but Izanagi is quick to defend against it.
Izanagi swings and misses with a hook to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Shifter half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
The crowd cheers as Izanagi lands an impressive looking overhand right. Shifter doesn't seem phased though.
Izanagi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Shifter.
Izanagi works Shifter's body with a nice hook.
Shifter uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Izanagi.
Shifter uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Izanagi.
Izanagi throws a right hand that misses

and Shifter counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Shifter.
Shifter is looking for a takedown.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Izanagi misses with the head strike.
Shifter is working for takedown but Izanagi is calmly controlling the position for now.
Shifter tries to pull guard but Izanagi holds him up against the cage and eventually Shifter drops back down to his feet.
Shifter blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Izanagi is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Shifter jumps guard but Izanagi stands there with Shifter around his waist. Shifter gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Shifter manages to pull guard.

Shifter working for a triangle but Izanagi defends it easily.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Shifter working for a triangle but Izanagi defends it easily.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sora Izanagi comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Izanagi has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Steven Brown scores the fight 26:30
Judge Daniel Bishop scores the fight 25:30
Judge Richard Clark scores the fight 25:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sora Izanagi!
A very excited looking Sora Izanagi made sure he remembered to thank all the fans both in the arena and on the internet. He said all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites, which got a big reaction.