|
|
PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Minoru Nakano (ranked 1383 p4p, 149 weight class) and Bronson Hughes (ranked 2407 p4p, 222 weight class). Nakano kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Great Muta Concerto. The crowd seem to be enjoying Hughes's choice of entrance music: Slam - By: Onyx. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!
 |
|
 |
| 169 cm
29
159 lbs
10 - 9 - 0 |
|
170 cm
29
154 lbs
10 - 7 - 0 |
Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible |
|
Good wrestler
Great elbows
Good gas tank |
|
| |
|
Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
10 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Minoru Nakano!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
10 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Bronson Hughes!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Franklin, George Francis and Wesley Smith.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nakano thuds a left hand into Hughes's body.
Nakano checks a leg kick nicely.
Nakano throws the left hand but Hughes avoids the punch easily.
Nakano lands a jab.
A telegraphed right hand from Nakano misses the target.
Decent striking displayed by Hughes there.
Hughes throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Nakano blocks a head kick by Hughes.
Nakano swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
Hughes misses with a kick to the body.
Nakano swings for the body but Hughes moves out of range.
Nakano misses with a body shot.
Hughes tries to counter with a clinch but Nakano shakes him off and moves away.
Nakano throws out a loose jab but Hughes uses good head movement to avoid it.
The fighters circling - Hughes throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hughes fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Nakano.
Nakano fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hughes manages to avoid it.
A swing and a miss from Hughes.
Nakano shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Hughes but Hughes pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Hughes throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Nakano throws a jab when Hughes was well out of range.
And Hughes tries to counter it with a takedown but Nakano pushes his down on his head and steps out.
Hughes throws a looping overhand right but Nakano ducks down to avoid it.
Hughes rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Nakano counters with a straight right hand.
Nakano lands a slapping body shot.
Hughes slips a jab from Nakano.
Hughes stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Decent striking displayed by Hughes there.
Hughes avoids the body shot from Nakano.
Nakano misses with a wild body shot.
Hughes walks into a stiff left hand from Nakano.
Hughes takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Nakano just misses with a punch to the body.
A head kick misses from Hughes.
Bronson Hughes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nakano walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
Nakano takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Hughes throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Nakano on the side of the head.
A slow jab from Hughes misses its intended target.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nakano with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Hughes to score with a decent uppercut.
Hughes lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Hughes moves out of range of the strikes.
Nakano waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Hughes.
Hughes scores with a jab to the head.
Hughes throws a hook but Nakano blocks it.
Hughes is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Nakano had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Nakano slips a straight right by Hughes.
Nakano misses the shot to the body.
Nakano connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Hughes momentarily.
Hughes lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
Hughes fails to land with a series of punches.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Hughes, as that shot connected.
Hughes throws a lazy right hand but Nakano sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Hughes cracks Nakano with an open hand slap.
Nakano throws a body punch but Hughes moves out of range.
Nakano throws a body shot but no joy.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hughes tries a head kick but it misses.
Nakano swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Nakano swings for the body but Hughes moves out of range.
Nakano takes the fight into the clinch.
Nakano's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Hughes steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Nakano.
Hughes swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Hughes jabs at Nakano's body.
Hughes misses with a looping left.
Hughes throws a sloppy head kick and Nakano moves out of range easily.
Hughes fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Nakano.
Nakano fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Hughes manages to avoid it.
Hughes wants to counter with a clinch but Nakano pushes him away.
Hughes has Nakano up against the cage in a clinch.
Hughes tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Hughes blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Nakano dodges an elbow strike from Hughes.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakano can't find room to land a body shot as Hughes controls the action.
A right handed body shot lands from Nakano.
Nakano managing to block the knees to the body from Hughes.
Nakano tries for a takedown. No joy.
Nakano scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Nakano blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Nakano tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Hughes tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Nakano lands with a right to the head.
Nakano fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Nakano softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Hughes.
Hughes comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Hughes tries for a takedown but Nakano manages to get underhooks.
A right hand to the body from Nakano.
A short right from Nakano on the inside.
Hughes gets underhooks to prevent Nakano's takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Minoru Nakano. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Nakano pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close round but Bronson Hughes will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!
Hughes takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Nakano bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hughes misses with a hook.
Nakano walks into a left hand.
Nakano misses the shot to the body.
Nakano uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Hughes.
Nakano misses with a body shot.
Hughes connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Nakano tries for a takedown but Hughes sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Hughes looks to land a left hand but Nakano moved out of range nicely.
Hughes lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hughes lands a really nice looking cross but Nakano seems unphased.
Nakano missing with a left hand there. Hughes was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Hughes shapes to counter with a head kick.
Hughes lands a jab.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hughes looks to land a combination but Nakano avoids it well.
Hughes throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nakano sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Hughes scores with a head kick.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Hughes bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hughes misses with a straight left.
Hughes ducks under a wild hook from Nakano.
Nakano fails with a takedown attempt.
Hughes lands with a slapping head kick.
Nakano swings for the body but Hughes moves out of range.
Hughes looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Bronson Hughes seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Nakano throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
A punch lands to the side of Nakano 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Nakano takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Jab, jab by Hughes - just one landing.
Nakano misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hughes.
Nakano throws the left hand but Hughes avoids the punch easily.
Hughes pushes Nakano up against the cage in a clinch.
I was talking to Nakano's coach per-fight and he was telling me that they'd been working on the clinch in the runup to this fight.
Hughes blocks an uppercut.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Hughes.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Hughes has a couple of punches blocked by Nakano.
Hughes swings wildly with an uppercut but Nakano uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hughes has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. Nakano seems to have the measure of him in the clinch so far, so let's see if Hughes can turn it around.
A right hand to the body from Nakano.
Hughes changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Nakano fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Hughes pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Nakano was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Nakano shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Hughes sprawls well. Hughes wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Nakano gets slowly back to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Minoru Nakano. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Hughes throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Nakano sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Hughes throws a hook but Nakano blocks it.
Hughes waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Nakano.
The fighters circling - Hughes throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Hughes misses with a left hand
and Nakano counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Hughes throws a hook to the side of Nakano's head but Nakano sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hughes looks to land a right hand but Nakano moved out of range.
Nakano scores with a jab to the jaw.
Nakano scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Hughes moves away from the strike by Nakano.
Nakano tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Hughes paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Nakano scores with a shot to the body.
Nakano shoots in and drives through. Hughes sprawls well.
Hughes throws a looping overhand right but Nakano ducks down to avoid it.
Nakano looks to throw the jab but Hughes is out of range.
Nakano scores with a body shot.
Nakano ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Nakano fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Hughes looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.
Nakano throws a shot to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Nakano is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A clash of legs there as Nakano blocks the low kick.
Hughes scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Nakano swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Hughes fails to land with a series of punches.
A momentary lapse in concentration from Hughes enables Nakano to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Hughes manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.
Nakano in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Nakano trying to pass the guard. He's being very persistent here but Hughes manages to land a sweep and now he's on top!
Nakano looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Nakano is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Nakano throwing rabbit punches from the bottom - showing the judges that he's keeping busy.
Nakano working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Hughes.
Hughes with a nice head shot there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
A close second round but Bronson Hughes will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!
Hughes misses with a looping right.
Nakano appears to be looking for a big counter.
Hughes blocks a jab.
Nakano misses with a shot to the body
and Hughes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Nakano throws the left hand but Hughes avoids the punch easily.
Hughes throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Hughes throws a hook to the side of Nakano's head but Nakano sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Nakano was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
A decent looking cross lands there for Nakano.
Bronson Hughes seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Hughes misses with a body kick.
A counter left hand to the body from Nakano misses its target.
Hughes throws a quick inside leg kick.
Hughes takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Hughes's corner calls for a 1-2. Hughes obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Nakano steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Hughes.
Hughes scores with the left hand. Nakano knows he should have avoided that one.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Nakano bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Nakano misses the shot to the body.
Nakano walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Nakano shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
Hughes is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Nakano is keen to just control but Hughes is a slippery customer.
Hughes wants to control but Nakano is keeping busy.
Nakano 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.
Hughes controlling the position well.
Nakano prevents Hughes from improving his position.
Minoru Nakano has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nakano trying to control the pace.
Nakano looks to land a strike but Hughes avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Nakano looking to pass the guard.
Nakano is working hard here to advance position.
Hughes wants to sweep but no luck.
Nakano is just sitting in guard, looking to avoid any submissions.
Nakano is fighting to break Hughes's control of his arms but Hughes is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Bronson Hughes is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hughes doesn't manage to clinch there - Nakano circles away.
Hughes on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Hughes throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Nakano lands with a cross.
Nakano throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Hughes lands with a nice body punch.
Hughes misses with a straight left.
Nakano misses with an uppercut. Hughes saw that one coming.
A slow jab from Hughes misses its intended target.
Nakano uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Hughes.
Hughes connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Nakano momentarily.
Nakano digs a good hook to Hughes's body.
Nakano throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hughes connects with a body shot.
Nakano checks a leg kick nicely.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hughes scoring well with a low kick there.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Hughes getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Nakano scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Hughes pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Nakano was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Nakano blocks a head kick by Hughes.
Hughes scores with a jab. Nakano acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Hughes on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Nakano thows a left - swing and a miss!
Hughes lunges at Nakano with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Nakano's hand.
Nakano misses with a combination
and Hughes counters with a shoot takedown. Nakano fights it but they end up in guard.
Nakano striking off his back but it's not causing Hughes any problems.
Hughes must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Hughes trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Nakano preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
And that's the end of the fight!
Bronson Hughes comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Hughes 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 Daniel Franklin scores the fight 27:30
Judge George Francis scores the fight 27:30
Judge Wesley Smith scores the fight 27:30
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bronson Hughes!
A relieved looking Bronson Hughes thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
|
S |
C |
G |
|
energy
A | B |
|
hype
A | B |
|
pop
A | B |
|
mgr
A | B |
|
FIGHT
RATING
70% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
