PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Masa Saitoh (ranked 565 p4p, 291 weight class) and Borowa Gora (ranked 77 p4p, 41 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Saitoh
vs
Gora

182 cm
27
205
15 - 5 - 0

194 cm
31
213
22 - 7 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Powerful

Shadow Realm Apparel

Kersikov's Vitamin Clinic (160)
NARCOS

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 15 - 5 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Masa Saitoh!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 22 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Borowa Gora!
The judges for this bout are Yuuki Gou, Yasuomi Hirokawa and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Saitoh uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Gora.
An attempted straight right counter from Saitoh misses the target.
Gora throws out a loose jab but Saitoh uses good head movement to avoid it.
Gora throws a hook but Saitoh avoids it easily.
Saitoh looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Gora with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Gora looks to score with a jab to the body but Saitoh is just out of range.
Gora chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Saitoh throws a shot from downtown. Gora moves away and avoids it.
Saitoh closes the distance looking to clinch
and Gora connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Gora fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Gora cracks Saitoh with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Saitoh misses with a right hand
and Gora counters with a thumping low kick.
Saitoh ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Gora moves away.
Saitoh dodges the punch combination from Gora.
Saitoh is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Gora.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Gora misses with an uppercut.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gora steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Saitoh.
Saitoh with a body punch. A glancing blow.
Gora motions for Saitoh to come forward. Gora throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Gora throws out a loose jab but Saitoh uses good head movement to avoid it.
Saitoh tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Gora takes a swing at Saitoh's ribcage but misses.
Jab from Saitoh.
Gora throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Saitoh takes one to the chin there.
Gora cracks Saitoh with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Borowa Gora is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Saitoh throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Saitoh gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Gora.
Borowa Gora seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Saitoh throws the left hand but Gora avoids the punch easily.
Saitoh lands a nice shot that snaps Gora's head back.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Saitoh misses with a hook.
Saitoh is trying hard to land a takedown here. Gora sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Saitoh throws a jab when Gora was well out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gora swings widly with a right hand
and Saitoh counters with a stiff right hand.
Saitoh throws the left hand but Gora avoids the punch easily.
No joy there for Saitoh, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Gora jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
Gora lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
A solid leg kick lands there for Gora.
An inside leg kick from Gora misses.
Saitoh is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Nice uppercut there from Gora.
Gora displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Saitoh throws out the jab.
Gora looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Saitoh avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Decent striking displayed by Gora there.

It looks like Masa Saitoh has been cut.
Saitoh swinging wildly here.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Saitoh.
Gora throws a counter combo.
Saitoh throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Gora makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Gora throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Saitoh sees it coming and avoids it easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh swings for the body but Gora moves out of range.
Saitoh shoots in looking for a takedown. Gora tries to sprawl out of it but Saitoh keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Gora manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Masa Saitoh. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Gora connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Saitoh's hands.
Saitoh throws a right hand that misses
and Gora counters with a nice body shot.
Saitoh staying out of range there.
Good exchange - Gora coming out on top.
Saitoh on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Saitoh misses with a left hand
and Gora counters with a thumping low kick.
Gora misses with an uppercut
letting Saitoh counter with a right hand.
Gora is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Saitoh had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into mush.
Saitoh tries to score a power double leg takedown but Gora sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Saitoh somewhat.
Gora lets it all go there with a big combo counter but none of the punches connected.
Saitoh is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Gora avoids the body shot from Saitoh.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh fails with the takedown
and Gora cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Gora lands a nice hook to Saitoh's body. Saitoh takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
A slow jab from Saitoh misses its intended target.
Gora is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
A cross from Saitoh lands.
Gora connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Gora has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Gora takes a shot right to the liver - Bas would have been proud of that punch.
Nice shot lands for Gora.
Gora throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Saitoh stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Gora scores with a shot to the body.
Saitoh takes a kick to the side of the head.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gora lands a nice looking body shot.
Nice uppercut there from Gora.
Gora walks into a stiff left hand from Saitoh.
Saitoh takes one to the chin there.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

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

Saitoh takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Gora jabs Saitoh to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Saitoh checks a low kick from Gora.
Gora swinging wildly here.
Saitoh tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Saitoh missing with a left hand there. Gora was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Gora just misses with a punch to the body.
Gora has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Gora looks to land a left hand but Saitoh moved out of range nicely.
Saitoh appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Saitoh ducks under a wild hook from Gora.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Gora scoring well with a low kick there.
Saitoh misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Gora.
Saitoh avoids the head kick by Gora.
Nice defenses there by Saitoh.
Gora getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Gora thows a left - swing and a miss!
Saitoh appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saitoh is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Gora just misses with a punch to the body.
Saitoh throwing a counter right hand but Gora manages to avoid it.
A left lands for Saitoh.
A big right from Gora misses.
The fighters circling - Gora throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Saitoh throws out a loose jab but Gora uses good head movement to avoid it.
Saitoh pushes forward with a 1-2 combination that forces Gora back to the cage. Saitoh follows up with a solid lead hook to the liver.
Saitoh swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Saitoh throws a poor cross that misses
and Gora counters with a straight right hand.

Saitoh drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Gora wants to stand and escape but Saitoh is having none of it.

Gora scrambles and gets back to his feet.
Saitoh shoots for a takedown but Gora saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Gora cracks Saitoh with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Gora connects with an inside leg kick.
Saitoh shoots in for a takedown but Gora shows good takedown defense.
Borowa Gora seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters circling - Gora throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Gora lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Gora stalks Saitoh and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Saitoh's face. Saitoh staggers backwards, shaken.
Saitoh on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Gora scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Saitoh misses with a looping right.
Gora throws an off balance right hand
and Saitoh counters with a nice body shot.
A head kick misses from Gora.
Saitoh keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Saitoh is looking to counter punch.
Saitoh is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Gora.
Gora misses with the combination.
Saitoh swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Gora misses with a looping left.
Saitoh looks to score with a jab to the body but Gora is just out of range.
Gora paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Gora. That snapped Saitoh's head back.
Gora throws a leg kick that is checked
and Saitoh counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Saitoh takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Gora throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
A big right from Saitoh misses.
Gora moves out of range as Saitoh strikes.
Gora throws a low kick but Saitoh moves out of range easily.
An attempted straight right counter from Saitoh misses the target.
A jab from Gora misses.
Gora has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Gora with the inside leg kick.
Saitoh looks to land a left hand but Gora moved out of range nicely.
Gora swings for the body but Saitoh moves out of range.
Saitoh blocks a leg kick.
A jab lands there for Saitoh.

Saitoh closes the distance and pushes Gora back into the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Gora.
Gora blocks a body shot from Saitoh.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Gora or not.
Gora is breathing heavily.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Gora fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Gora tries to work over Saitoh's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Saitoh tries to throw a body punch but Gora avoids it by throwing Saitoh back against the cage.
Saitoh lands a shoulder strike.
Saitoh has a couple of punches blocked by Gora.
Saitoh scores with a shoulder strike.
A hook to the body from Gora.
Gora prevents a body shot from Saitoh.
Gora misses with a short punch on the inside.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Saitoh.
Saitoh doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Saitoh looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Saitoh tries to throw a body punch but Gora avoids it by throwing Saitoh back against the cage.
A left hand lands to the body for Gora.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gora tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Saitoh tries to throw a body punch but Gora avoids it by throwing Saitoh back against the cage.
Saitoh lands a shoulder strike.

Gora pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Gora throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Borowa Gora showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Masa Saitoh's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Gora scores with a head kick. Saitoh tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
A slow jab from Saitoh misses its intended target.
Gora throws a body punch but Saitoh moves out of range.
Gora ducks under a wild hook from Saitoh.
Gora looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Gora avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Gora is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.
Gora throws a lazy uppercut
and Saitoh counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Gora scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
A big right from Saitoh misses.
Gora looks to land a left hand but Saitoh moved out of range nicely.
Gora tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Saitoh is able to avoid easily.
Gora lands a jab to Saitoh's midsection.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Saitoh looks to score with a jab to the body but Gora is just out of range.
Gora tries to bum rush Saitoh with a series of wild strikes but Saitoh uses good footwork to avoid the assault.

Saitoh shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Gora is trying to defend but Saitoh finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Saitoh wants to take a breather but Gora is having none of it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Saitoh stops Gora from getting back to his feet.
Gora 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 ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Saitoh not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Gora wants to get back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Saitoh winds up and cracks Gora with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
Nice strikes from Saitoh there.
Gora is looking to escape.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Saitoh lands a nice short elbow.
Saitoh missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Ground and pound from Saitoh.

Gora manages to escape and get back to his feet!
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Gora.
Gora misses with a hook. Saitoh ducked under it nicely.
Masa Saitoh has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh checks the leg kick nicely there.
Saitoh fails with the takedown.
Gora doesn't fully commit to the body shot counter.
Saitoh checks the leg kick.
Saitoh avoids the body shot from Gora.
Gora keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Saitoh will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Gora scores with a hook.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Gora misses with a leg kick.
Gora throws a hook but Saitoh blocks it.
Saitoh lands the left hand.
Gora lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Saitoh dives in and grabs Gora's left leg, looking for a takedown. Gora pushes down on Saitoh's head and hops out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Masa Saitoh. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
A jab lands there for Gora.
Gora closes the distance and lands a one-two.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Saitoh swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Gora tries a head kick but it misses.
Saitoh throws a lazy uppercut
and Gora counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Gora throws out a leg kick but Saitoh moves out of range and Gora only half commits.
Saitoh drops his hands momentarily and Gora takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Gora throws a hook but Saitoh blocks it.
Saitoh closes this distance looking for a takedown but Gora circles away.
Saitoh lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Gora lands a leg kick that knocks Saitoh off balance momentarily.
A swing and a miss from Gora.
Saitoh with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Gora to score with a decent uppercut.
Gora moves into range and connects with a jab.
Saitoh takes a kick to the side of the head.
Gora bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Saitoh's head.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
A shot to the body from Saitoh misses
enabling Gora to counter with a crisp jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Decent striking displayed by Saitoh there.
Gora lands an overhand right.
Gora throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Saitoh walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Gora throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Saitoh.

Saitoh is rocked!
Gora slips a jab from Saitoh.
Saitoh misses with a straight right.
Saitoh throws a body punch but Gora moves out of range.
Saitoh shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Gora as he jumps to the side.
A slapping leg kick lands for Gora.
Gora throws a sloppy head kick
enabling Saitoh to counter with a crisp jab.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Saitoh throws a body shot but no joy.

And that's the end of the fight!
Borowa Gora comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Gora 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 Yuuki Gou scores the fight 27:30
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 27:30
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Borowa Gora!
A very excited looking Borowa Gora rambled incoherently for about 5 minutes post fight about how awesome he is. It was kinda funny for a while but then everyone got annoyed.