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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Masa Saitoh (ranked 752 p4p, 814 weight class) and Royal Halsti (ranked 97 p4p, 109 weight class). Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.
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| 182 cm
28
205
15 - 6 - 0 |
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190 cm
35
205
30 - 17 - 1 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine |
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Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin |
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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 15 - 6 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Masa Saitoh!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 30 - 17 - 1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Royal Halsti!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Yamamoto, Sosuke Kotani and Shigeki Fujiwara.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Halsti moves into the clinch.
Saitoh working aggressively here.
Saitoh scores with a shot to the side of Halsti's head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Halsti.
Saitoh lands with a short head shot on the inside.
It looks like Royal Halsti has been cut.
Halsti pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Saitoh looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Saitoh fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Halsti manages to avoid it.
Halsti shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Saitoh defends it nicely.
Halsti shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Saitoh counters with a stiff right hand.
Halsti ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Saitoh moves away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Halsti changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Saitoh looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Saitoh is trying to get back to half guard.
Halsti wants to control for a moment but Saitoh uses the opportunity to move back to half guard.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Halsti wants to lay and pray for a moment but Saitoh keeps working.
Saitoh gets back to full guard.
Halsti trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Saitoh keeping moving, preventing Halsti from controlling successfully.
Halsti preventing the sweep.
Halsti must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
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.
Halsti wants to pass the guard but Saitoh is keeping the position.
Halsti trying to control but Saitoh is working from the bottom.
Saitoh bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Halsti's guard.
Saitoh sitting in guard here, content to control.
Halsti wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Saitoh accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Saitoh scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh connects with a couple of short punches.
Saitoh wants to pass the guard but Halsti is keeping the position.
Halsti working a defensive guard here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Halsti keeping moving, preventing Saitoh from controlling successfully.
Saitoh preventing the sweep.
Saitoh's corner is telling him to maintain position.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Saitoh scores with a punch to the head.
Saitoh takes a swing at Halsti's ribcage but misses.
Saitoh lands with a shot to the body.
The fighters circling - Saitoh throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Saitoh's jab looks to have found its range, popping Halsti under the eye.
Saitoh closes the distance and clinches.
Saitoh lands with a right to the head.
Saitoh goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Saitoh working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Halsti is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Saitoh is keeping busy.
Saitoh lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Saitoh works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Halsti's head jolts backwards as he takes an uppercut right on the button!
Saitoh tries to work over Halsti's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Saitoh throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Halsti escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Halsti pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Saitoh swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Saitoh tries to clinch up
enabling Halsti to counter with a crisp jab.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Masa Saitoh dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Royal Halsti's cut.
That's time! Saitoh's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.
Saitoh lands with a good body shot.
Royal Halsti is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Saitoh showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Halsti.
Masa Saitoh seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Saitoh lands a nice shot to the body.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Halsti.
Halsti shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Saitoh defends it nicely.
Masa Saitoh is winning the standup battle so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Saitoh misses with a body shot.
Halsti doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Saitoh counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Masa Saitoh has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Royal Halsti.
Saitoh swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Halsti raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Halsti closes this distance looking for a takedown but Saitoh circles away.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Saitoh swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Halsti slips under a jab from Saitoh.
Saitoh feints and as Halsti raises his hands in defense, Saitoh changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
Saitoh controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Saitoh distracts Halsti with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Saitoh throws a big right hand that misses.
Saitoh is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Saitoh stays in close to Halsti's body and controls the position.
Halsti looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Saitoh 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.
Saitoh sitting in guard here, content to control.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halsti tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Saitoh forces his way into half guard.
Saitoh looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Halsti with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Saitoh is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Halsti is refusing to be controlled, as Saitoh sits in half guard.
Halsti wants to get back to his feet.
Saitoh is taking a breather. Halsti says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halsti strikes from the bottom but Saitoh uses the opportunity to move to side control.
Saitoh is moving around in side control but his primary objective seems to be to maintain the position.
Saitoh is looking to take a break and control but Halsti is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Saitoh staying calm.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Halsti manages to get back to half guard.
Saitoh trying to mount his opponent but Halsti defends it.
Halsti is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Halsti felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Halsti slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Saitoh makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.
Masa Saitoh dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Royal Halsti's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. This is the final round!
Nice takedown defense from Saitoh. No joy for Halsti on that attempt.
Saitoh defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Halsti.
Halsti takes one to the side of the head.
Saitoh bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Halsti is not content to let Saitoh control the position.
Masa Saitoh overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Halsti is trying to escape the position but Saitoh is controlling the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Saitoh trying to control the action but Halsti is working from the bottom.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Saitoh tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Saitoh is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Halsti will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Halsti is trying to improve his position.
Halsti trying his best to control but Saitoh has mounted him.
Halsti keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Saitoh lands with some strikes.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halsti is wriggling around trying to escape.
Saitoh unloading with bombs!
That has opened up Royal Halsti's cut even more.
Halsti takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
The cut above Royal Halsti's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
The referee calls the doctor in to look at Royal Halsti's cut. Oh no, the doctor has called an end to the bout!
Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:42 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Cut). Masa Saitoh!
After winning the bout, Masa Saitoh thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.
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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
33% |
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