PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kaka Jambalaya (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Keisuke Honda (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Jambalaya
vs
Honda

195 cm
23
244 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

190 cm
19
250 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Brawler
Solid chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kaka Jambalaya!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Keisuke Honda!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Yukihiro Shimada and Hirohito Nitta.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Honda fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Jambalaya, pushing him back against the cage.
Honda prevents the takedown attempt.

Jambalaya pulls guard effortlessly.
Jambalaya keeping full guard, as Honda tries to pass.
Jambalaya controls Honda momentarily but Honda frees himself.
Jambalaya wants to stand but Honda is controlling the position.

Honda stands up and waves to Jambalaya to follow him.
Honda misses with a takedown attempt - Jambalaya sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.

Jambalaya closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Honda can't do much from the bottom here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Honda is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Jambalaya is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Honda tries to lock up and control but Jambalaya gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Jambalaya can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Honda is looking to escape.
Jambalaya landing strikes, looking to finish!
Honda wants to hold on but Jambalaya pushes him away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Honda tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Honda should think about turning a few of those tyres round his middle into muscle if he wants people to take him seriously as an athlete.
Jambalaya tries to control but Honda wriggling away.
Honda working to try and regain half guard.
Jambalaya throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Jambalaya sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Honda working to try and regain half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jambalaya trying to control but Honda is having none of it.
Honda is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Jambalaya landing shots from mount.
Honda in a bad spot here, taking shots to the head.
Jambalaya controlling from the full mount.
Honda gets back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Honda is looking for a sweep. Jambalaya is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Jambalaya seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
Jambalaya prevents Honda from improving his position.
Honda wants to get back to his feet.
Jambalaya takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.

Jambalaya is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Honda missing with punches from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kaka Jambalaya dominated that round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Honda just misses with a punch to the body.
Honda throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Jambalaya.
Jambalaya tries a head kick but it misses.
Jambalaya fails with the takedown

and Honda counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Jambalaya is looking to control Honda's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Jambalaya avoid being mounted?

Jambalaya looking for submissions from an awkward position here.
Honda is taking a breather. Jambalaya says something to him but it's hard to make out. Perhaps he's telling him to get on with it and actually do something.
Jambalaya has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Honda is working away from the top position though.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Honda is figuring out what he wants to do next.
Jambalaya is pressing down on Honda's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Honda controls from within his opponent's guard.
Honda trying to control the position from guard on top but Jambalaya is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

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.

Honda gets to his feet - Jambalaya follows without any prompting.
Jambalaya doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Honda counters with a single leg into guard. Jambalaya didn't expect that.
Honda looking to pass the guard.

Honda decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Jambalaya has his takedown stuffed

and Honda counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Honda.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kaka Jambalaya. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Honda works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Honda working over Jambalaya with some ground and pound. Jambalaya looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Honda controlling the pace.
Honda passes into side control, despite Jambalaya's attempt to control the position.

Honda looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Honda controlling from side mount.
Jambalaya is looking to reverse the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
You can see the frustration on Jambalaya's face as Honda controls the position.

Honda tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Jambalaya being controlled for a moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Keisuke Honda showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Jambalaya gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Honda decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Jambalaya's guard.
Keisuke Honda has got the better of the ground game so far.

The ref stands the fighters back up, due to lack of action by Keisuke Honda.
Honda looks to land a combination but Jambalaya avoids it well.
Some wild striking there from Honda.
Honda tries for a takedown but Jambalaya sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Jambalaya gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Honda decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Jambalaya's guard.

Honda gets to his feet - Jambalaya follows without any prompting.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Honda throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Jambalaya was covering up waiting for the punch and Honda finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Jambalaya looking for a sweep. Not yet Jambalaya, not yet.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Jambalaya has a butterfly guard looking to sweep but Honda has passed into side control.

Honda decides to take the fight back to the feet.
Honda swinging wildly here.

Honda closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Jambalaya tries to buck Honda off but Honda is having none of it.
Honda lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Jambalaya down.
Jambalaya is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Honda is controlling him well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Honda remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Jambalaya is looking to reverse the position.
Honda passes to full mount! That's big trouble for Jambalaya!
Jambalaya keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.
Honda takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Jambalaya tries to reverse the position but Honda maintains control.
Honda content just to control the position here.

Honda working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.
Jambalaya is desperately trying to improve his position but Honda has a good base and remains in mount.

That's four 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.
Honda scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Jambalaya?
Honda controlling the position easily from mount.
Honda blocks Jambalaya's feeble attempts to strike from the bottom.
Jambalaya is wriggling around trying to escape.
Honda sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Jambalaya is desperately trying to get back to half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Keisuke Honda comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Honda 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 27:29
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 27:29
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 27:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Keisuke Honda!