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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Hiro Watanabe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Antonio Gracie (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Watanabe comes to the cage accompanied by Tan Dun- Night Flight. Hiro Watanabe has the edge in experience - let's see if he can make that count tonight.
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| 174 cm
30
160 lbs
5 - 7 - 0 |
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175 cm
23
155 lbs
5 - 1 - 0 |
BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Good chin |
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BJJ Purple Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin |
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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
5 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Hiro Watanabe!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Antonio Gracie!
The judges for this bout are Ren Mimura, Yuuki Gou and Shigeki Fujiwara.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Gracie gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Watanabe is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Gracie gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Gracie tries to land knees in the clinch but Watanabe avoids the damage to the body.
Watanabe wants to take the fight to the mat but Gracie manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Gracie taking a breather.
Gracie comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Gracie wants to stall.
Gracie tries to throw a body punch but Watanabe avoids it by throwing Gracie back against the cage.
Watanabe pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Watanabe gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Gracie wants to stall.
Watanabe is pressed up against the cage. Gracie has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Watanabe down to the mat. Watanabe avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but Watanabe defends well and Gracie ends up having to push Watanabe into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Watanabe wants to take the fight to the mat but Gracie manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hiro Watanabe. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Watanabe gets a nice trip takedown into half guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Gracie wants to get back to his feet.
Watanabe is just sitting in half guard, waiting for something to happen.
Watanabe working the head and body with strikes.
Watanabe trying to pass the guard but Gracie defending well.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Watanabe throwing shots but Gracie is blocking nicely.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie is trying to stand.
Watanabe tries to pass the half guard into mount. Gracie knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Watanabe is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Gracie pushes Watanabe off looking to stand but Watanabe dives back in and keeps control.
Watanabe content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Gracie looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Gracie is trying to stand up here but Watanabe is controlling him well.
Watanabe is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Gracie looks like he's trying to stand up.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe tries to pass the half guard into mount. Gracie knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Gracie is trying to stand back up but Watanabe is controlling him
Watanabe controlling the action here.
The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
Gracie misses with a jab, cross combination.
Watanabe darts in and clinches Gracie up against the cage.
Watanabe pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Watanabe has managed to clinch.
Gracie will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Watanabe up against the cage.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie swings wildly with an uppercut but Watanabe uses good head movement to avoid it.
Watanabe effectively controlling the action here.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Watanabe as Gracie tries to tie him up.
Gracie has a couple of punches blocked by Watanabe.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gracie swings wildly with an uppercut but Watanabe uses good head movement to avoid it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Hiro Watanabe dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.
Gracie scores with a push kick.
Gracie misses with a straight right.
Gracie tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch but Watanabe swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Gracie tries to close the distance and clinch up but Watanabe swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Watanabe pushes Gracie up against the cage in a clinch.
Gracie tries to score a body lock takedown but Watanabe shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Watanabe is trying to drag Gracie to the mat but Gracie just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
Watanabe looking for a takedown.
Gracie tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Gracie misses with an elbow over the top.
Gracie tries to work over Watanabe's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Gracie misses with a hook from the clinch.
Watanabe is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Gracie gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Hiro Watanabe. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Watanabe stalling.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Gracie just misses with a elbow thrown towards Watanabe's brow.
Watanabe slows down the pace here.
Gracie landing knees to the head.
It looks like Hiro Watanabe has been cut.
Watanabe jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Gracie walks away with a smile on his face. Watanabe gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gracie moves in looking to clinch but Watanabe pushes him off.
Hiro Watanabe is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Watanabe fails with a takedown attempt.
A swing and a miss from Watanabe.
Watanabe swats away the attempt to clinch by Gracie.
Gracie shoots in for a takedown but Watanabe shows good takedown defense.
Watanabe gets the takedown into side control.
Gracie pushes Watanabe away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Watanabe gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Watanabe 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.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie seems a little lost for a moment, as Watanabe dominates the positioning.
Watanabe trying to control the position but Gracie is working away.
Gracie is trying to buck Watanabe off.
Watanabe tries to move into full mount but can't pass Gracie's legs.
Gracie wants to get back to his feet but Watanabe drags him back down.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Gracie bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!
Watanabe shoots in and gets a takedown into Gracie's guard.
Watanabe trying to control the position from guard on top but Gracie is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Gracie is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Watanabe is controlling him.
Watanabe passes easily into side control. Nice work.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Watanabe is looking to take a break and control but Gracie is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Gracie wants to get back to his feet but Watanabe drags him back down.
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 Hiro Watanabe will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Hiro Watanabe's cut.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! And we move into the final round!
Watanabe has taken the fight to the clinch.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Watanabe as Gracie tries to tie him up.
Watanabe wants to get back to striking at distance but Gracie won't allow it.
Gracie pushes off an throws an elbow but Watanabe leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Watanabe is pressed up against the cage. Gracie has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Watanabe down to the mat. Watanabe avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Watanabe circles away from the clinch attempt
and Watanabe counters by moving into the clinch.
Watanabe wants to break free but Gracie has control.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Watanabe fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Gracie trying to stall but Watanabe improves his position.
Watanabe is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Gracie is defending well.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Gracie looking for a takedown.
Watanabe pulls Gracie into guard.
Watanabe is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Gracie trying to control but Watanabe is working from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe is looking for a triangle but Gracie pushes his legs off easily.
Gracie being controlled here momentarily.
Gracie postures up.
Hiro Watanabe overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Watanabe looking to hit a scissor sweep but Gracie is one step ahead there.
Gracie works a leg free and moves into half guard.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gracie winds up and cracks Watanabe with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Watanabe slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Watanabe wants to sweep but no luck.
Gracie passes into half guard.
Gracie thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Watanabe avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Gracie.
Watanabe regains full guard. Nicely done.
Watanabe avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Gracie stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Watanabe swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Gracie wants to control from the top but Watanabe keeps moving.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gracie throwing strikes from guard but Watanabe blocks nicely.
Gracie trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Hiro Watanabe is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Gracie not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.
Gracie looking to pass the guard.
Watanabe has control of Gracie's left arm, preventing Gracie from doing any damage.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Watanabe looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Watanabe is trying to control the position but Gracie postures up.
Antonio Gracie has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The ref stands the fighters back up. Hiro Watanabe wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Watanabe clinches with his opponent.
Gracie tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Watanabe avoids it.
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 Hiro Watanabe.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Watanabe, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Ren Mimura scores the fight 30:28
Judge Yuuki Gou scores the fight 28:29
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 30:28
In favor of your winner, by split decision... Hiro Watanabe!
Hiro Watanabe thanked the fans post fight for their support.
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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
50% |
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