PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Mike Iron (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kulapu Saga (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Iron's entrance music is Cool - Remix by Afrojack. A fine choice. Both fighters look pumped up here. Let's hope this is a good fight!

Iron
vs
Saga

185 cm
19
205 lbs
2 - 4 - 0

190 cm
21
200 lbs
3 - 4 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid boxing
Good chin

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Determined

Raw Edge Gear (R.E.G)

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 2 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Mike Iron!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kulapu Saga!
The judges for this bout are Tatsuya Matsuyama, Sosuke Kotani and Ren Mimura.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Iron fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Saga sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
A big left from Iron misses.
Saga stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Saga wants it to stay on the feet.

Saga clinches up against the cage.
Iron managing to block the knees to the body from Saga.
Iron blocks a body shot from Saga.
Iron lands with a left to the head.
A head punch on the inside from Iron fails to land.
Saga has had enough of the clinch but Iron keeps him there for the moment.
Iron throws a knee to the head but misses.
Iron working aggressively here.

Iron pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Iron tries to keep at a distance but Saga has taken the fight into the clinch.
Iron misses with some punches.
Iron tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Iron throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Iron blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Iron wants to break free but Saga has control.

Iron escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Saga lands a right hook to the body.

Saga shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Saga showed some decent athleticism there.
We could do with one of the fighters taking the initiative a bit more on the ground - they're both waiting to capitalize on a mistake.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Saga looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Saga seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
Iron is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Iron slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Saga trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Iron is working an open guard so Saga takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Iron closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Saga tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Iron avoids it.
Saga blocking some punches.
Saga wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Iron avoiding damage as Saga throws knees to the body.
Iron lands with a left to the head.
Iron lands with a short shot to the head.

Iron pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Saga gets tackled into the cage by Iron. Iron maintains the clinch.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Iron.

Iron breaks the clinch.

Saga takes the fight into the clinch.
Iron tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Iron manages to break the clinch.

Saga has taken the fight to the clinch.
Saga blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saga is trying to break free.
Iron tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Iron.
Saga is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the cage.
Iron keeps control of Saga as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

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

Saga clinches up with Iron and pushes him back against the cage.
Saga blocks a couple of punches on the inside.

Saga escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

Saga rushes Iron and presses him up against the cage.
Iron misses with a hook from the clinch.

Iron pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.

Saga fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Iron, pushing him back against the cage.
Iron struggles to land a body shot inside as Saga controls his hands.
Saga blocks an uppercut.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Saga.

Iron breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Iron throws out a loose jab but Saga uses good head movement to avoid it.
Saga displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Iron.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mike Iron. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Saga blocks a jab.

Saga is looking for a takedown here. He's shot in and has managed to get it, finishing up in Iron's half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Saga with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Saga thows a huge punch but Iron dodges it nicely.
Saga tries to stand and escape but Iron is controlling the position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Iron wants to control but Saga is keeping busy.
Saga trying to control the pace.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Saga tries to stand but his arm is trapped.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kulapu Saga dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

No luck for Iron with that takedown attempt.
Saga throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Iron.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Iron.
Nice sprawl there from Saga as Iron shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Mike Iron. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Saga looks to score with a jab to the body but Iron is just out of range.
Iron misses with a hook. Saga ducked under it nicely.
Saga throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Iron looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Saga is fending him off so far but Iron persists. Nope, Saga circles away and we're back to standing.

Saga shoots in and bounces Iron off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.

Iron is working an open guard so Saga takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

Saga scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Iron pushes Saga off looking to stand but Saga dives back in and keeps control.
Saga wants to pass the guard but Iron is defending well.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Saga is looking for a kimura here.

Saga escapes and gets back to his feet.
Iron rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Saga moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Iron.
Saga looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Iron connects with a leg kick. Saga looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Saga. Iron does a little dance to reset his feet.
Iron swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Saga.
Iron tries to clinch up but Saga circles away and keeps his distance.

Saga shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Saga seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Saga stops Iron from getting back to his feet.
Saga sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Iron is trying to control but can't.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Iron is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Saga's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Saga's back!
Saga wants to control his opponent's hands but Iron gets his hands free.
Iron missing with strikes from the back.
Iron struggling to land strikes to the head as Saga covers up.
Iron throws strikes from the back but Saga rolls nicely and manages to end up in full guard. Nice work by Saga.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Iron stopping the sweep attempt from Saga.

Saga is working an open guard so Iron takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.

Saga moves into the clinch.
Iron swings wildly with an uppercut but Saga uses good head movement to avoid it.
Iron tries to work over Saga's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Iron struggles to land a body shot inside as Saga controls his hands.
Iron misses with a knee to the head.
Saga tries to circle away but Iron has him pinned against the cage.
Iron doesn't land with the attempted body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Iron's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Iron scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Saga doesn't seem bothered though.
Iron dives in and grabs Saga's left leg, looking for a takedown. Saga pushes down on Iron's head and hops out.
Iron tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Saga was well out of range. Poor timing from Iron.

Saga shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Saga really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Iron. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Saga has hold of Iron's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Iron manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Saga sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Iron is wriggling around trying to escape.
Kulapu Saga has got the better of the ground game so far.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Saga tries to stand up but he's trapped just for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kulapu Saga showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Iron throws a right and a left that Saga avoids nicely.
Saga throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Iron tries to clinch up but Saga circles away and keeps his distance.
A combination from Iron does no damage.
Saga thows a body shot but no joy.

Saga closes the distance and clinches.
Saga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Saga can't find room to land a body shot as Iron controls the action.
Iron struggles to land a body shot inside as Saga controls his hands.
Saga working hard to break the clinch.
Iron tries to work over Saga's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
A frustrated look appears on Saga's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Saga is looking to control Iron's arms but Iron gets an underhook and turns him. Now Saga has his back to the cage.
Iron misses with a short punch on the inside.
Iron lands a hook to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saga tries to throw a body punch but Iron avoids it by throwing Saga back against the cage.
Iron is looking to break free of the clinch but Saga has double underhooks.
Saga has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Iron wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Iron wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Saga is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Iron softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Iron lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Saga has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Iron doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Iron lands with a left to the head.
A nice left hand lands by Iron.
Iron tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Saga's elbow.

Iron escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Iron misses with a body shot.
Kulapu Saga seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Saga doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.

Saga clinches up with Iron and pushes him back against the cage.
Saga is trying to break free.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Iron.
Saga prevents a body shot from Iron.
Iron with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Saga wants to break the clinch but can't.
Saga goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

Iron manages to break the clinch.
Saga is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Iron rather than just go for the knockout.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Saga slips a jab from Iron.
Saga fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Iron manages to avoid it.

Saga clinches with his opponent.
Still in the clinch, Iron scores with a nice short uppercut.
Saga is trying to break the clinch but Iron has him pressed against the cage.
Iron tries to throw a body punch but Saga avoids it by throwing Iron back against the cage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Iron missing with knees to the body.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Iron.
Iron stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Saga wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Iron has him pressed against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Iron fails to land.

Iron breaks from the clinch.

Saga scores with a takedown into Iron's guard.
Saga takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Iron wants to sweep here but Saga controlling him for the moment.
Iron is trying to keep Saga in close.
Saga controls from within his opponent's guard.
Mike Iron has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Iron wants to stand but Saga is controlling the position.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.

Saga shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Iron napping and manages to drive through into side control!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The referee asks Saga politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Saga prefers to stall for the moment though.
Iron tries to improve position but can't.

Saga decides to stand up, so the ref orders Iron to his feet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
A nice leg kick lands there from Iron.
Kulapu Saga is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.

Iron has closed the distance and engaged Saga in a clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Mike Iron.
I think Saga has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 28:29
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ren Mimura scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kulapu Saga!