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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Donald Cross (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Yoshii Akiyama (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Cross comes to the cage accompanied by Exhibit C. Akiyama has chosen Time to say Goodbye as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!
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| 173 cm
18
150 lbs
2 - 0 - 0 |
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166 cm
20
145 lbs
2 - 0 - 0 |
BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
KO power |
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BJJ Blue Belt
Counter striker
Tends to cut |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Donald Cross!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Yoshii Akiyama!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Shigeki Sano and Tatsuya Matsuyama.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cross will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Akiyama stuffs the takedown attempt from Cross. Cross gets slowly back to his feet.
Cross looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Cross throws a left and a right that both miss
and Akiyama counters with a slapping leg kick.
Akiyama showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Cross.
Akiyama tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Cross paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Cross misses with a two punch combination.
The fight stays on the outside here - Akiyama looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Cross throws a series of punches but Akiyama avoids them all with ease.
Akiyama misses with a body kick.
Akiyama throws a push kick but Cross slaps the foot to one side.
Akiyama throws a sloppy head kick and Cross moves out of range easily.
Cross fails to land with a series of punches.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Akiyama to score an easy takedown into full guard.
Cross working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Akiyama doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Akiyama manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Akiyama must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Akiyama stays in close to Cross's body and controls the position.
Let's hope that Akiyama has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
Akiyama tries to free his leg and advance position but Cross is retaining full guard.
Cross has his foot on Akiyama's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Akiyama works his way back into a safe position though.
Cross not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Yoshii Akiyama.
Cross will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Cross dives in and scores a takedown into Akiyama's guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Cross content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Akiyama preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Akiyama trying to control the position.
Akiyama tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Akiyama not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Akiyama is working an open guard so Cross takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Akiyama instigates a clinch.
Akiyama lands a left hand.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cross is trying to force a seperation but Akiyama has the dominant position.
Cross breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Cross gets caught flat footed, as Akiyama shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Akiyama trying to control the position from guard on top but Cross is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cross tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Cross is breathing heavily.
Akiyama slips nicely into half guard.
Cross tries to push off, looking to stand up, but Akiyama manages to move to mount!
Akiyama looking to control and managing it successfully.
Cross is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama controlling from the full mount.
Akiyama trying to control but Cross is having none of it.
Cross throwing punches from his back but nothing is landing.
Akiyama goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Cross turns into him and now he's in Akiyama's guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Akiyama preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close round but Yoshii Akiyama will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.
Cross misses with a series of wild punches.
Akiyama uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Cross.
Cross misses with a few strikes there.
Donald Cross is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Akiyama changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Cross tries to avoid it but Akiyama manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Cross to the ground. Cross escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Cross falls off balance throwing a combination
and Akiyama moves into the clinch.
Akiyama prevents Cross from breaking the clinch.
Cross is looking to break free of the clinch but Akiyama has double underhooks.
A bit of stalling here from Akiyama.
Akiyama is trying to maintain a safe position but Cross gets an underhook and turns Akiyama into the cage.
Akiyama lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Akiyama decides to pull guard.
Akiyama wants to sweep but no luck.
Cross throws a big right hand that misses.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Cross 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.
Cross tries to free his leg and advance position but Akiyama is retaining full guard.
Cross in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Cross wants to control from the top but Akiyama keeps moving.
Cross is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Akiyama is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Akiyama is trying to control the position but Cross postures up.
Cross throws a big elbow that misses.
Akiyama wants to sweep here but Cross controlling him for the moment.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Cross swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Akiyama wants to clinch up but Cross keeps it at a distance.
Cross connects with a high kick.
Cross misses with a combination
and Akiyama counters with a nice leg kick.
Cross misses with a combination
and Akiyama counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Akiyama.
Akiyama lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Cross backwards.
Akiyama drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Cross gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Cross on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama is trying to stall.
Akiyama lands a nice uppercut.
Cross working hard to break the clinch.
Akiyama tries for a takedown but Cross manages to get underhooks.
Donald Cross has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yoshii Akiyama.
Akiyama effectively controlling the action here.
Akiyama landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Akiyama is breathing heavily.
Akiyama's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Cross shoots in looking for a takedown but Akiyama manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Cross's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Akiyama takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Cross throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Cross displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Akiyama.
Akiyama throws a sloppy head kick and Cross moves out of range easily.
Donald Cross seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cross swings for the body but Akiyama moves out of range.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Akiyama.
Akiyama shoots in for a double leg but Cross sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Akiyama avoids a punch combination nicely.
Akiyama slips a jab and a cross from Cross.
Akiyama fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Akiyama defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Cross.
Cross fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Akiyama avoids it really well and circles away.
Cross misses with a series of wild punches.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close second round but I would say that Donald Cross will probably get the nod.
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.
Cross falls off balance throwing a combination
and Akiyama counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Cross actively working from the bottom here.
Akiyama gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
A looping hook to the body misses from Cross. Akiyama does a little dance to reset his feet.
Akiyama misses with a kick to the body.
Cross misses with an attempted mid kick.
Akiyama keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Akiyama tries to clinch there but Cross circles away.
Donald Cross is winning the standup battle so far.
Cross lands a nice hook to Akiyama's body. Akiyama takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Akiyama clinches up with Cross and pushes him back against the cage.
Akiyama tries to score a body lock takedown but Cross shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Akiyama pulls guard effortlessly.
Akiyama has butterfly guard. He's looking to stand up here. He pushes Cross off him and springs to his feet nicely. The crowd applauds.
Cross shoots in for a double leg but Akiyama sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Cross rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Akiyama moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Akiyama will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Akiyama is looking to clinch but Cross is avoiding it.
Akiyama tries to clinch up but Cross circles away and keeps his distance.
Cross tries to bum rush Akiyama with a series of wild strikes but Akiyama uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Cross swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Akiyama counters with a single leg into guard. Cross didn't expect that.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Akiyama engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Yoshii Akiyama has got the better of the ground game so far.
Cross looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Akiyama tries to free his leg and advance position but Cross is retaining full guard.
Akiyama decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Cross, up you get!
Cross throws a combination. Akiyama tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Akiyama will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Donald Cross has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Yoshii Akiyama.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Cross.
Akiyama wants to land a leg kick but Cross is out of range.
Cross lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Akiyama doesn't manage to clinch there - Cross circles away.
A low kick from Akiyama is predictable there
and Cross counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Cross throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Akiyama works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Akiyama is pulling down on Cross's head. It's preventing any offense from Cross, at least for the moment.
Cross with a flurry of punches that miss.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Cross doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Cross manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Cross scoring with punches to the head and body.
Akiyama working a defensive guard but Cross passes into half guard.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Cross looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Cross not landing any meaningful shots this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Yoshii Akiyama really dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.
Cross misses with a two punch combination.
Cross throws a left and a right that both miss
and Akiyama counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Cross keeping moving, preventing Akiyama from controlling successfully.
Cross is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Cross has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Akiyama can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Akiyama preventing the sweep.
Akiyama slips nicely into half guard.
Akiyama is nestled in close to Cross, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Cross is looking to control Akiyama's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Cross avoid being mounted?
Cross actively working from the bottom here.
Akiyama is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Akiyama is looking for a kimura but Cross is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Akiyama to get the leverage.
Akiyama passes to side control.
Cross is trying to control Akiyama's posture but Akiyama avoids it.
Cross tries to bench press Akiyama off him but Akiyama keeps the position.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama taking a breather here.
Cross is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Akiyama off and has taken his back!
Akiyama turns into Cross and is now in his guard.
Akiyama decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Akiyama feints and as Cross raises his hands in defense, Akiyama changes levels and drives through with a takedown into guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Akiyama forces his way into half guard.
Akiyama looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cross is staying active underneath Akiyama, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Cross controlling the position well.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Cross wants to control but Akiyama is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Cross misses with a series of wild punches.
Cross misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Akiyama counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Cross gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama trying to control the position from guard on top but Cross is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cross will have to put a bit more behind his punches if he's going to do any damage from this position.
Cross working for a triangle but Akiyama defends it easily.
Akiyama pushing down on Cross's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Akiyama works his foot free and advances to mount.
Akiyama sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Yoshii Akiyama dominated that fourth round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!
Cross throws a low kick but Akiyama moves out of range easily.
Cross misses with a double jab.
Cross rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Akiyama moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Cross throws a series of punches but Akiyama moves out of range.
Danga de danga de dang - Cross scores with a four punch combination!
Cross gets caught flat footed, as Akiyama shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Cross has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Akiyama can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Cross had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Akiyama defends it easily.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - an gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Akiyama stands up from Cross's guard - Akiyama perhaps looking for a knockout.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Akiyama tries to clinch up but Cross circles away and keeps his distance.
Excellent takedown into side control there by Akiyama.
Akiyama controlling the position from side mount.
Akiyama wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cross keeps working.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama happy to just control the position for now.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Akiyama scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Cross to see if he's OK.
Cross manages to get back to half guard.
Akiyama passes to full mount!
Cross is looking to improve his position but Akiyama isn't that keen on the idea.
Akiyama looking to control and managing it successfully.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama can't control as he wanted to and Cross manages to get the fight back to his half guard.
Akiyama wants to take a breather but Cross is having none of it.
Akiyama postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Cross to stand up.
Cross throws a series of punches but Akiyama avoids them all with ease.
Akiyama looks for a takedown but Cross sprawls well.
Cross shoots in but no luck this time.
Cross shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Akiyama napping and manages to drive through into side control!
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Akiyama pushes Cross away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Cross gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Cross swings around for an armbar but Akiyama sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Cross's guard.
Akiyama trying to control the position from guard on top but Cross is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Cross looking for a sweep. Not yet Cross, not yet.
Akiyama pushing down on Cross's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Cross moves into full guard.
Akiyama trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Akiyama trying to control but Cross is working from the bottom.
Cross pushes Akiyama off for just long enough to get back to his feet. Very athletic spring there.
And that's the end of the fight!
Yoshii Akiyama comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Akiyama 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 45:50
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 46:49
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 46:50
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Yoshii Akiyama!
Yoshii Akiyama is the new featherweight champion!
Yoshii Akiyama decided to call for a title shot in his post fight interview, which was very strange given the fact this fight was for a title and he's already the champion. I guess that's what getting punched in the head does for you.
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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
100% |
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