PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Yoshimitzu Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Capital Punishment (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Sakuraba might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to Pride theme song blares through the speaker as fireworks erupt . Punishment has chosen Everybody by: Yo Gotti as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Sakuraba
vs
Punishment

191 cm
26
272 lbs
7 - 2 - 0

196 cm
20
225 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
Counter fighter
Very quick

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

BlackStar Athletics
KAISER Nutrition (160!/220$)

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the heavyweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Yoshimitzu Sakuraba!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of New York, Capital Punishment!
The judges for this bout are Columbo Gatti, Reed Andrews and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Punishment throws a leg kick which misses Sakuraba's front leg but catches the back leg as Sakuraba tries to avoid it.
Punishment fails in his attempt to clinch.
Punishment throws a combination that misses

and Sakuraba counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Punishment looking for a guillotine here but Sakuraba defends easily.
Punishment wants to get back to his feet but Sakuraba is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
Sakuraba chips away with some ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Punishment utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Sakuraba postures up.
Sakuraba postures up in Punishment's guard and throws a big left but Punishment blocks it.
We've been hearing that Sakuraba has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Sakuraba lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Sakuraba trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Punishment keeping moving, preventing Sakuraba from controlling successfully.
Sakuraba postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Sakuraba tries to free his leg and advance position but Punishment is retaining full guard.
Sakuraba postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Punishment is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Sakuraba throws a big elbow that misses.
Punishment keeping moving, preventing Sakuraba from controlling successfully.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Sakuraba missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Punishment tries to clinch but Sakuraba moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Sakuraba shoots in but Punishment avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Punishment connects with a good right hand that stumbles Sakuraba. Sakuraba circles away out of range and recomposes himself.

It looks like Yoshimitzu Sakuraba has been cut.
Sakuraba avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Punishment throws a combination that misses

and Sakuraba counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Sakuraba is looking to stall here but Punishment recovers full guard.
Sakuraba working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Punishment is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Sakuraba with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Punishment wants to stand and escape but Sakuraba is having none of it.
Punishment is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Sakuraba connects with a couple of short punches.
Sakuraba trying to control the position from guard on top but Punishment is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Sakuraba pushes down on Punishment's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Sakuraba looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Punishment with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Sakuraba is stalling here. Punishment is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Sakuraba seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Punishment has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Sakuraba could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Punishment is looking to take a break and control but Sakuraba is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba is looking for a sweep.
Punishment working away.
Sakuraba tries to bench press Punishment off him but Punishment keeps the position.
Sakuraba wants to control but Punishment postures up.
Sakuraba manages to get back to half guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sakuraba moves into full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Sakuraba is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yoshimitzu Sakuraba dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Yoshimitzu Sakuraba's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Punishment looks to clinch

and Sakuraba counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Sakuraba won't allow Punishment to sweep him here.
Sakuraba lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Punishment wants to stand but Sakuraba is controlling the position.
Punishment controls Sakuraba momentarily but Sakuraba frees himself.
Sakuraba in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sakuraba landing with the ground and pound.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Sakuraba's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Yoshimitzu Sakuraba overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Sakuraba landing with the ground and pound.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuraba is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Sakuraba postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Punishment trying to control the position.
Sakuraba working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Punishment's head.
Sakuraba is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Punishment can do to turn this around?
Sakuraba in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Sakuraba 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.
Punishment is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Sakuraba with a nice head shot there.
Punishment is looking to get back to his feet but can't, whilst Sakuraba is controlling him.
Sakuraba looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Sakuraba with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Sakuraba content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Sakuraba trying to control the position from guard on top but Punishment is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Sakuraba accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Punishment is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Sakuraba slips nicely into half guard.
Punishment is looking for a sweep. Sakuraba is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Punishment felt the need to train up his defensive grappling in the buildup to the fight. Presumably he was expecting to be in a difficult position like this, so let's see if he can get out of it.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Sakuraba lands a nice short elbow.
Sakuraba winds up and cracks Punishment with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Sakuraba looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Punishment with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Punishment trying to control here.
Sakuraba sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Punishment defending well though.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba drops an elbow to the side of Punishment's head.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sakuraba connects with a nice short shot to Punishment's temple.
Sakuraba thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Punishment's head.
Sakuraba drops an elbow to the side of Punishment's head.
Sakuraba working over Punishment with some ground and pound. Punishment looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Punishment on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Sakuraba working the head and body with strikes.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
Sakuraba prevents Punishment from standing back up.
Sakuraba is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yoshimitzu Sakuraba dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Yoshimitzu Sakuraba's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Sakuraba gets a double leg takedown into Punishment's guard.
Punishment wants to stand up but Sakuraba is controlling him.
Sakuraba is pushing down on Punishment's leg trying to pass to half guard. Punishment is fighting to maintain full guard but Sakuraba has managed to sneak the leg through.
Sakuraba with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Sakuraba is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Punishment is trying to get back to full guard.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Sakuraba lands with a punch from half guard.
Sakuraba thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Punishment's head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Punishment looks like he's trying to stand up.
Punishment has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sakuraba is working away from the top position though.
Sakuraba looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Sakuraba working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Punishment is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots.
Sakuraba lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes to the body and head.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sakuraba connects with a nice short shot to Punishment's temple.
Sakuraba trying to control the action but Punishment is working from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Punishment is trying to get back to full guard.
Punishment takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Sakuraba lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Sakuraba missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Sakuraba trying to control from half guard but Punishment is working away.
Punishment wants to get back to full guard.
Sakuraba drops an elbow to the side of Punishment's head.
Punishment is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots.
Sakuraba is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba is trying to control. Punishment wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Sakuraba looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Nice strikes from Sakuraba there.
Sakuraba looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Punishment with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Punishment is trying to stand back up but Sakuraba is controlling him
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Sakuraba lands a nice short elbow.
Sakuraba thows a huge punch but Punishment dodges it nicely.
Sakuraba content to control rather than advance.
Sakuraba lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba slows the pace down in half guard.
Sakuraba takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
Sakuraba is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Sakuraba takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Sakuraba connects with a nice short shot to Punishment's temple.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Yoshimitzu Sakuraba clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Yoshimitzu Sakuraba's cut.
That's time! Sakuraba's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Sakuraba misses with an uppercut. Punishment saw that one coming.
As Sakuraba backs off Punishment throws a huge counter combo but Sakuraba manages to avoid it all.
Punishment tries to clinch but Sakuraba moves out of range.

Sakuraba shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Punishment tries to kick Sakuraba off but Sakuraba keeps his base steady and stays in half guard.
Nice strikes from Sakuraba there.
Sakuraba thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Punishment's head.
Sakuraba thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Punishment avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Sakuraba.
Sakuraba thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Punishment's head.
Punishment tries to roll over but Sakuraba keeps him under control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sakuraba working Punishment over with strikes.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Sakuraba is nestled in close to Punishment, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Sakuraba drops an elbow to the side of Punishment's head.
Punishment is absolutely dripping with sweat - he looks exhausted.
Sakuraba looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Sakuraba lands with a punch from half guard.
Sakuraba landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Punishment looks like he's trying to stand up.
Sakuraba working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

Punishment is rocked!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba lands strikes from half guard.
Punishment is still in real trouble! Can Sakuraba finish him?
Nice strikes from Sakuraba there.
Punishment has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sakuraba is working away from the top position though.
Sakuraba looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Punishment with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
Sakuraba creates some space for himself and unloads with a monster right hand! That one landed with a sickening thud - Punishment is out cold and this one is all over! Sakuraba climbs onto the cage to celebrate with his corner!! He's shouting something into the camera but he's still got his mouthpiece in so God knows what he's actually saying.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:44 of round 4, we have a winner by way of KO (Strikes). Yoshimitzu Sakuraba!
Yoshimitzu Sakuraba is the new heavyweight champion!
After the fight, Yoshimitzu Sakuraba was humble in paying tribute to his opponent but made it clear he wants to go on to bigger and better things. It seemed to go down well with the crowd who cheered him loudly.