PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight kickboxing rules bout between Slade Blaze (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Marek Markowski (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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.

Blaze
vs
Markowski

190 cm
26
275 lbs
6 - 5 - 0

225 cm
29
270 lbs
9 - 4 - 0

Excellent boxer
Cardio machine

Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Slade Blaze!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Marek Markowski!
The judges for this bout are Hirohito Nitta, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Shirou Masuda.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Blaze throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Blaze cracks the inside of Markowski's front leg.
Markowski throws a one two combo.
Markowski is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Blaze misses with a jab, cross combination.
Markowski keeps the fight on the outside.
Blaze looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Blaze takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.

Blaze closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
The referee calls for Markowski to work.
Blaze managing to block the knees to the body from Markowski.
Markowski tries to circle away but Blaze has him pinned against the ropes.
Markowski looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Blaze keeps control of Markowski as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Markowski has had enough of the clinch but Blaze keeps him there for the moment.
Markowski tries to stall but Blaze uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Markowski missing with knees to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Markowski tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Blaze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Blaze falls off balance throwing a combination
and Markowski counters with a head kick.
Markowski showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Blaze.
Blaze throws a nice looking combination but Markowski bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Blaze just misses with a punch to the body.
Markowski moves in looking to clinch but Blaze pushes him off.
That kick from Markowski tenderised Blaze's leg. Blaze is trying to keep his angry face on.
Markowski tries to clinch up.
Blaze keeps the fight on the outside.
Marek Markowski seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A combination from Blaze does no damage.
Markowski misses with a wild combination.
Markowski feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Blaze's calf.
Some wild striking there from Blaze.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Blaze tries to clinch up against the ropes, rushing in to close the distance. Markowski manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Markowski slips under a jab.
Markowski throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Markowski tries to clinch but Blaze is having none of it.
Blaze throws a predictable looking body shot
and Markowski counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Blaze avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Markowski wants to clinch
and Blaze counters with a series of strikes. Markowski will be more careful next time no doubt.
Markowski wants to clinch.
Markowski tries to clinch there but Blaze circles away.
A slapping body kick lands there for Markowski.
Blaze tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Blaze misses with a few strikes there.
Blaze misses with a jab, cross combination.
Markowski lands with a good body shot.
Blaze loads up on a big right hand but Markowski slips the punch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marek Markowski dominated that 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.

No joy there for Markowski, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Markowski tries to clinch there but Blaze circles away.
Markowski is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Slade Blaze is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Blaze avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Markowski scores with a head kick.

Blaze gets a clinch.
Markowski wants to get back to striking at distance but Blaze won't allow it.
Markowski is looking to break free of the clinch but Blaze has double underhooks.
Markowski working hard to break the clinch.
Blaze digs a right hand into Markowski's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Markowski's gas tank.
Blaze keeps control of Markowski as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Markowski is looking to break free of the clinch but Blaze has double underhooks.
Markowski is looking to break free of the clinch but Blaze has double underhooks.

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

That's one minute gone in the round.
Markowski uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Blaze.
Blaze moves out of range of the body kick.

Blaze has Markowski up against the ropes in a clinch.

Blaze breaks the clinch.
Blaze misses with a few strikes there.
Blaze tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Markowski moves in looking to clinch but Blaze pushes him off.
Markowski ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Markowski!
Sloppy strikes from Blaze. Those never looked like landing.
Markowski goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Blaze throws a jab but it's blocked by Markowski.
Markowski tries to close the distance and clinch up but Blaze swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Markowski misses with a body kick.

Blaze has Markowski up against the ropes in a clinch.
Markowski is trying to push Blaze away but Blaze has him pressed against the ropes, so he's going nowhere.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Markowski is trying to break free.
Knees to the body from Markowski.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.
Markowski tries to throw a body punch but Blaze avoids it by throwing Markowski back against the ropes.
Markowski lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the ropes.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Markowski is looking to break free of the clinch but Blaze has double underhooks.
Markowski trying to land knees to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Blaze is looking to break free of the clinch but Markowski has double underhooks.
Markowski goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Markowski throws a knee to the head but misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marek Markowski showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Markowski is looking to clinch but Blaze is avoiding it.
Blaze misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Blaze is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Markowski throws a wild body kick that Blaze sees coming a mile off.
Markowski is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Blaze is looking to clinch but Markowski is avoiding it.
Blaze is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Markowski's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Markowski tries to close the distance and clinch up but Blaze swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Markowski fails in his attempt to clinch.

Blaze gets a clinch.
Markowski wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Markowski is trying to break free.
Blaze keeps control of Markowski as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.

Blaze escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Markowski fails to land with a series of punches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Markowski looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Markowski throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Sloppy strikes from Markowski. Those never looked like landing.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Blaze waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Markowski.
Blaze takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Blaze scores with a kick to the body.
Blaze lands a nice shot to the body.
Markowski misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Markowski misses with a jab, cross combination.
Markowski tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Markowski lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
Blaze wants to clinch up but Markowski keeps it at a distance.
Blaze showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Markowski.
Markowski looks to land a body kick but Blaze moved away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Blaze instigates a clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

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

Blaze clinches with his opponent.
Knees to the body from Markowski.
Markowski lands a body shot.
Blaze keeps control of Markowski as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Markowski is looking to break free of the clinch but Blaze has double underhooks.
Markowski wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Markowski is working hard here but doesn't seem to be able to control effectively, up against the ropes.
Markowski tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Blaze avoids it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Blaze managing to block the knees to the body from Markowski.
Markowski missing with knees to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marek Markowski really dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Blaze wants to clinch up but Markowski keeps it at a distance.
Markowski tries to clinch up

and Blaze moves into the clinch.
Markowski can't break the clinch.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Markowski wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Blaze has him pressed against the ropes.

Blaze breaks from the clinch.
Marek Markowski seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Markowski throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Markowski keeps the fight on the outside.
Blaze tries to clinch but Markowski is having none of it.
Markowski slips under a jab from Blaze.
Markowski is looking to clinch but Blaze is avoiding it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blaze fails in his attempt to clinch.
Markowski is looking to clinch but Blaze is avoiding it.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Markowski. Blaze shrugs it off though.
The fight stays on the outside here - Markowski looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Markowski moves in looking to clinch but Blaze pushes him off.
Blaze looks to throw the jab but Markowski is out of range.
A decent looking cross lands there for Blaze.
Blaze swats away the attempt to clinch by Markowski.
Markowski scores with a one two! Blaze had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.

Blaze drives through and clinches with Markowski against the ropes.

Blaze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Markowski keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Blaze.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Blaze avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Markowski will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Markowski lands a nice looking kick to the body. Blaze takes a step back to recover.
Markowski moves in looking to clinch but Blaze pushes him off.

Blaze forces Markowski back against the ropes and clinches.
Markowski keeps control of Blaze as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Markowski can't break the clinch.
Markowski tries to land knees in the clinch but Blaze avoids the damage to the body.

Blaze's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Blaze tries to close the distance and clinch up but Markowski swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Markowski is looking to clinch but Blaze is avoiding it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Blaze rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Markowski moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
A looping hook to the body misses from Blaze. Markowski does a little dance to reset his feet.
Markowski looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
The fight stays on the outside here - Markowski looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Marek Markowski dominated that fourth round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! And we move into the final round!

Blaze swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Blaze throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Markowski.

Blaze clinches with his opponent.

Markowski pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Markowski misses with the body kick
and Blaze counters with a flying knee. Nice.

Blaze gets tackled into the ropes by Markowski. Markowski maintains the clinch.
Markowski missing with knees to the body.
Markowski tries a body shot but Blaze blocks it.
Markowski wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.

Blaze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Slade Blaze has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Markowski moves in looking to clinch but Blaze pushes him off.
Markowski throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Blaze looks to score with a jab to the body but Markowski is just out of range.
Markowski is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Blaze thows a body shot but no joy.

Blaze pushes Markowski up against the ropes in a clinch.

Blaze breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Blaze moves in looking to clinch but Markowski pushes him off.

Blaze clinches up with Markowski and pushes him back against the ropes.
Markowski wants to break the clinch but can't.
Markowski is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.

Blaze breaks from the clinch.
Markowski works Blaze's body with a nice hook.

Markowski rushes Blaze and presses him up against the ropes.
Markowski tries to break the clinch but Blaze is controlling the position.
Markowski missing with knees to the body.
Marek Markowski seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Blaze being controlled against the ropes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Markowski looking to slow down the pace here.
Blaze lands a hook to the side of the head.

It looks like Marek Markowski has been cut.
Blaze looks to throw an elbow but misses.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Blaze.

Blaze breaks the clinch.
Markowski avoids a punch combination nicely.
Markowski tries to clinch up.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Markowski slips a straight right by Blaze.
Marek Markowski is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Blaze steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Markowski. That one must have hurt.
Nice body kick from Markowski.

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 Slade Blaze.
Well Markowski has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 46:49
Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 46:49
Judge Shirou Masuda scores the fight 46:49

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Marek Markowski!
A victorious Marek Markowski thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.