PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a super heavyweight MMA rules bout between Nataniel Byczynski (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Akira Ishikawa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Chooooooooon! I think Byczynski might be my favorite fighter, now he's come out to War is My Destiny. Ishikawa has chosen mindshift genki sudo as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the ring.

Byczynski
vs
Ishikawa

200 cm
50
260 lbs
49 - 51 - 0

150 cm
45
154 lbs
45 - 33 - 1

Good wrestling
Decent elbows
KO power

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the super heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 49 - 51 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Nataniel Byczynski!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 45 - 33 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Akira Ishikawa!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Yukihiro Shimada and Shirou Masuda.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ishikawa lands with a hook. Byczynski tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.

It looks like Nataniel Byczynski has been cut.
Nice sprawl there from Byczynski as Ishikawa shoots in.
Ishikawa moves out of range as Byczynski strikes.
Ishikawa throws a counter combo.
Ishikawa throws a head kick but Byczynski moves out of range.
Byczynski lands a nice hook to Ishikawa's body. Ishikawa takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Byczynski wants to clinch
and Ishikawa counters with a left and a right that stings Byczynski.
Ishikawa avoids a punch combination nicely.
Byczynski throws a leg kick but Ishikawa moved away.
Ishikawa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Byczynski scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Byczynski throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Byczynski throws a right and a left that both miss.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Byczynski rushes Ishikawa and presses him up against the ropes.
Byczynski throws an elbow that misses.
Ishikawa has Byczynski pressed up against the ropes and is working for takedown. Byczynski manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Ishikawa wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Ishikawa manages to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Byczynski looks to throw the jab but Ishikawa is out of range.
A countering left hand to the body from Ishikawa misses.
Nice takedown defense from Ishikawa. No joy for Byczynski on that attempt.
Ishikawa raises up his leg as if looking to counter with a high kick.
Ishikawa throws a sloppy head kick and Byczynski moves out of range easily.

Ishikawa fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Byczynski sprawls well initially but Ishikawa persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Ishikawa tries to pass the half guard into mount. Byczynski knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Ishikawa thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Byczynski's head.
Byczynski is trying to control but can't.
Byczynski is not content to let Ishikawa control the position.
Byczynski desperately trying to maintain half guard.
Ishikawa wants to control but Byczynski is keeping him busy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Ishikawa trying to control from half guard but Byczynski is working away.
Ishikawa scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Ishikawa takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Byczynski is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Ishikawa wants to take a breather but Byczynski is having none of it.
Byczynski is trying to control but can't.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Ishikawa takes one on the chin but keeps coming.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Byczynski scores with a jab.
Ishikawa displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Byczynski throws out the jab.
Ishikawa with a jab.
Ishikawa staying out of range there.
Ishikawa tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
We've been told by Byczynski's head coaches at Zen Balance Monastery that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Nice cross by Byczynski.
Ishikawa shoots in but no luck this time.
Nataniel Byczynski has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akira Ishikawa.
Ishikawa shoots in looking for a takedown. Byczynski tries to sprawl out of it but Ishikawa keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Byczynski manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Nataniel Byczynski seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ishikawa blocks a head kick by Byczynski.
Despite the aggression on Ishikawa's face he doesn't fully commit to the counter.
Ishikawa slips under a jab.
Ishikawa avoids the head kick by Byczynski.
Ishikawa displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Byczynski throws out the jab.
Ishikawa unleashes a big counter combination but Byczynski bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Byczynski lands a nice shot to the body.
Ishikawa dodges the punch combination from Byczynski.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Byczynski throws a jab when Ishikawa was well out of range.
Ishikawa appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Byczynski shoots in looking for a takedown but Ishikawa manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Byczynski's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Ishikawa misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
A head kick misses from Ishikawa.
Ishikawa keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Ishikawa fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Byczynski looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Byczynski is breathing heavily.

Byczynski gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Ishikawa to score an easy takedown into full guard.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Byczynski preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Byczynski looking to control.
Byczynski keeping moving, preventing Ishikawa from controlling successfully.
Ishikawa seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Akira Ishikawa will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Nataniel Byczynski's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Ishikawa misses with a head kick.
A bone on bone clash there as Ishikawa blocks the leg kick.
Byczynski throws a right hand that Ishikawa ducks under and follows up with a left that Ishikawa also avoids with ease.
Byczynski pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Ishikawa misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Sloppy strikes from Byczynski. Those never looked like landing.
Nice defenses there by Ishikawa.
Ishikawa uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Byczynski.
Ishikawa throws a big counter head kick but Byczynski avoids it with no problem.
Byczynski connects with a leg kick. Ishikawa looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Nataniel Byczynski is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Ishikawa fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Byczynski avoids it really well and circles away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ishikawa dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Ishikawa throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Nice takedown defense from Byczynski. No joy for Ishikawa on that attempt.
Byczynski throwing a counter right hand but Ishikawa manages to avoid it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Ishikawa.
Byczynski displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Ishikawa.
Nataniel Byczynski has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akira Ishikawa.
Byczynski swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Byczynski wants to clinch.
Byczynski scores with a nice head shot.
Ishikawa ducks under a wild hook from Byczynski.
Byczynski moves in looking to clinch but Ishikawa pushes him off.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Byczynski.
A head kick misses from Ishikawa.
Byczynski swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Byczynski throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa throws a sloppy head kick and Byczynski moves out of range easily.
Byczynski misses the jab.
Ishikawa shoots in looking for a takedown. Byczynski tries to sprawl out of it but Ishikawa keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Byczynski manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Byczynski looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Ishikawa unleashes a big counter combination but Byczynski bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
Ishikawa throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Byczynski appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Ishikawa throws a head kick but Byczynski moves out of range.
An attempted straight right counter from Byczynski misses the target.

Ishikawa closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Byczynski to the mat! Byczynski manages to get full guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Ishikawa preventing the sweep.
Ishikawa wants to control from the top but Byczynski keeps moving.
Ishikawa passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Byczynski takes an elbow right on the bridge of the nose and winces in pain.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Byczynski regains half guard.
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. Ishikawa connects with a nice short shot to Byczynski's temple.
Byczynski is staying active underneath Ishikawa, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Ishikawa is pressing down on Byczynski's thigh, looking to free his foot. Byczynski is holding on for now.

Ishikawa is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Ishikawa wants to control but Byczynski is keeping him busy.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Ishikawa trying to mount his opponent but Byczynski defends it.

Ishikawa is looking for a kimura here.
Ishikawa has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Ishikawa seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Byczynski does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Byczynski tries to roll over but Ishikawa keeps him under control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Akira Ishikawa will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Nataniel Byczynski's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Byczynski rushes Ishikawa and presses him up against the ropes.
Ishikawa tries to break the clinch but Byczynski is controlling the position.
Ishikawa takes an elbow to the temple.

It looks like Akira Ishikawa has been cut.
Ishikawa has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Byczynski is trying to maintain a safe position but Ishikawa gets an underhook and turns Byczynski into the ropes.
Ishikawa has Byczynski pressed up against the ropes and is working for takedown. Byczynski manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
Ishikawa wants to break free but Byczynski has control.
Byczynski lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Ishikawa goes for a takedown attempt but Byczynski pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Byczynski connects with an inside leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Byczynski looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Byczynski fails with an attempt to clinch.
Ishikawa throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Byczynski.
Ishikawa pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A little feinted left hand from Byczynski on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ishikawa defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Byczynski.
Ishikawa is clearly looking to counter with head kicks.
Byczynski throws an off balance right hand
and Ishikawa makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Byczynski is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Ishikawa.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Byczynski avoids the head kick by Ishikawa.
Byczynski is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Ishikawa moves out of range as Byczynski strikes.
Ishikawa shoots in for a takedown but Byczynski shows good takedown defense.
An attempted straight right counter from Byczynski misses the target.
Nataniel Byczynski has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akira Ishikawa.
A head kick from Ishikawa lands but Byczynski takes it in his stride.
Byczynski stuffs the takedown attempt from Ishikawa. Ishikawa gets slowly back to his feet.
Ishikawa pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Ishikawa looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Byczynski scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Ishikawa tries a head kick but it misses.
Byczynski throws a series of punches but Ishikawa moves out of range.
Ishikawa throws a fast counter high kick but Byczynski manages to duck under it in time.
Byczynski moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Byczynski.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Ishikawa misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Byczynski connects with a good right hand that stumbles Ishikawa. Ishikawa circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
Byczynski misses with a double jab
and Ishikawa counters with a nice body shot.

Ishikawa fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Byczynski sprawls well initially but Ishikawa persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Ishikawa is looking to take a break and control but Byczynski is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Ishikawa trying to mount his opponent but Byczynski defends it.
Ishikawa looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Ishikawa throws a strike but Byczynski avoids it easily and moves to full guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa landing with the ground and pound.
Ishikawa wants to pass the guard but Byczynski is keeping the position.
Ishikawa is fighting to break Byczynski's control of his arms but Byczynski is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Ishikawa stopping the sweep attempt from Byczynski.
Byczynski will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Ishikawa would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Ishikawa tries to free his leg and advance position but Byczynski is retaining full guard.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Ishikawa pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Byczynski scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.

Byczynski fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Ishikawa, pushing him back against the ropes.
Ishikawa can't get the takedown.
Ishikawa blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Byczynski is trying to pull guard but Ishikawa turns him against the ropes and we stay in the clinch.
Ishikawa goes for a takedown attempt but Byczynski pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Byczynski throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Ishikawa drops his hands momentarily and Byczynski takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Ishikawa is trying hard to land a takedown here. Byczynski sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Byczynski blocks a head kick by Ishikawa.
Ishikawa defending well as Byczynski loads up on a big left hand.
Ishikawa throws a big counter head kick but Byczynski avoids it with no problem.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nataniel Byczynski clearly takes that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Ishikawa fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Byczynski manages to avoid it.
Byczynski fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Ishikawa manages to avoid it.
Ishikawa is looking for the big counter here.
Ishikawa changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Byczynski tried to score with a low kick but Ishikawa checks it.
Ishikawa misses with a looping left.
Ishikawa chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Byczynski can pounce on him.
Byczynski throws a hook to the side of Ishikawa's head but Ishikawa sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Ishikawa throws a fast counter high kick but Byczynski manages to duck under it in time.
Ishikawa lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Byczynski blocks a head kick by Ishikawa.
Ishikawa misses with a head kick.
Nataniel Byczynski is winning the standup battle so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ishikawa shoots in and drives through. Byczynski sprawls well.
Ishikawa stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Byczynski.
Byczynski closes the distance and lands a one-two.

Ishikawa shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Byczynski's guard.
Akira Ishikawa has got the better of the ground game so far.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Ishikawa accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Byczynski is trying to keep Ishikawa in close.
Ishikawa stands and throws Byczynski's legs to the side, diving into side control.

Ishikawa tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Byczynski gets back to half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Ishikawa trying to control from half guard but Byczynski is working away.

Ishikawa is looking for a kimura but Byczynski is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Ishikawa to get the leverage.
Ishikawa seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.
Ishikawa thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Byczynski's head.

Ishikawa wants to work for an arm triangle but Byczynski is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Ishikawa gets to his feet - back to striking we go!
Ishikawa tries a head kick but it misses.
Ishikawa tries to score a power double leg takedown but Byczynski sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Ishikawa somewhat.
Byczynski displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Ishikawa.
Nataniel Byczynski has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akira Ishikawa.
Byczynski uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Ishikawa.
A jab from Ishikawa misses.
Byczynski swinging wildly here.
Byczynski throws a low kick but Ishikawa avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa walks into a stiff left hand from Byczynski.
Ishikawa fails to land the takedown.
Byczynski seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Byczynski throws a big shot that misses.
Nice cross by Byczynski.
Byczynski pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Byczynski wants to slow Ishikawa down by chopping away at his legs.
Ishikawa throws a sloppy head kick and Byczynski moves out of range easily.
Ishikawa tries to score a power double leg takedown but Byczynski sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Ishikawa somewhat.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Ishikawa throws a head kick but Byczynski moves out of range.
Ishikawa pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Ishikawa dodges the punch combination from Byczynski.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close fourth round but Akira Ishikawa will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Nice sprawl there from Byczynski as Ishikawa shoots in.
Ishikawa shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Byczynski pinned against the ropes. Byczynski gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Byczynski tries to land a front kick but Ishikawa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.

Byczynski takes the fight into the clinch.
Byczynski creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Byczynski swings wildly with an uppercut but Ishikawa uses good head movement to avoid it.
Ishikawa is trying to drag Byczynski to the mat but Byczynski just about manages to keep his footing. He used the ropes to his advantage there.
Nataniel Byczynski has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Akira Ishikawa.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Ishikawa blocks an uppercut.
A nice left hand lands by Byczynski.

Ishikawa manages to break the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Byczynski ducks under a wild hook from Ishikawa.
Ishikawa moves away from the strike by Byczynski.
Byczynski lands an overhand right.
Byczynski throws a big shot that misses.
Byczynski misses with a hook. Ishikawa ducked under it nicely.
Ishikawa misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.

Ishikawa bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
Ishikawa advances to mount.
Byczynski working to try and regain half guard.
Ishikawa controlling the position easily from mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Byczynski is wriggling around trying to escape.
Ishikawa lands with some strikes.
Ishikawa is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Byczynski can't stay in a position like this for much longer.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Byczynski is bucking up trying to escape but Ishikawa cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Ishikawa with a couple of short strikes.

Ishikawa is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Byczynski is surviving well by controlling Ishikawa's body position as best he can.
Ishikawa landing punches.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ishikawa can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Byczynski is looking to escape.
Ishikawa sends his fist crashing into the mat - the crowd let out a collective ooooooh. Let's hope he's not broken it!
Ishikawa wants to control the pace but Byczynski is squirming around nicely.
Byczynski avoids a series of strikes thrown by Ishikawa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Byczynski sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Ishikawa lands strikes from half guard.

Byczynski is looking to regain full guard. He's left an arm up in the air though and Ishikawa has latched onto it... Big trouble! Ishikawa pivots for an armbar - it's in tight and it Byczynski is tapping in no time flat! Great counter grappling there from Ishikawa!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:31 of round 5, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Akira Ishikawa!
As Akira Ishikawa got his breath back, he grabbed the microphone and managed to blurt out the following: Yoo I need sponsors thanks everyone have nice day'.