PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Luigi Watanabe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Grosse Face A Claque (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Watanabe kept the crowd waiting but all that was forgotten when his ring entrance music started. The incomparable musical genius that is Run This Town Tonight. Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Watanabe
vs
Face A Claque

175 cm
20
149 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

176 cm
20
155 lbs
1 - 1 - 0

BJJ Purple Belt
Solid boxing
Intelligent

BJJ Purple Belt
Decent boxing
Powerful

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 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Luigi Watanabe!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Grosse Face A Claque!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, Yves DeLean and Alec Ball.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A Claque misses with a straight right.
A Claque's corner calls for a 1-2. A Claque obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
A Claque closes the distance and clinches up with Watanabe, looking for a takedown. A Claque pushes Watanabe against the cage but Watanabe circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Watanabe scores with a one two! A Claque had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Watanabe misses with a series of wild punches.

A Claque tries to sprawl but Watanabe drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Watanabe is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
A Claque is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Watanabe thowing strikes but they're hitting the gloves, not doing any damage.
Watanabe trying to control but he's not successful this time.
A Claque is working to get back to half guard.

Watanabe is working for a guillotine from mount but A Claque frees his head quite easily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A Claque manages to regain half guard. Good work.
A Claque trying to control but Watanabe postures up.
A Claque is controlling Watanabe's position as best he can from this difficult position.
A Claque is looking to improve his position.
Watanabe is looking to take a break and control but A Claque is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
A Claque is looking for a sweep. Watanabe is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Watanabe trying to control the action but A Claque is working from the bottom.
A Claque moves into full guard.
Watanabe passes into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe wants to lay and pray for a moment but A Claque keeps working.
Watanabe works his way into full mount!
A Claque is looking to get to half guard.

Watanabe wants to finish this one by submission but A Claque is holding onto his waist, trying to prevent any attacks from Watanabe.
A Claque sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
A Claque is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Watanabe drops an elbow to the side of A Claque's head.
A Claque trying to control but Watanabe postures up.
Watanabe looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe works his foot free and advances to mount.
Watanabe trying to control but he's not successful this time.
A Claque is working to get back to half guard.
Watanabe takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Watanabe wants to control the pace but A Claque is squirming around nicely.
A Claque slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
A Claque wants to get back to his feet.
Watanabe wants to pass to mount but A Claque is defending the position.
Watanabe is working hard here to advance position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A Claque is trying to get back to full guard.
Watanabe wants to lay and pray for a moment but A Claque keeps working.
Watanabe trying to mount his opponent but A Claque defends it.

Watanabe seems to be working for a kimura but A Claque defends the submission attempt.
A Claque holds on for dear life, maintaining half guard for now.
A Claque is trying to get back to full guard.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
A Claque is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Luigi Watanabe dominated that round.
That's time! Watanabe's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

A Claque lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Watanabe circles away quickly and effectively.

A Claque rushes Watanabe and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
A Claque wants to get back to striking at distance but Watanabe won't allow it.
A Claque managing to block the knees to the body from Watanabe.
A Claque lands a shoulder strike.

A Claque's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Watanabe looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
No joy there for Watanabe, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Watanabe gets in close and instigates a clinch.
Watanabe is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. A Claque is defending well for now.
Watanabe tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and A Claque avoids it.
Watanabe lands a body punch.
Watanabe unloads a knee to the mid-section. A Claque lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Watanabe missing with knees to the body.
A Claque on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
A Claque takes a knee to the side of the body.
Watanabe misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from A Claque.
Watanabe lands an elbow inside.
Watanabe crunches a lovely knee into A Claque's ribcage.
A Claque lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Watanabe tries to land knees in the clinch but A Claque avoids the damage to the body.

A Claque has Watanabe pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. A Claque pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Watanabe tumbling to the mat - A Claque dives into Watanabe's guard.
A Claque is breathing heavily.
A Claque trying to control the position from guard on top but Watanabe is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A Claque throwing strikes from guard but Watanabe blocks nicely.
A Claque stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Watanabe swivels though and keeps the full guard.
A Claque stops Watanabe from standing up.

Watanabe uses the cage to get back to his feet.
Watanabe misses with a combination
and A Claque counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Luigi Watanabe seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe throws a left and a right that both miss
and A Claque counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Watanabe avoids the body shot from A Claque.
Watanabe keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
A Claque is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Watanabe throws a nice looking combination but A Claque bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
A Claque has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Watanabe stuffs the takedown.
A Claque showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Watanabe.
Watanabe scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Watanabe throws a combination but it was largely blocked by A Claque.
Watanabe ducks under a wild hook from A Claque.
Watanabe swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and A Claque counters with a nice double leg into side control. Watanabe won't be happy with that.

A Claque tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no A Claque has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
The ground and pound from A Claque seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe is pushing A Claque's head away, looking to escape. A Claque manages to hold on to the position though.

A Claque wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Watanabe, who protects the arm well.

A Claque stands up and we're back to a striking position.
A Claque swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.

Watanabe rushes A Claque and presses him up against the cage.

A Claque pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
A Claque looks to score with a jab to the body but Watanabe is just out of range.
Watanabe tries to close the distance and clinch but A Claque swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Watanabe falls off balance throwing a combination
and A Claque counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big left from A Claque misses.
Watanabe lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but A Claque circles away quickly and effectively.

Watanabe clinches.

A Claque lands a takedown into guard.
A Claque won't allow Watanabe to get back to his feet.
Grosse Face A Claque has got the better of the ground game so far.
A Claque trying to control but Watanabe is working from the bottom.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
A Claque looking to pass the guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A Claque looking to sit in guard and control but Watanabe gets the butterfly guard and sweeps. He's now in the guard on the top.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Grosse Face A Claque 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!

Watanabe goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Watanabe takes a hook to the side of the head. I wonder if that's got his ears ringing.
Watanabe throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Luigi Watanabe is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A Claque shoots for a takedown but Watanabe saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
A Claque avoids a punch combination nicely.
Watanabe lands a two punch combo.
Watanabe swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
A Claque pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Watanabe looks to land a combination but A Claque avoids it well.
A punch combination from Watanabe misses.
Watanabe misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Watanabe scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
A combination from Watanabe does no damage.
Watanabe looks for a takedown but A Claque sprawls well.
Watanabe ducks under a wild hook from A Claque.
A Claque fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Watanabe manages to avoid it.
A Claque shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Watanabe as he jumps to the side.
Watanabe misses with a double jab.
A Claque takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
The fight stays on the outside here - Watanabe looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
A Claque missing with a left hand there. Watanabe was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Nice straight punches there by Watanabe. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Watanabe.
Watanabe looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
A Claque tries for a takedown but Watanabe circles away easily
and Watanabe counters with a three punch combo that has A Claque backing up. A Claque nods at Watanabe to acknowledge the strikes.
Luigi Watanabe has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Grosse Face A Claque.
Watanabe tries to bum rush A Claque with a series of wild strikes but A Claque uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
No luck with that takedown attempt from A Claque.
Watanabe scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
A Claque dodges the punch combination from Watanabe.

Watanabe has taken the fight to the clinch.
Watanabe tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and A Claque avoids it.
A Claque wants to stall.
A Claque takes a knee to the side of the body.
Watanabe changes levels and goes for a takedown here. A Claque fights it off and pushes away nicely.
A combination from Watanabe does no damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe looks to land a combination but A Claque avoids it well.
Watanabe will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Watanabe uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by A Claque.
Watanabe looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Watanabe misses with the combination.
A Claque thows a body shot but no joy.
Watanabe tries to clinch there but A Claque circles away.
A nice combination there by Watanabe.
Watanabe lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Watanabe lands with a nice combination. A Claque backs away looking to recover.
A Claque dodges the punch combination from Watanabe.
A nice combination there by Watanabe.
Watanabe slips a straight right by A Claque.
Watanabe will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

Watanabe gets the takedown into side control.
A Claque tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Watanabe wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Watanabe trying to control the position but A Claque is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A Claque defending against the ground and pound.

Watanabe is trying to get an arm triangle but A Claque is defending well.
Watanabe tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
A Claque wants to control but Watanabe postures up.
A Claque controls the position for a moment.
Watanabe is looking to take a break and control but A Claque is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Watanabe is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, A Claque has escaped the position, nice work there.

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.
A Claque manages to get back to half guard.
A Claque won't allow Watanabe to pass to mount.
A Claque manages to get to full guard.
Watanabe postures up.
Watanabe slips effortlessly into side control - very nice.
Watanabe tries to advance to mount but A Claque denies him.
Watanabe working away.

And that's the end of the fight!
Luigi Watanabe showed his dominance in that final round.
I think Watanabe has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Steve Smith scores the fight 29:28
Judge Yves DeLean scores the fight 29:28
Judge Alec Ball scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Luigi Watanabe!