PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Shinya Aoki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Combo King (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.

Aoki
vs
King

176 cm
35
158 lbs
14 - 17 - 0

185 cm
27
167 lbs
11 - 14 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Heavy handed

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 14 - 17 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Shinya Aoki !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 14 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Combo King!
The judges for this bout are Albert Achterberg, Patrick Alders and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
King fails in his attempt to clinch.
King tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Aoki tries to counter by clinching up but King breaks away and moves out of range.

King forces Aoki back against the cage and clinches.
King tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Aoki 's elbow.
King tries a knee to the head but Aoki blocks it.

Aoki escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Aoki tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but King defends well and Aoki ends up having to push King into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Aoki swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and King counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Aoki is lucky that one didn't land flush.
King scores with a kick to the midsection.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King tries to clinch up.
King lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
King lands a jab to Aoki 's midsection.
King lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King falls off balance throwing a combination

and Aoki counters with a nice double leg into guard.
King trying to keep a closed guard but Aoki is proving a slippery customer.
Aoki throwing strikes but missing.
Aoki wants to pass the guard but King is keeping the position.
Aoki 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.
Aoki throws an elbow that misses. King uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Aoki 's guard. Nice move by King!

King postures up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Aoki wants to sweep here but King controlling him for the moment.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
King pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Aoki is keeping the position for now.

Aoki is working an open guard so King takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
King looks to clinch

so Aoki counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
King is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Aoki working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
King wants to stand but Aoki is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aoki passes King's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
King is looking to escape.
Aoki is trying to control the action in half guard but King is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
King keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Aoki thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Aoki content to control rather than advance.
Aoki is pressing down on King's thigh, looking to free his foot. King is holding on for now.
King looks like he's trying to stand up.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

King is defending against the submission attempts here by Aoki .
King is trying to stand up here but Aoki is controlling him well.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Aoki keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Aoki appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Aoki slips under a jab from King.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
King tries to clinch up.
Aoki misses with a two punch combination.
King throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Aoki appears to be looking for a big counter.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Aoki moves away from the strike by King.
King swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Aoki takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Aoki shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has King pinned against the cage. King gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
King connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Aoki momentarily.
King has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Aoki appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

King fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Aoki , pushing him back against the cage.
King pushes Aoki back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King swings wildly with an uppercut but Aoki uses good head movement to avoid it.
King struggles to land a body shot inside as Aoki controls his hands.
Aoki being controlled against the cage.

Aoki has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics King uses from the top position.
Aoki is trying to control the position from the bottom.

Aoki working for a triangle but King defends it easily.
Aoki definitely looks more muscular than last time we saw him fight.
King 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.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
King would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Aoki working a defensive guard here.
King controlling from the top position.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Aoki is on top in guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aoki won't allow King to get back to his feet.
Aoki is standing up over King. King looks to escape but Aoki dives into side control.
Aoki works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
King pushes Aoki away and creates a bit of space to escape. He's almost out here... but no, Aoki gets a good hold of his legs and remains firmly in side control.
Aoki works to advance to full mount. King defends for a few seconds but eventually he succumbs.
Aoki content just to control the position here.
Aoki dominating with strikes here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Aoki swings around for an armbar but it's a sloppy attempt and King is now in Aoki 's guard. A big mistake from Aoki there, giving up the dominant position!

Aoki is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. King is aware though and is defending well.

Aoki looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

King got a little sloppy there for a moment and Aoki has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, King has managed to get both his arms back between Aoki 's legs - danger averted.
King wanted to stand there but Aoki had control of the position.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
King controls the pace of the fight for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Combo King will probably get the nod - 10:9.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. Let's hear some noise people - this is the final round!

Aoki closes this distance looking for a takedown but King circles away.

King gets a clinch.
King makes some space for himself and lands an uppercut.
Aoki is working for takedown but King is calmly controlling the position for now.
Aoki blocks a punch to the side of the head.
King tries to throw a body punch but Aoki avoids it by throwing King back against the cage.
Aoki tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. King smiles and moves away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Shinya Aoki . That's going to take a lot out of him.
A jab lands there for King.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
King misses with a few strikes there.
King tries to clinch but Aoki is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
King tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Aoki paws at him with a jab and circles away.
King throws a head kick that misses.
Aoki tries to counter by clinching up but King breaks away and moves out of range.
The fight stays on the outside here - King looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

King moves into the clinch.
Aoki has hold of a leg and is looking for a trip takedown. King avoids it nicely though and we remain in the clinch.
King misses with a punch on the inside.
Aoki has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. King is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Aoki prevents a body shot from King.
King misses with a knee strike.
A left hand lands to the body for King.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
King lands with a short head shot on the inside.
A right hand to the body from King.

Aoki has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics King uses from the top position.
King is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

King decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
King misses with a hook.
Aoki changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
King tries to clinch but Aoki moves out of range.

Aoki closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. King quickly recovers to half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Aoki sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. King defending well though.
King keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Shinya Aoki has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Aoki throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing King to regain full guard.
King wants to stand but Aoki is controlling the position.
Shinya Aoki overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Aoki pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. King is keeping the position for now.
King utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Combo King is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Aoki trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Aoki trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Aoki stops King from standing up.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
King lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Aoki circles away quickly and effectively.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Aoki throws a half hearted mid kick.
Aoki takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Aoki avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Aoki .
King defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Aoki .
King unleashes a big counter combination but Aoki bobs and weaves and avoids any damage.
King with a nice cross.
Aoki with a lazy takedown attempt
and King counters with a nice uppercut.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
A punch lands to the side of Aoki 's head but he takes it in his stride.
The fight stays on the outside here - King looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

And that's the end of the fight!
Combo King comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got King winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Albert Achterberg scores the fight 27:30
Judge Patrick Alders scores the fight 27:30
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Combo King!