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PBP Commentary |
Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Alexander Popov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kenji Watanabe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Popov's entrance music is Be Good to Yourself . A fine choice. Alexander Popov has a significant reach advantage - let's see if he can make it count.
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| 222 cm
21
146 lbs
7 - 3 - 1 |
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172 cm
21
145 lbs
5 - 2 - 0 |
Decent wrestler
Excellent boxer
Very strong |
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BJJ Brown Belt
World class MT
Granite chin |
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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of
7 - 3 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, Alexander Popov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of
5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Kenji Watanabe!
The judges for this bout are , and .
The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Popov connects with a right hand. Watanabe shakes it off.
Watanabe throws a sloppy head kick
and Popov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
A low kick from Watanabe misses
and Popov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Watanabe throws out a leg kick but Popov moves out of range and Watanabe only half commits.
Popov keeps the fight on the outside.
Nice shot by Popov.
Popov punishes Watanabe's body with a nice straight punch.
Popov moves out of range of the leg kick from Watanabe.
Popov throws a predictable looking body shot
and Watanabe counters with an outside leg kick.
Watanabe cracks the inside of Popov's front leg.
Popov checks a leg kick nicely.
Watanabe throws a lazy body kick
and Popov counters with a right hand to the body.
Watanabe looks for the body kick but Popov saw that one coming.
Watanabe misses with a right hand
and Popov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Popov throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Watanabe stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Watanabe thows a leg kick but Popov checks it
and Popov counters with a one-two to the body.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Popov takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Popov is looking to wear down Watanabe with body shots, infact he's throwing more body shots than head shots at the moment.
Watanabe throws an off balance right hand
and Popov counters with a right hand to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Popov. Watanabe does a little dance to reset his feet.
Popov is using his reach advantage well here, landing the more effective single shots from range.
Watanabe slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Watanabe throws a leg kick
and Popov counters with a body kick that stops Watanabe in his tracks momentarily.
Popov lands with a good body shot.
Watanabe tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Popov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Popov lands a jab to the head.
Popov bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Popov lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Watanabe at a distance.
Watanabe moves to clinch but Popov breaks away
and Popov counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.
Kenji Watanabe seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Popov dips to his left and cracks Watanabe with an uppercut!
Nice uppercut lands for Popov. That snapped Watanabe's head back.
Popov misses with a straight left.
Watanabe misses with a leg kick
and Popov counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Popov really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Watanabe throws a body kick the misses
and Popov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Watanabe throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Popov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Popov digs a good hook to Watanabe's body.
Popov cracks Watanabe with an open hand slap.
Watanabe is looking to score with low kicks.
Popov lands with a straight right. Watanabe didn't see that one coming.
Watanabe throws a sloppy body shot
letting Popov counter with a right hand.
Jab, jab by Popov - just one landing.
Some bone on bone action there as Popov checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe throws a leg kick
and Popov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Popov throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Watanabe sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Popov avoids a kick to the body.
A low kick from Watanabe is predictable there
and Popov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Watanabe looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Watanabe closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
A good leg kick by Watanabe.
Donk. Popov catches Watanabe right on the button with a cross.
Popov jabs at Watanabe's body.
Watanabe throws a body kick, spinning off balance
and Popov counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Watanabe moves away from the strike by Popov.
Watanabe lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Popov clobbers Watanabe with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Popov connects with a crisp jab.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe falls off balance throwing a combination
and Popov counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Watanabe thinking.
Popov darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Popov works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Watanabe misses with a low kick as Popov jumps back.
Watanabe misses with the body kick
and Popov counters with a thumping low kick.
Popov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Watanabe thumps Popov with a low kick.
Popov walks into a stiff left hand from Watanabe.
Watanabe closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Watanabe motions for Popov to come forward. Watanabe throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Watanabe throws a leg kick
and Popov counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Popov throws a right hand that Watanabe ducks under and follows up with a left that Watanabe also avoids with ease.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.
Alexander Popov dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!
Watanabe closes the distance looking to clinch
and Popov counters with a left to the body.
Watanabe shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
That kick from Watanabe tenderised Popov's leg. Popov is trying to keep his angry face on.
Watanabe throws a lazy head kick
and Popov counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A low kick from Watanabe is predictable there
and Popov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Popov misses with a hook to the body
and Watanabe counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Watanabe.
Popov has had enough of the clinch but Watanabe keeps him there for the moment.
Watanabe working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Popov breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Watanabe scoring well with a low kick there.
A nice leg kick lands there from Popov.
Watanabe throws a leg kick that is checked
and Popov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Decent striking displayed by Popov there.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Watanabe fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Nice body kick there by Watanabe.
Popov is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Popov checks a leg kick nicely.
Watanabe lands a nice leg kick that just misses Popov's sensitive parts.
Popov has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Watanabe.
Nice shot lands for Popov.
Popov digs a good body shot into Watanabe's ribs.
Popov moves out of range of the leg kick from Watanabe.
Popov lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
The fighters circling - Popov throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
A head kick by Watanabe misses
enabling Popov to counter with a crisp jab.
Watanabe misses with a body kick.
Watanabe takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Popov throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Watanabe stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Watanabe avoids the head kick by Popov.
Popov is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Popov scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Popov jabs at Watanabe's body.
Popov blocks the body kick.
Popov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Watanabe feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Popov's calf.
Alexander Popov is winning the standup battle so far.
Watanabe throws a leg kick which misses Popov's front leg but catches the back leg as Popov tries to avoid it.
Watanabe uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Popov.
Watanabe misses with a body kick.
Watanabe tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A slow jab from Watanabe misses its intended target.
Popov circles away from the clinch attempt.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Popov waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Watanabe.
Popov scores with a hook to the body. Watanabe takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Popov lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Watanabe throws a body kick despite being completely out of range
and Popov counters with a right hand to the body.
Watanabe scores with a shot to the body.
Watanabe thows a leg kick but Popov checks it
and Popov counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Watanabe connects with a leg kick. Popov looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Popov misses with a wild body shot.
Popov looks to score with a jab to the body but Watanabe is just out of range.
A bone on bone clash there as Popov blocks the leg kick.
Popov misses with a body shot
and Watanabe connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Watanabe.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Popov takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Watanabe takes one on the button.
Popov chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Watanabe can pounce on him.
Watanabe misses with a left hand
and Watanabe takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Watanabe lands a nice looking kick to the body. Popov takes a step back to recover.
Popov fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Watanabe has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Nice jab there from Popov.
Popov checks a leg kick nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Watanabe walks into a stiff left hand from Popov.
Watanabe misses with a left hand
and Popov counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Watanabe is lucky that one didn't land flush.
A shot to the liver by Popov. Beautiful body shot.
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 Alexander Popov will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!
Watanabe darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Watanabe.
A low kick from Watanabe is predictable there
and Popov counters with a straight right hand.
Popov swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Watanabe throws a sloppy head kick
and Popov makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Watanabe lands where it shouldn't have, right in the... well, you know what he did? He kicked him in the penis. He's injured, injured bad. The referee sends both fighters to their corners and Popov has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Popov and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Watanabe throws the kick towards the body but Popov avoids it.
Popov swats away the attempt to clinch by Watanabe.
Popov chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Watanabe can pounce on him.
Watanabe has managed to clinch.
Popov wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Watanabe has him pressed against the cage.
Popov has had enough of the clinch but Watanabe keeps him there for the moment.
Popov is trying to stall.
Popov breaks the clinch.
That's one minute gone in the round.
Popov connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Watanabe has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Popov misses with a wild body shot.
Watanabe tries to land a body kick
and Popov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Popov throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Watanabe on the side of the head.
Popov throws a head kick that misses.
Watanabe rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Popov counters with a straight right hand.
Watanabe misses with a hook to the body
enabling Popov to counter with a crisp jab.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Watanabe takes a jab right on the kisser.
Watanabe throws a lazy head kick
letting Popov counter with a right hand.
Watanabe turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Watanabe connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Popov blocks the body kick.
Watanabe gets off balance looking for a body kick
and Popov counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Kenji Watanabe has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
That's two minutes gone in the round.
Popov connects with a nice looking jab.
Watanabe lands with a kick to the ribs.
Popov avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Popov smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Watanabe lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Watanabe is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Popov throws a leg kick that is checked
and Watanabe counters with a leg kick.
Watanabe throws a body punch but Popov moves out of range.
Watanabe throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Popov connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Watanabe avoids the body shot from Popov.
A low kick from Watanabe is predictable there
and Popov counters with a nice body shot.
Watanabe misses with an uppercut
and Popov counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Watanabe avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Watanabe throws a low kick but it's checked well by Popov.
Watanabe connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Popov takes a swing at Watanabe's ribcage but misses.
Watanabe blocks a head kick by Popov.
Watanabe connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Watanabe is looking to chop away at Popov's legs.
Popov fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Watanabe lands with an uppercut that bounces Popov off the cage and back into rage.
A slow jab from Popov misses its intended target.
Watanabe throws a combination that misses
and Popov cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Watanabe throws a right hand that misses
and Popov counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Watanabe thinking.
That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe moves forwards but Popov connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Popov throws a lazy right hand but Watanabe sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Watanabe is looking to land body kicks.
Watanabe misses with a left hand
and Popov counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Popov moves out of range of the body kick.
Watanabe throws a poor cross that misses
and Popov counters with a lovely shot to the body.
Watanabe thows a leg kick but Popov checks it
and Popov counters with a big head kick but Watanabe shrugs it off.
A low kick from Watanabe misses
and Popov counters with a stiff right hand.
Watanabe tries to clinch up
and Popov counters with a right hand to the body.
Popov blocks a leg kick.
And that's the end of the fight!
Alexander Popov showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Popov, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 30:27
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 30:27
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 30:27
In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alexander Popov!
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| S |
C
A |
G |
S |
C
B |
G |
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S |
C |
G |
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energy
A | B |
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hype
A | B |
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pop
A | B |
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mgr
A | B |
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FIGHT
RATING
61% |
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