PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Van Pol (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kenji Kato (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Van Pol could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Kenji Kato's chin.

Pol
vs
Kato

175 cm
24
165 lbs
10 - 1 - 0

176 cm
24
167 lbs
9 - 4 - 0

Good wrestling
Lethal high kicks
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Van Pol!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Kenji Kato!
The judges for this bout are Timothy Bukovac, Frank Antenori and Don Winkell.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kato misses with a straight right.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Pol. Kato shrugs it off though.
Pol shoots in for a double leg but Kato sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Pol connects with a good right hand that stumbles Kato. Kato circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Pol moves away from the strike by Kato.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Pol, right into the meat.
Kato lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Pol looks to throw the jab but Kato is out of range.
Van Pol seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kato misses with a head kick.
Pol looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Pol goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Kato swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Pol.
Kato changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Pol blocks a low kick nicely.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Pol misses with an attempted mid kick.
Pol takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Pol looks to land a body kick but Kato moved away.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pol looks for the body kick but Kato saw that one coming.
Pol checks a leg kick.
Kenji Kato is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Pol tries to score with a low kick but Kato moves his leg out of the way.
Kato swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kato avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Kato misses with an uppercut. Pol saw that one coming.
Pol wants to land a leg kick but Kato is out of range.
A low kick from Pol is predictable there
and Pol takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Kato lands a jab to the head.
Kato drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Pol swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Pol slips a jab from Kato.
Kato bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
A big left from Pol misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pol throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Kato steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Pol.
Pol throws a wild body kick that Kato sees coming a mile off.
Pol throws a leg kick but Kato sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Pol lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Pol looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Kato lands a really nice looking cross but Pol seems unphased.
A head kick from Pol lands but Kato takes it in his stride.
Pol swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Kato throws the left hand but Pol avoids the punch easily.
Pol misses with a body punch
and Kato counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Pol checks a leg kick nicely.
Nice body punch from Pol.
Kato ducks under a wild hook from Pol.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kato tried to score with a low kick but Pol checks it.
Pol throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Pol lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Kato throws a right hand that Pol ducks under and follows up with a left that Pol also avoids with ease.
A low kick from Kato is predictable there
and Pol makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Pol lands a lovely overhand right.
Pol throws the kick towards the body but Kato avoids it.
Pol with a jab.
Good work by Pol as he checks the leg kick.
Kato displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Pol throws out the jab.
Pol lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Kato throws a shot to the body.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Kato.
A bone on bone clash there as Pol blocks the leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A good leg kick by Kato.
Kato lands an overhand right.
An inside leg kick lands from Pol.
Kato throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A head kick by Pol misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Good standup being displayed there by Kato as he connects with a hook.
Pol doesn't manage to clinch there - Kato circles away.
Pol throws a head kick that misses.
Kato misses with a body kick.
Pol's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Kato connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Pol scrambles back to his feet.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Kato clobbers Pol with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.

Pol is rocked!
Kato showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Pol.
Pol gets cracked there but stands up to it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Kenji Kato will probably get the nod.
That's time! Pol's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Pol lands with a hook. Kato tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Kato thows a body shot but no joy.
Pol shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Kato throws a hook but Pol avoids it easily.
Kato swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Pol throws a half hearted mid kick.
Pol tries to close the distance and clinch but Kato swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Nice body punch from Kato.
Kato jabs Pol right on the nose. Pol blinks but takes it well.

It looks like Van Pol has been cut.
Kato fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Kato changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Kenji Kato seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Kato looks to score with a jab to the body but Pol is just out of range.
Pol changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Kato tries to avoid it but Pol manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Kato to the ground. Kato escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
A nice inside leg kick there by Pol. That's going to slow Kato down.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pol avoids a punch combination nicely.
Kato throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Kato avoids a kick to the body.
Kato works Pol's body with a nice hook.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Kato lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Pol has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Pol and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Good leg kick by Kato there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Kato misses with a low kick.
Kato fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Pol has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Kato takes a swing at Pol's ribcage but misses.
A slapping leg kick lands for Pol.
Kato slips a straight right by Pol.
Kato lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Pol circles away quickly and effectively.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kato missing with a left hand there. Pol was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Kato works Pol's body with a nice hook.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Kato crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Pol - the referee stops the clock and Kato gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Pol. Kato manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Pol thuds his right hand into Kato's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
An inside leg kick lands from Kato.
Kato dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Kato tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Pol.
Pol throws a body kick that misses
letting Kato counter with a right hand.
Pol throws a wild body kick that Kato sees coming a mile off.
Kato pivots, looking for a leg kick but Pol is out of range and Kato settles back down.
Kato takes a swing at Pol's ribcage but misses.
Pol dives in for a single leg takedown but Kato sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the cage.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Van Pol. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kato scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Kato stalling against the cage.
Pol misses with some punches.
Kato misses with a hook to the ribs.

Kato breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Pol tries to land a front kick but Kato steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Pol avoids the body shot from Kato.
Kato checks a leg kick.
Kato misses with a kick to the body.
A low kick from Pol misses
and Kato counters with a left to the body.
Kato dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Pol tries to score a power double leg takedown but Kato sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Pol somewhat.
Pol misses with a right hand
and Kato counters with a thumping low kick.
Pol is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pol steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Kato.
A bone on bone clash there as Kato blocks the leg kick.
Pol looks to land a right hand but Kato moved out of range.
Kato takes a swing at Pol's ribcage but misses.
Kato misses with a body kick.
Pol throws a head kick but Kato moves out of range.
A slow jab from Pol misses its intended target.
Pol does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
A lazy body kick from Pol
and Pol takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Pol is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Pol pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Some bone on bone action there as Kato checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Jab by Kato.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kenji Kato showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Van Pol's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

A nice inside leg kick there by Kato. That's going to slow Pol down.
Pol throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Kato lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
The fight stays on the outside here - Pol looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Pol throws an overhand right that lands on Kato's shoulder, as Kato tries to avoid the shot.
Pol misses with a hook. Kato ducked under it nicely.
Kato gets cracked there but stands up to it.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Pol, as that shot connected.
Pol throws the left hand but Kato avoids the punch easily.
A solid leg kick lands there for Pol.
Pol fails with an attempt to clinch.
Pol throws a low kick but Kato moves out of range easily.
Kato misses with a series of wild punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A shot to the body from Kato misses
and Pol counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Pol misses with a looping right.
Pol throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Kato wants to land a leg kick but Pol is out of range.
Kato misses the jab.
Kato checks a leg kick nicely.
Kato moves out of range of the body kick from Pol.
A jab from Pol misses.
Pol takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Kato connects with a solid leg kick.
Pol thows a leg kick but Kato checks it
and Pol takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Pol checks the leg kick nicely there.
Kato fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Pol manages to avoid it.
Van Pol has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pol tries to move into range but Kato moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Pol throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Pol throws a leg kick
and Kato makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Kato missing with a left hand there. Pol was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Pol throws a body kick that misses.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Pol lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Kato has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Kato and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Kato misses with a kick to the body
and Pol counters with a left to the body.
Pol keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Kato pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Pol tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Kato counters with a nice low kick that buckles Pol's knee momentarily.
Pol throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Pol misses with a kick to the body
and Kato connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Kato chopping away at his opponent's legs.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pol has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Kato.
Pol misses with a kick to the body.
Pol tries to clinch there but Kato circles away.
Kato lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Oh Pol is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Kato fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Pol looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Kato scoring well with a low kick there.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Pol on the wrong end of a nice hook.
The fighters circle momentarily. Kato darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Kato buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Kato lands a jab to Pol's midsection.
Pol looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Pol looks to land a right hand but Kato moved out of range.
A thudding body kick lands there by Kato!
Kato avoids a kick to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pol drops his hands momentarily and Kato takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
BOOM! Kato lands a beautiful left hook that drops Pol. Pol tries to recover but Kato is having none of it, landing more punishing shots from mount. One final crushing shot and Pol lies motionless on the canvas. The fight is over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:11 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Kenji Kato!
An out of breath Kenji Kato thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.