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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kim Kitsuragi (ranked 1611 p4p, 2415 weight class) and Kobe Bryant (ranked 219 p4p, 319 weight class). The fight MMA fans around the world have waited their entire lives for!
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| 183 cm
31
185
14 - 9 - 1 |
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184 cm
31
195
15 - 16 - 1 |
Good wrestling
World class MT
Very quick |
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Excellent grappler
World class boxer
Heavy handed |
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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 14 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Kim Kitsuragi !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 16 - 1, fighting out of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant!
The judges for this bout are Steve Erwin, John Mangel and Ron Honeybunn.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Bryant rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kitsuragi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kitsuragi cracks Bryant with a good jab.
Kitsuragi scores with a crisp jab that stopped Bryant in his tracks.
Bryant takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Kitsuragi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kitsuragi scores with a nice strike.
Kitsuragi misses with a body shot
and Bryant counters with a nice body shot.
Kitsuragi throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
A punch combination from Bryant misses.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Bryant lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Kitsuragi backs up against the cage.
Kitsuragi fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Bryant fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Kitsuragi manages to avoid it.
Kitsuragi tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Bryant throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Kitsuragi seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Kitsuragi sizes up Bryant with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Kitsuragi lands with an uppercut that bounces Bryant off the cage and back into range.
Bryant's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kitsuragi connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Bryant scrambles back to his feet.
Bryant takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Kitsuragi connects with the punch.
Bryant fails in his attempt to clinch.
Kitsuragi takes the fight into the clinch.
Bryant breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Bryant walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Bryant takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Bryant with a nice cross.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Kitsuragi changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi throws a head kick that misses.
Kitsuragi displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Kitsuragi throws a looping overhand right but Bryant ducks down to avoid it.
Bryant misses with a body shot.
Kitsuragi fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Bryant.
Kitsuragi wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Bryant uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Kitsuragi .
Nice defenses there by Bryant.
Bryant takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Bryant takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Kitsuragi scoring well with a low kick there.
Kitsuragi connects with an inside leg kick.
Kitsuragi throws a big shot that misses.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bryant uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Kitsuragi .
Kim Kitsuragi seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Bryant avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Bryant tries to clinch
and Kitsuragi counters with a right hand to the body.
Bryant takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
A punch combination from Bryant misses.
Kitsuragi tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Kitsuragi misses with a left hand
and Bryant counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Kitsuragi with a nice calf kick.
Kitsuragi misses with a wild body shot.
Bryant's coach down at Next Level MMA was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Bryant's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Kitsuragi punishes Bryant's body with a nice straight punch.
Kitsuragi waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Bryant.
An inside leg kick lands from Bryant.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi works the jab nicely.
Kitsuragi connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bryant moves away from the strike by Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi lands with a right hand.
A slapping leg kick lands for Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi throws a shot from downtown. Bryant moves away and avoids it.
Kitsuragi throws a nice inside leg kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Bryant. Kitsuragi does a little dance to reset his feet.
Bryant misses with the combination.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Kitsuragi scores with a head kick.
Kitsuragi lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Kim Kitsuragi dominated that round.
That's time! Kitsuragi 's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Kitsuragi just misses with a punch to the body.
Good standup being displayed there by Kitsuragi as he connects with a hook.
A low kick from Kitsuragi is predictable there
and Bryant counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Kitsuragi bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
A nice leg kick from Kitsuragi , right into the meat of the thigh.
Bryant lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Kitsuragi circles away quickly and effectively.
Kitsuragi with a jab.
Bryant comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Danga de danga de dang - Bryant scores with a four punch combination!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kitsuragi misses with a head kick.
Bryant let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Kitsuragi throws a sloppy head kick and Bryant moves out of range easily.
Kitsuragi scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Bryant's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Bryant misses the shot to the body.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Bryant throws a leg kick which misses Kitsuragi 's front leg but catches the back leg as Kitsuragi tries to avoid it.
Bryant is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Kitsuragi rather than just go for the knockout.
Kitsuragi looks to clinch
and Bryant counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Bryant throws a series of strikes that have Kitsuragi backpedaling.
Bryant rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kitsuragi moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Kitsuragi was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Kitsuragi fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Bryant tries to clinch but Kitsuragi moves out of range.
Kitsuragi tried to counter with a leg kick but Bryant avoided it.
Bryant moves his head to the side to avoid a jab but walks straight into a cross.
Bryant ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Bryant blocks a head kick by Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Bryant sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Kim Kitsuragi is winning the standup battle so far.
Kitsuragi throws a chopping leg kick but Bryant manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Kitsuragi moves away from the strike by Bryant.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bryant avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Kitsuragi moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Kitsuragi misses with a low kick.
Bryant keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Kitsuragi .
A low kick from Kitsuragi is predictable there
and Bryant counters with a right hand to the body.
Kitsuragi is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Bryant can do to turn this around?
Kitsuragi missing with a left hand there. Bryant was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Bryant tries to counter with a clinch but Kitsuragi shakes him off and moves away.
Kitsuragi misses with the combination.
Bryant doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Kitsuragi dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Kitsuragi lands with an uppercut that bounces Bryant off the cage and back into range.
Bryant moves away from the strike by Kitsuragi .
Bryant throws a fast counter high kick but Kitsuragi manages to duck under it in time.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi avoids the head kick by Bryant.
Kitsuragi dips to his left and cracks Bryant with an uppercut!
A slapping leg kick lands for Kitsuragi .
Bryant lands with an overhand left.
Kitsuragi throws a leg kick
and Bryant counters with a series of strikes. Kitsuragi will be more careful next time no doubt.
Kitsuragi throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Bryant blocks the body kick.
Despite the aggression on Bryant's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
A nice inside leg kick there by Kitsuragi . That's going to slow Bryant down.
Bryant misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Kitsuragi attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Kitsuragi throws a body punch but Bryant moves out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Bryant misses.
Kitsuragi misses with a looping left.
Bryant appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Kobe Bryant is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Bryant manages to avoid it.
Kitsuragi swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Bryant tries to counter by closing the distance.
Kitsuragi throws a right hand that Bryant ducks under and follows up with a left that Bryant also avoids with ease.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
No joy there for Kitsuragi , who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Kitsuragi looks to score with a jab to the body but Bryant is just out of range.
Bryant fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Kitsuragi on the side of the head.
Kitsuragi blocks a leg kick.
Kitsuragi throws a sloppy head kick and Bryant moves out of range easily.
Kitsuragi just misses with a punch to the body.
Kitsuragi misses with a hook.
Bryant steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kitsuragi .
Bryant ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Kitsuragi moves away.
Bryant misses with a few strikes there.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close second round but I would say that Kim Kitsuragi will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare each other down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!
Bryant drives through with a takedown into Kitsuragi 's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
Bryant trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Kitsuragi looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Bryant wants to stand but Kitsuragi has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Bryant looking to pass the guard.
Bryant wants to stand but Kitsuragi is controlling his posture from full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Bryant thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Bryant wants to control from the top but Kitsuragi keeps moving.
The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Kitsuragi lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
A low kick from Kitsuragi misses
and Bryant counters with a left and a right that stings Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Bryant dodges the punch combination from Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi tries a head kick but it misses.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Kitsuragi keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Kitsuragi misses the shot to the body.
The fighters circling - Kitsuragi throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Bryant checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Bryant has a nice red mark on his side after a thudding body kick by Kitsuragi .
Bryant fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Bryant misses with a wild body shot.
Kitsuragi pushes Bryant up against the cage in a clinch.
Bryant tries to pull guard but Kitsuragi won't allow it.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Kitsuragi breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Kitsuragi fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Bryant throws a nice looking combination but Kitsuragi bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bryant takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Kitsuragi loads up on a big right hand but Bryant slips the punch.
Bryant checks a leg kick.
Kitsuragi sets himself, and Bryant steps forward looking for the clinch! Kitsuragi avoids it this time.
Kitsuragi throws a jab but it's blocked by Bryant.
Kitsuragi throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
As Kitsuragi backs off Bryant throws a huge counter combo but Kitsuragi manages to avoid it all.
Kitsuragi forces Bryant back against the cage and clinches.
Kitsuragi lands a right hand that snaps the head of Bryant backwards.
Kitsuragi throws a punch but it's blocked by Bryant.
Bryant misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Kitsuragi lands a hook to the side of the head.
Bryant blocking some punches.
A hook to the body from Kitsuragi .
Kitsuragi fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kitsuragi lands with a light punch inside.
Bryant jumps guard but Kitsuragi turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Kitsuragi swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Kitsuragi scores with a nice hook to the head.
Kitsuragi tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Bryant tries to pull guard but Kitsuragi holds him up against the cage and eventually Bryant drops back down to his feet.
Kim Kitsuragi has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kobe Bryant.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bryant blocks an uppercut.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Bryant just misses with a elbow thrown towards Kitsuragi 's brow.
Kitsuragi lands a shoulder strike.
Bryant has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Bryant blocks an uppercut.
Bryant jumps guard but Kitsuragi turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Kitsuragi makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Bryant manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Kitsuragi drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Bryant dives on top into guard.
Kobe Bryant has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Bryant would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
And that's the end of the fight!
Kim Kitsuragi showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Kitsuragi , winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Steve Erwin scores the fight 30:27
Judge John Mangel scores the fight 30:27
Judge Ron Honeybunn scores the fight 29:28
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kim Kitsuragi !
Kim Kitsuragi seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
64% |
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