PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Tahboule Alawi (ranked 924 p4p, 1613 weight class) and Rogerio Yamamoto (ranked 90 p4p, 162 weight class). Alawi's entrance music is The Ruler of Everything. A fine choice. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Alawi
vs
Yamamoto

170 cm
32
147
15 - 8 - 2

172 cm
28
150
13 - 8 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Great elbows
Powerful

Pulling Guard
FREECH! (free speech clothing inc with REFUNDS!

Pulling Guard

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 8 - 2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Tahboule Alawi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 13 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Rogerio Yamamoto!
The judges for this bout are Saam Ante, Wagner Zegers and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Yamamoto closes the distance and clinches.
Alawi tries for a takedown. No joy.

Alawi has Yamamoto pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Alawi pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Yamamoto tumbling to the mat - Alawi dives into Yamamoto's guard.
Alawi trying to control but Yamamoto is working from the bottom.
Yamamoto wants to get back to his feet but Alawi is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Alawi trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Yamamoto wants to get back to his feet but Alawi is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Yamamoto is using up a lot of energy trying to get back to his feet. Perhaps he should improve his position first.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Alawi is trying to work a guillotine from the top, or something like that? Don't know how he thinks he's going to get a finish from there.
Yamamoto wants to stand up but Alawi is controlling him.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Yamamoto tries to clinch but Alawi is having none of it.
Alawi attempts a counter takedown but Yamamoto avoids it well and moves away.

Yamamoto fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Alawi, pushing him back against the cage.
Yamamoto lands an elbow that stopped Alawi in his tracks for a moment.
Yamamoto tries to work over Alawi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Yamamoto is pressed up against the cage. Alawi has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Yamamoto down to the mat. Yamamoto avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Alawi closes the distance and clinches up with Yamamoto, looking for a takedown. Alawi pushes Yamamoto against the cage but Yamamoto circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tahboule Alawi. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Yamamoto closes the distance and clinches.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but Yamamoto turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto holds him up against the cage and eventually Alawi drops back down to his feet.
Alawi tries for a takedown but Yamamoto manages to get underhooks.
Yamamoto lands a nice elbow.
Yamamoto lands a damaging elbow.
Alawi takes an elbow to the temple.
Alawi tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Yamamoto smiles and moves away.

Yamamoto gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yamamoto gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

It looks like Tahboule Alawi has been cut.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!

Alawi drags the fight down to the ground.

Alawi working for a triangle but Yamamoto defends it easily.
Yamamoto stopping the sweep attempt from Alawi.

Yamamoto stands up from Alawi's guard - Yamamoto perhaps looking for a knockout.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Alawi jumps guard but Yamamoto turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yamamoto lands an elbow inside that Alawi shrugs off.
Yamamoto is pressed up against the cage. Alawi has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Yamamoto down to the mat. Yamamoto avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.

Yamamoto clinches with his opponent.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Yamamoto just misses with a elbow thrown towards Alawi's brow.

Alawi works for the underhooks and manages to get a trip takedown into guard.
Yamamoto wants to stand but Alawi is controlling the position.
Alawi looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Yamamoto keeping moving, preventing Alawi from controlling successfully.
Alawi won't allow Yamamoto to get back to his feet.

Yamamoto pushes Alawi off and gets back to his feet.

Yamamoto moves into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alawi is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Yamamoto is defending well.
Yamamoto throws an elbow that misses.
Yamamoto is working Alawi over against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Alawi jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Yamamoto walks away with a smile on his face. Alawi gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Yamamoto has managed to clinch.

Alawi jumps into guard, dragging Yamamoto to the mat.
Alawi has Yamamoto pulled in close to control his posture.
Alawi lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Alawi pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Yamamoto is keeping the position for now.
Yamamoto keeping moving, preventing Alawi from controlling successfully.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rogerio Yamamoto dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Tahboule Alawi's cut.
That's time! Alawi's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Yamamoto tries to clinch up but Alawi circles away and keeps his distance.
Alawi fails with a takedown attempt.

Yamamoto fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Alawi, pushing him back against the cage.
Yamamoto has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike from Yamamoto.

Alawi pulls guard.
Alawi seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Alawi is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Yamamoto wants to stand but Alawi has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Alawi pulls Yamamoto in close to his closed guard and prevents Yamamoto from doing any damage or advancing position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Alawi looking to control but Yamamoto passes into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alawi wants to control but Yamamoto is keeping busy.
Yamamoto is trying to get back to his feet now but his leg is trapped.
Alawi holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
Alawi has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.
Yamamoto seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.

Yamamoto stands up out of the half guard.

Yamamoto has taken the fight to the clinch.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Yamamoto to keep the fight standing.
Yamamoto prevents a takedown attempt there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tahboule Alawi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Alawi fails to pull guard.
Yamamoto throws an elbow that misses.
Alawi takes an elbow to the temple.
Alawi avoids a wild elbow strike from Yamamoto.
Alawi has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Yamamoto after a bit of a struggle.
Yamamoto gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike from Yamamoto.

Alawi wants the takedown. Yamamoto is fighting it off but Alawi persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Yamamoto's guard against the cage.

Yamamoto uses the cage to get back to his feet.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Yamamoto doesn't manage to clinch there - Alawi circles away.
Yamamoto tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Alawi manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Yamamoto fails with an attempt to clinch.
Alawi half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.

Yamamoto clinches up against the cage.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Yamamoto to keep the fight standing.
Rogerio Yamamoto seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Alawi is looking to take this one to the mat.
Yamamoto comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yamamoto tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Alawi's elbow.
Yamamoto stops a takedown attempt from Alawi.
Alawi tries to score a body lock takedown but Yamamoto shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Alawi fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Alawi avoids the elbow strike from Yamamoto, against the cage.
Yamamoto tries to throw a body punch but Alawi avoids it by throwing Yamamoto back against the cage.
Alawi goes for a takedown in the clinch but Yamamoto prevents it.
Yamamoto lands a nice elbow.
Alawi fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Yamamoto misses with a hook to the ribs.
Alawi blocks the elbow strike.
Alawi can't get the takedown.
Alawi jumps guard but Yamamoto turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but Yamamoto has him pressed against the cage.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but Yamamoto turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Alawi avoids the elbow strike from Yamamoto, against the cage.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto holds him up against the cage and eventually Alawi drops back down to his feet.
With the fighters up against the cage, Yamamoto throws an elbow but misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yamamoto gets underhooks to prevent Alawi's takedown attempt.
Yamamoto goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Alawi has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Yamamoto is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Yamamoto pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Yamamoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Yamamoto pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto holds him up against the cage and eventually Alawi drops back down to his feet.
Nice elbow from Yamamoto.
Alawi tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Yamamoto smiles and moves away.

Yamamoto closes the distance and pushes Alawi back into the cage.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Alawi fails to pull guard.
Alawi looking for a takedown.
Yamamoto comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Yamamoto pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike from Yamamoto.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Rogerio Yamamoto showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Tahboule Alawi'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!

Yamamoto forces Alawi back against the cage and clinches.
Alawi dodges an elbow strike from Yamamoto.
Yamamoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Yamamoto misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it misses.
Alawi jumps guard but Yamamoto turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Alawi drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Yamamoto gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike.

Alawi manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Yamamoto must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

Yamamoto stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Yamamoto tries to close the distance and clinch up but Alawi swats him away and circles back towards the center.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Yamamoto prevents a takedown attempt there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Tahboule Alawi. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Alawi wants a takedown but no success here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Yamamoto pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Alawi dodges an elbow strike from Yamamoto.
With the fighters up against the cage, Yamamoto throws an elbow but misses.
Alawi avoids the elbow strike from Yamamoto, against the cage.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it misses.
Alawi tries for a takedown. No joy.
Yamamoto misses with an elbow strike.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it misses.
Alawi dodges an elbow strike from Yamamoto.
Alawi tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Yamamoto just stands there and leans against the cage.
Yamamoto misses with an elbow strike.
Yamamoto misses with a punch to the body.
Yamamoto throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Yamamoto lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Alawi is trying to pull guard but Yamamoto has him pressed against the cage.
Alawi can't get the takedown.
Yamamoto tries to throw a body punch but Alawi avoids it by throwing Yamamoto back against the cage.
Yamamoto lands a damaging elbow.
Yamamoto lands an elbow inside.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto won't allow it.
Yamamoto throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Alawi fails to pull guard.
Yamamoto gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Yamamoto lands a shot to the body.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Yamamoto just misses with a elbow thrown towards Alawi's brow.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Yamamoto gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Alawi.
Yamamoto tries a body shot but Alawi blocks it.
Yamamoto throws an elbow that misses.
Yamamoto throws an elbow that misses.
Yamamoto creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Alawi's defenses.
Yamamoto lands an elbow inside that Alawi shrugs off.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it misses.
Yamamoto throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Yamamoto creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Yamamoto lands an elbow just above Alawi 's eye.
Alawi fails to pull guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Alawi fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Alawi is looking for a takedown.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike from Yamamoto.
Yamamoto looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Alawi is looking for a takedown.
Yamamoto looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Yamamoto creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Alawi's defenses.
Yamamoto throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Alawi looking for a takedown.
Yamamoto lands an elbow inside that Alawi shrugs off.
Yamamoto struggles to land a body shot inside as Alawi controls his hands.
Yamamoto creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Alawi's defenses.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike.
Nice elbow from Yamamoto.
Yamamoto comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Alawi is trying to work for a single leg takedown but Yamamoto pulls him back up using the underhooks.
Alawi has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Yamamoto after a bit of a struggle.
Yamamoto creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Alawi's defenses.
Yamamoto tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Alawi's elbow.
Tahboule Alawi has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Alawi blocks an elbow strike from Yamamoto.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Alawi changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Yamamoto fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Yamamoto tries to close the distance and clinch up but Alawi swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Alawi appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

Yamamoto has Alawi up against the cage in a clinch.
Yamamoto lands an elbow just above Alawi 's eye.
Alawi jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Yamamoto walks away with a smile on his face. Alawi gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Rogerio Yamamoto seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nice sprawl there from Yamamoto as Alawi shoots in.
Yamamoto appeared to try and counter that last move with a leg kick.
Yamamoto has worked on his takedown defense in the runup to this fight and it is paying off so far.

Yamamoto has closed the distance and engaged Alawi in a clinch.
Alawi fails to pull guard.
Yamamoto can't find room to land a body shot as Alawi controls the action.
Alawi avoids the elbow strike from Yamamoto, against the cage.
Alawi misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Alawi has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. Yamamoto avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
Alawi tries to pull guard but Yamamoto won't allow it.
Alawi misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Rogerio Yamamoto is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Yamamoto tries to work over Alawi's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rogerio Yamamoto comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Yamamoto winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Saam Ante scores the fight 26:30
Judge Wagner Zegers scores the fight 26:30
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 26:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rogerio Yamamoto!
Rogerio Yamamoto managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Pulling Guard, into his post fight interview.