PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Dan Stack (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pekka Pouta (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Stack might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Deer Dance. 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.

Stack
vs
Pouta

185 cm
22
185 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

185 cm
19
195 lbs
2 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Prefers ground

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Very confident

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 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Dan Stack!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Pekka Pouta!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Yuuki Gou and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Stack misses with a two punch combination.
Stack throws a lazy right hand but Pouta sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Pouta tries to clinch but Stack moves out of range.
Pouta tries a head kick but it misses.
Pouta slips under a jab.
Stack darts in trying to clinch
and Pouta counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Stack explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Stack shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Pouta counters with a left and a right that stings Stack.
Stack throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.

Stack has taken the fight to the clinch.
Stack is trying to break the clinch but Pouta has him pressed against the ropes.

Stack breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Stack getting the better of the striking in that exchange.

Stack moves into range and clinches up with Pouta.
Pouta is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pouta keeps control of Stack as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Pouta breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Stack throws a hook to the side of Pouta's head but Pouta sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Stack misses with a looping left.
Pouta closes the distance looking to clinch

and Stack holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Pouta tries to pull guard but Stack won't allow it.
Pouta jumps guard but Stack stands there with Pouta around his waist. Pouta gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Stack breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

Pouta drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stack is looking to regain half guard here but Pouta keeps moving and retains side control.
Pouta misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Stack is looking to reverse the position.
Pouta working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Pouta sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Stack is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
Pouta looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Stack is avoiding damage well.
Stack struggling a bit here.
Stack is looking to reverse the position.

Well, the referee has seen enough. Neither fighter is active enough on the ground so he's stood them back up.
Stack gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Pouta decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Stack's guard.
Stack is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Stack has control of Pouta's left arm, preventing Pouta from doing any damage.
Stack is breathing heavily.
Stack's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pouta throws and elbow that misses. Stack uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Pouta's guard. Nice move by Stack!
Stack throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Stack trying to control but Pouta is working from the bottom.
Stack postures up and lands a big shot to Pouta's brow.
Stack trying to control but Pouta is working from the bottom.
Stack with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Pouta is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Stack is controlling him.
Stack not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Pouta keeping moving, preventing Stack from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Stack is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.

The referee stands the fighters back up. Dan Stack just wasn't active enough from the dominant position.
Pouta wants to clinch but Stack slips to the side
and Stack counters with a nice body kick.
Stack misses with a wild combination.
Stack tries a head kick but it misses.
Pouta clinches but Stack breaks the clinch

and Stack counters with a takedown into side control.
Stack trying to control the action but Pouta is working from the bottom.
Pouta wants to get back to his feet but Stack drags him back down.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Stack wants to control but Pouta is keeping him busy.

Pouta bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!

Pouta looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into mount! Oh, that's bad for Stack!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Dan Stack will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

A combination from Stack does no damage.
Pekka Pouta seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Stack swinging wilding here.

Stack closes the distance and clinches.
Stack wants to break the clinch but can't.
Pouta fails to pull guard.
Pouta misses with an elbow over the top.

Pouta escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Some bone on bone action there as Pouta checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Stack throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Stack misses with an uppercut. Pouta saw that one coming.
Pouta wants to clinch but Stack slips to the side
and Stack counters with a nice body kick.
Stack wants to clinch up but Pouta keeps it at a distance.
Pouta throws a head kick that misses.
Stack pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Pouta looks to clinch

and Stack counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Stack.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Stack breaks from the clinch.
Pouta tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Pouta throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Pouta wants to clinch but Stack slips to the side
and Stack counters with a straight right hand.
Pouta moves out of range of the strikes.
Pouta misses with a takedown attempt

and Stack counters with a shoot takedown. Pouta fights it but they end up in guard.
Pouta is breathing heavily.
Pouta throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Stack is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Stack distracts Pouta with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Pouta wants to improve his position but instead Stack has moved into half guard.
Stack scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Stack lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Stack trying to control the pace.
Stack prevents Pouta from improving his position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Stack is nestled in close to Pouta, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Stack wants to take a breather but Pouta is having none of it.
Pouta is looking to control Stack's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Pouta avoid being mounted?
Pouta is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Pouta wants to get back to his feet.
Pouta punching from the bottom.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pouta trying to control here.
Pouta misses with some strikes from the bottom.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Stack misses with a kick to the body.
Pouta avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Dan Stack is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Pouta tries to bum rush Stack with a series of wild strikes but Stack uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Pouta takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Stack misses with a takedown attempt - Pouta sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Pouta shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
and Stack counters with a straight right hand.
Dan Stack has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Pekka Pouta.
Stack throws and low kick but Pouta moves out of range easily.

Stack takes the fight into the clinch.
Pouta tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Pouta throws an elbow but it misses.
Stack managing to block the knees to the body from Pouta.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pouta throws an elbow that misses.
Pouta goes for a takedown in the clinch but Stack prevents it.
Pouta is trying to stall.

Stack breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Stack circles away from the clinch attempt
and Pouta takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.

Stack bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Stack is in a dominant position here, looking for a kimura. Pouta looks calm but he's in trouble here. Stack gets his leg over his opponent's head and yanks on the arm. Pouta is tapping like a morse code operator on the titanic! SOS! SOS! Stack lets go of the hold and Pouta can pop his arm back in it's socket.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:56 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). Dan Stack!