PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Koa Yagan (ranked 3894 p4p, 5412 weight class) and Palo Meta (ranked 424 p4p, 493 weight class). Meta comes into a darkened arena with his song building. Stay High - Three 6 Mafia kicks in, the lights come on and the crowd goes wild! What a showman! These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Yagan
vs
Meta

183 cm
18
183
1 - 0 - 0

182 cm
18
176
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Big right hand

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Pulling Guard

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 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Koa Yagan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Palo Meta!
The judges for this bout are Paul Gruel, Ryoma Takatsuka and Colin Fray.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Meta keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Yagan.
Yagan lands a nice shot to the body.
Meta misses with an uppercut. Yagan saw that one coming.
Yagan went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Yagan scores with a kick to the midsection.
Meta rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Yagan counters with a straight right hand.

It looks like Palo Meta has been cut.
Meta takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Meta misses with a straight right.
Yagan throws a lazy head kick
and Meta counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Yagan slips under a jab from Meta.
Meta misses the shot to the body.
Yagan takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Yagan smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yagan steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Meta.
Meta ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Yagan moves away.
Yagan feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Meta cracks a nice hook into Yagan's ribs.
Meta throws a looping overhand right but Yagan ducks down to avoid it.
A big left from Meta misses.
Meta throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Yagan counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Meta misses with an uppercut.
Meta swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Meta defending well as Yagan loads up on a big left hand.
It seemed like Meta was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Meta takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Meta bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Yagan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Meta moves away.
Good standup being displayed there by Meta as he connects with a hook.
Meta moves out of range of the body kick.
Yagan cracks Meta with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Meta takes a swing at Yagan's ribcage but misses.
Yagan clobbers Meta with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Thud! ouch! good body kick from Yagan - that will leave a mark!
Meta is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Yagan.
Yagan thows a left - swing and a miss!
Meta digs a good body shot into Yagan's ribs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Meta throws out a powerful jab.
Meta looks to score with a jab to the body but Yagan is just out of range.
Yagan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Meta misses with a body shot
enabling Yagan to counter with a crisp jab.
Yagan avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Meta throws a poor cross that misses

and Yagan counters with a nice right hand that sends Meta toppling to the canvas! Meta scrambles and gets back to his feet - can Yagan finish him?!

Meta is rocked!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Yagan takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Meta is still on wobbly legs! Can Yagan finish him?
We've been told by Yagan's head coaches at Alpha Brasil that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Meta slips a jab from Yagan.
Meta seems to have recovered his senses.
Meta looks to throw the jab but Yagan is out of range.
Yagan throws a front kick that sends Meta stumbling back into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yagan uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Meta.
Yagan needs to keep his hands up - Meta had a free shot at his head there.
The fighters circling - Yagan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Yagan moves away from the strike by Meta.
An attempted straight right counter from Yagan misses the target.
Meta tries to close the distance and clinch up but Yagan swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Meta ducks under a wild hook from Yagan.
Meta lands a nice shot to the body.
Yagan shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Yagan defending well as Meta loads up on a big left hand.
Meta misses with a series of wild punches.
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 Koa Yagan will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Palo Meta's cut.
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.

Meta throws a jab but it's blocked by Yagan.
Meta avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Meta shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Yagan misses with an uppercut. Meta saw that one coming.
Meta swings away with a body shot that misses

and Yagan counters with a nice right hand that sends Meta toppling to the canvas! Meta scrambles and gets back to his feet - can Yagan finish him?!

That has opened up Palo Meta's cut even more.
Meta throws a hook but Yagan avoids it easily.
Yagan lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Meta misses with a hook to the body

and Yagan counters with a crisp right hand that drops Meta! Yagan lets Meta back up to his feet, looking for a finish!
Meta scores with a hook.
Meta is looking to clinch.
Yagan throws a hook but Meta blocks it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Meta takes a swing at Yagan's ribcage but misses.
Koa Yagan is winning the standup battle so far.
Yagan throws a half hearted mid kick.
Meta misses with an uppercut.
Meta misses with a series of wild punches.
Meta dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Meta throws out a loose jab but Yagan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Yagan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Meta.
As Meta backs away, Yagan returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
Meta looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Yagan is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Meta can do to turn this around?
Yagan connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Meta misses the body punch

and Yagan counters with a nice right hand that sends Meta toppling to the canvas! Meta scrambles and gets back to his feet - can Yagan finish him?!
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Yagan scores with a jab to the body.
Yagan takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Meta lands a jab to Yagan's midsection.

Yagan feints and then winds up with a huge right hand that connects perfectly and sends Meta sprawling to the canvas! Meta rolls over backwards and springs off the cage and manages to regain his footing - how acrobatic! Oh, he's still wobbly - can Yagan finish him?!

The cut above Palo Meta's eye is starting to cause him problems now.
Yagan digs a good body shot into Meta's ribs.
Meta swings for the body but Yagan moves out of range.
Yagan tries to counter by clinching up but Meta breaks away and moves out of range.
Meta swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Yagan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Meta slips a jab from Yagan.
Meta waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Yagan.
Meta misses with a wild body shot.
Yagan was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Yagan. Meta does a little dance to reset his feet.
Are you kidding me?! Yagan ducked down and unloaded an uppercut from hell that sent Meta clean off his feet! Someone make me a GIF - that's knockout of the night for sure!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:17 of round 2, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Koa Yagan!
During a confident post fight interview, Koa Yagan thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.