|
|
PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Eiki Daikaura (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Matt Manuel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Manuel has chosen Lay Low as his entrance music. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!
 |
|
 |
| 170 cm
27
139 lbs
13 - 5 - 0 |
|
172 cm
27
155 lbs
14 - 3 - 0 |
BJJ Purple Belt
Great elbows
Very strong |
|
Powerful takedowns
Good kicks
Powerful |
|
| |
|
Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
13 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Eiki Daikaura!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
14 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Matt Manuel!
The judges for this bout are Gwen Towbar, Stewart Dunkirk and Chris Downing.
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Manuel motions for Daikaura to come forward. Manuel throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Manuel tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Daikaura paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Manuel shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Daikaura swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Daikaura waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Manuel.
Daikaura throws a hook but Manuel avoids it easily.
Daikaura throws a hook but Manuel blocks it.
Manuel tried to score with a low kick but Daikaura checks it.
Daikaura wants to land a leg kick but Manuel is out of range.
Daikaura will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Manuel doesn't manage to clinch there - Daikaura circles away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Manuel circles away from the clinch attempt.
Good shot there by Daikaura.
Daikaura pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Manuel shoots in for a takedown but Daikaura shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Manuel on the wrong end of a nice hook.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Daikaura throws a push kick but Manuel slaps the foot to one side.
Manuel fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Daikaura avoids it really well and circles away.
Daikaura misses with a hook.
Daikaura lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Manuel circles away quickly and effectively.
Daikaura ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Manuel moves away.
Daikaura throws a leg kick that misses.
Daikaura is looking to clinch.
Manuel explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Daikaura throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Manuel misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Daikaura.
Manuel throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Daikaura displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Manuel.
Eiki Daikaura has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Manuel.
Daikaura avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Eiki Daikaura is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
That's two 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.
Daikaura takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
A head kick misses from Manuel.
A punch combination from Daikaura misses.
Daikaura lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Daikaura throws a leg kick
and Manuel counters with a stiff right hand.
Manuel misses with a double jab
and Daikaura makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Manuel takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Manuel shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Daikaura's guard.
Manuel wants to control from the top but Daikaura keeps moving.
Manuel is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Daikaura wants to sweep but no luck.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Manuel accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura trying to control the position here.
Manuel has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Manuel trying to control the position from guard on top but Daikaura is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Manuel postures up.
It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Manuel scores with a takedown into Daikaura's guard.
Daikaura looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Daikaura manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Manuel digs a good body shot into Daikaura's ribs.
A good leg kick by Daikaura.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Daikaura tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Manuel makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Jab by Manuel.
Manuel walks into a left hand.
Manuel avoids the body shot from Daikaura.
Manuel uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Daikaura.
Manuel slips a jab and a cross from Daikaura.
Daikaura swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Manuel. Daikaura does a little dance to reset his feet.
Daikaura tries to clinch up
and Manuel counters with a nice double leg into guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matt Manuel dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Daikaura.
Daikaura keeps the fight on the outside.
Daikaura is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Manuel.
Daikaura tries to close the distance and clinch but Manuel swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Manuel blocks a head kick by Daikaura.
Daikaura swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Daikaura stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Manuel.
Daikaura swings away with a body shot that misses
so Manuel counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Manuel tries to free his leg and advance position but Daikaura is retaining full guard.
Daikaura looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Manuel pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Daikaura is keeping the position for now.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Manuel drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Daikaura dives on top into guard.
Daikaura wants to stand but Manuel has a closed guard, so he can't escape.
Manuel tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Daikaura stands and steps away. Manuel gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Manuel throws a wild body kick that Daikaura sees coming a mile off.
A jab from Daikaura misses.
Manuel moves into range and clinches up with Daikaura.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Manuel throws a head punch that misses.
Daikaura lands a good knee to the midsection. Manuel won't want to take too many of those.
Manuel tries a knee to the head but Daikaura blocks it.
Manuel digs a right hand into Daikaura's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Daikaura's gas tank.
Daikaura stalling.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Manuel avoiding damage as Daikaura throws knees to the body.
Daikaura trying to stall but Manuel improves his position.
Daikaura prevents a body shot from Manuel.
Manuel misses with a knee strike.
Manuel blocks an elbow strike.
Manuel is trying to stall.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Manuel tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Manuel is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Daikaura blocking some punches.
Manuel misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Daikaura.
Manuel can't find room to land a body shot as Daikaura controls the action.
Daikaura breaks the clinch.
Daikaura lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Daikaura.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Manuel looks to clinch
and Daikaura cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Manuel drives through with a takedown into guard.
Manuel is breathing heavily.
Manuel prevents Daikaura from getting back to his feet.
Manuel missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Manuel wants to control from the top but Daikaura keeps moving.
Manuel drops back for a leg but he's not going to get it - he lets go and Daikaura dives on top into guard.
Daikaura wants to get up but he can't break Manuel's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Daikaura has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Daikaura stopping the sweep attempt from Manuel.
Manuel is trying to control the position but Daikaura postures up.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Manuel keeping moving, preventing Daikaura from controlling successfully.
Manuel is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Daikaura is aware though and is defending well.
Daikaura gets to his feet - Manuel follows without any prompting.
Manuel avoids the head kick by Daikaura.
Daikaura scores with a nice head shot.
Daikaura cracks Manuel with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Daikaura works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Daikaura digs a good hook to Manuel's body.
Daikaura tries to clinch but Manuel moves away
and Manuel counters with a nice low kick that buckles Daikaura's knee momentarily.
Daikaura lands with an uppercut that bounces Manuel off the cage and back into rage.
Daikaura chopping away at his opponent's legs.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close second round but I would say that Eiki Daikaura will probably get the nod.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.
Daikaura pivots, looking for a leg kick but Manuel is out of range and Daikaura settles back down.
Manuel takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Manuel looks for a takedown. He's got it. We're now in half guard.
Manuel tries to pass the half guard into mount. Daikaura knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Manuel stalling.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Manuel wants to take a breather but Daikaura is having none of it.
Manuel 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.
Daikaura is staying active underneath Manuel, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Daikaura keeping hold of Manuel's head, controlling as best he can.
Manuel takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Daikaura tries to roll over but Manuel keeps him under control.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Daikaura keeping hold of Manuel's head, controlling as best he can.
Daikaura gets full guard.
Manuel pushes down on Daikaura's leg and manages to get into half guard.
Daikaura is trying to stand.
Daikaura trying to control but Manuel postures up.
Manuel is trying to control the action in half guard but Daikaura is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Daikaura is trying to get back to full guard.
Manuel not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Matt Manuel has got the better of the ground game so far.
That's two 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.
Daikaura is looking to improve his position.
Manuel trying to pass the guard but Daikaura defending well.
Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Daikaura wants to clinch.
Manuel showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Daikaura.
Manuel throws a leg kick but Daikaura checks it.
Daikaura misses with the combination.
Manuel dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Daikaura. That did some damage!
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura throws a lazy head kick
and Manuel counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Daikaura looks to land a left hand but Manuel moved out of range nicely.
Manuel decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Manuel thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Daikaura's head.
Manuel prevents Daikaura from standing back up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Manuel trying to control from half guard but Daikaura is working away.
Ground and pound from Manuel.
Daikaura tries to get to full guard but Manuel has control of the leg.
Manuel is nestled in close to Daikaura, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
Manuel is looking to stall here but Daikaura recovers full guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Manuel wants to pass the guard but Daikaura is keeping the position.
Daikaura has his feet on Manuel's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
Daikaura tries a head kick but it misses.
Daikaura misses with a looping left.
Manuel shoots for a double leg takedown but Daikaura sprawls well. He's pushed Manuel's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Daikaura lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Daikaura connects with a nice looking jab.
Daikaura throws a right hand that Manuel ducks under and follows up with a left that Manuel also avoids with ease.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Matt Manuel really dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.
Daikaura throws a combination that misses
and Manuel counters with a stiff right hand.
Daikaura lands a right hook to the body.
Manuel throws a low kick but it's checked well by Daikaura.
Manuel looks to clinch
and Daikaura cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Manuel has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Daikaura finds it's way round the side to connect with Manuel's head.
Manuel is looking to clinch.
Manuel keeps the fight on the outside.
Eiki Daikaura seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Daikaura is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Manuel.
Daikaura connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Daikaura bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Daikaura throws a hook to the side of Manuel's head but Manuel sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Daikaura throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Daikaura lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Manuel circles away quickly and effectively.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Manuel moves into range and clinches up with Daikaura.
Manuel dodges an elbow strike from Daikaura.
Daikaura tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Manuel avoids it.
Manuel scores with an uppercut up the middle.
A body shot lands from Manuel.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Daikaura.
Manuel lands with a short shot to the head.
Manuel lands a body shot in the clinch.
Manuel tries to land a knee to the head but Daikaura blocks with his arms.
Manuel lands a left hand.
Manuel goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
A short body shot lands from Manuel as the two fighters clinch.
A right hook to the body lands for Manuel.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Manuel pushes Daikaura back against the cage and unloads with a body punch.
Manuel misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Manuel avoiding damage.
Manuel fails to pull guard.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Daikaura as Manuel tries to tie him up.
Knees in the clinch landing for Daikaura.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura lands an elbow inside.
Daikaura on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Manuel looking to throw knees to the head but Daikaura is blocking nicely.
Manuel tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Daikaura's elbow.
Manuel can't find room to land a body shot as Daikaura controls the action.
Daikaura comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Daikaura just leaning against Manuel, taking a breather.
Manuel missing with knees to the body.
Daikaura throws an elbow but it's blocked.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Manuel.
Daikaura leaning his opponent against the cage.
Daikaura blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Daikaura blocks an uppercut.
Daikaura looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Daikaura holding his opponent close, against the cage.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Daikaura looking to slow down the pace here.
Manuel misses with a punch to the body.
Daikaura is trying to maintain a safe position but Manuel gets an underhook and turns Daikaura into the cage.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Eiki Daikaura.
Manuel throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Manuel shoots in looking for a takedown. Daikaura tries to sprawl out of it but Manuel keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Daikaura manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Daikaura moves into range and lands a nice body kick.
Daikaura throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Manuel stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Daikaura throws a nice looking combination but Manuel bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Manuel is trying hard to land a takedown here. Daikaura sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Eiki Daikaura has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Matt Manuel.
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.
Daikaura goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Daikaura closes the distance and clinches.
Manuel tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Maybe Daikaura would be better served going for some more strikes rather than trying to control so much.
Manuel misses with the head strike.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Daikaura takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Manuel lands a body punch.
Manuel misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Daikaura.
Manuel misses with a body punch.
Daikaura comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
A battle for position here, against the cage.
Daikaura can't seem to implement his control oriented gameplan at the moment. That's no bad thing of course, for those of us who want to see a good fight.
Manuel is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Daikaura is defending well for now.
Daikaura trying to control the position but instead, Manuel has worked for underhooks and has pushed Daikaura into the cage.
Still in the clinch, Manuel scores with a nice short uppercut.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
That was a close fourth round but I would say that Eiki Daikaura will probably get the nod.
That's time! Daikaura's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!
Daikaura throws a nice inside leg kick.
Daikaura tries to clinch but Manuel is having none of it.
Daikaura throws a sloppy head kick
and Manuel counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Daikaura!
Manuel can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Daikaura is looking to escape.
Daikaura really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Daikaura tries to hold on but Manuel pushes him away.
Manuel scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Daikaura?
Manuel moves into side control, trying to work for a kimura. That looks painful! Will he finish!!?? No, Daikaura has worked his arm free - good work by Daikaura!
Manuel is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Manuel tries to advance to mount but can't.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Manuel wants to control but Daikaura is keeping him busy.
Manuel lands a few punches from side control.
Manuel is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Daikaura will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Manuel throwing strikes but Daikaura manages to buck up and roll into a nice reversal - now he's on top in side control!
Manuel is looking for a sweep.
Daikaura just content to control the position.
Daikaura has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Manuel!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Manuel is trying desperately to improve position.
Daikaura controlling from mount.
Manuel is squirming around, avoiding Daikaura's attempts to control the action.
Daikaura controlling the position easily from mount.
Manuel is looking to improve his position but Daikaura isn't that keen on the idea.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Daikaura gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!
Daikaura pulls out of a head kick attempt.
A jab from Daikaura misses.
Manuel gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Manuel stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Daikaura pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Eiki Daikaura is winning the standup battle so far.
Daikaura throws a combination that misses
and Manuel counters with a single leg into guard. Daikaura didn't expect that.
Manuel looking to pass the guard.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Manuel loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Manuel pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Daikaura is keeping the position for now.
Daikaura working a defensive guard here.
Manuel stops Daikaura from standing up.
Manuel wants to pass the guard but Daikaura is keeping the position.
Daikaura bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Manuel's guard.
Daikaura wants to get up but he can't break Manuel's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Manuel can't keep his opponent in guard - Daikaura advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Daikaura prevents Manuel from improving his position.
And that's the end of the fight!
Matt Manuel comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Manuel has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.
Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Gwen Towbar scores the fight 47:48
Judge Stewart Dunkirk scores the fight 47:48
Judge Chris Downing scores the fight 47:48
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Matt Manuel! Matt Manuel retains his featherweight title!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 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
72% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
