PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Srichan Dan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Naoki Tanaka (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Dan comes into the arena with Pendulum - Propane Nightmares blaring out of the sound system. Both these guys have solid standup skills and neither is particularly fantastic on the ground, so let's hope for a nice standup war!

Dan
vs
Tanaka

182 cm
24
170 lbs
8 - 2 - 0

181 cm
26
183 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ White Belt
Great elbows
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 8 - 2 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Srichan Dan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Naoki Tanaka!
The judges for this bout are Valeri Chadov, Aleksei Zolotukhin and Aleksandr Martynov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dan throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Tanaka stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
An inside leg kick from Tanaka misses.
Tanaka misses with a low kick.
Tanaka throws a solid leg kick but Dan takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Tanaka.
Tanaka misses with a head kick.
Tanaka throws out a loose jab but Dan uses good head movement to avoid it.
Dan just misses with a punch to the body.
Tanaka tried to score with a low kick but Dan checks it.
Dan checks a leg kick.
Tanaka wants to land a leg kick but Dan is out of range.
Naoki Tanaka seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Tanaka is looking to chop away at Dan's legs.
Tanaka tried to score with a low kick but Dan checks it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tanaka tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Dan is able to avoid easily.
Good leg kick by Tanaka there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Dan uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Tanaka.
A nice inside leg kick there by Tanaka. That's going to slow Dan down.
An inside leg kick lands from Tanaka.
Dan scores with a crisp jab that stopped Tanaka in his tracks.
Tanaka lands a leg kick that knocks Dan off balance momentarily.
Tanaka lands with a thumping leg kick.
Tanaka is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Tanaka throws a leg kick that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka throws a leg kick which misses Dan's front leg but catches the back leg as Dan tries to avoid it.
Tanaka throws a leg kick but Dan sees it coming and moves out of range.
Tanaka dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Dan. That did some damage!
Tanaka looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Dan cracks Tanaka with a good jab.
Tanaka tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Dan manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Tanaka jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Tanaka wants to land a leg kick but Dan is out of range.
Tanaka tries to score with a low kick but Dan moves his leg out of the way.
Tanaka misses with a low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka tries to land a leg kick but Dan saw it coming and moves away.
A nice inside leg kick there by Tanaka. That's going to slow Dan down.
Dan circles away from the clinch attempt.
A slapping leg kick lands for Tanaka.
Tanaka throws a solid leg kick but Dan takes the impact on his shin and smiles at Tanaka.
Tanaka throws a nice outside leg kick.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Tanaka 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 Dan has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Dan and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Dan avoids the elbow strike from Tanaka, against the cage.
Dan is trying to break the clinch but Tanaka has him pressed against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka lands a knee to the body.
Tanaka throws an elbow that misses.
Tanaka taking a breather.
Tanaka is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Dan is defending well for now.
Tanaka tries a knee to the head but Dan blocks it.
Dan is trying to break the clinch but Tanaka has him pressed against the cage.
Tanaka pushes off an throws an elbow but Dan leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Dan working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Dan looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.

Dan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tanaka scores with a leg kick.
Tanaka throws a front kick that sends Dan stumbling back into the cage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tanaka fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Dan checks a leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Naoki Tanaka dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Tanaka chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Tanaka tries to clinch but Dan moves out of range.
Dan checks the leg kick nicely there.
Tanaka throws a leg kick which misses Dan's front leg but catches the back leg as Dan tries to avoid it.
Dan keeps the fight on the outside.
Dan checks a leg kick.
Dan is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Tanaka is looking to clinch.
A big right from Tanaka misses.
Tanaka fails with an attempt to clinch.
Tanaka looks to clinch
and Dan cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Tanaka slips a jab from Dan.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tanaka tries to land a leg kick but Dan saw it coming and moves away.
Dan lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Tanaka at a distance.
Tanaka tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Dan counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
A slapping leg kick lands for Tanaka.
Tanaka fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Dan has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Dan blocks a low kick nicely.
Dan misses with a double jab.
Tanaka feints and then cracks Dan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Dan down.
Tanaka feints and then cracks Dan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Dan down.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Dan was well out of range. Poor timing from Tanaka.

Tanaka closes the distance and clinches.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Tanaka misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Dan.
Tanaka tries to land knees in the clinch but Dan avoids the damage to the body.
Dan is trying to force a seperation but Tanaka has the dominant position.
Dan has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Tanaka lands an elbow inside.
Tanaka keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Dan's efforts to push away.
Knees in the clinch landing for Tanaka.
Tanaka tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Dan avoids it.
A head punch on the inside from Tanaka fails to land.
Dan takes an elbow to the temple.

It looks like Srichan Dan has been cut.
Tanaka misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Dan.
Tanaka is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Dan tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Dan lands a nice uppercut.
Dan wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

Dan breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Tanaka tries to clinch up but Dan circles away and keeps his distance.
Tanaka does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Oooooooooooh, not good. A low kick from Tanaka 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 Dan has 5 minutes to recover. He's OK now though... a thumbs up from Dan and we're back underway with a touch of gloves.
Dan avoids the head kick by Tanaka.
A nice inside leg kick there by Tanaka. That's going to slow Dan down.
A head kick misses from Tanaka.
Naoki Tanaka seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Dan moves out of range of the strikes.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dan displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Tanaka throws out the jab.
A leg kick checked by Dan.
Tanaka throws a low kick, looking for Dan's leg but Dan calmly moves out of range.
A slapping leg kick lands for Tanaka.
Tanaka fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Dan is out of range.
Left hook, right uppercut from Dan.
Tanaka throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tanaka showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Dan.
Tanaka lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Naoki Tanaka showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Srichan Dan's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Tanaka buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Tanaka throws a low kick but it's checked well by Dan.
Dan checks a leg kick nicely.
Tanaka connects with a leg kick. Dan looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Tanaka lands a nice leg kick that just misses Dan's sensitive parts.
A head kick misses from Tanaka.
Tanaka dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Dan. That did some damage!
Tanaka looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Dan tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Tanaka manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Tanaka attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tanaka swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Dan checks the leg kick.
A nice leg kick lands there from Tanaka.
Tanaka throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Tanaka throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Dan.
Dan fails to land with a series of punches.
Tanaka feints and then cracks Dan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Dan down.
Dan fails with an attempt to clinch.

Tanaka clinches with his opponent.
Tanaka putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Dan in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Srichan Dan has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dan lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Dan tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Tanaka's elbow.
Tanaka lands a hook that snaps the head of Dan backwards.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
A short left from Dan.
Tanaka creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Dan's defenses.
Dan tries to break free but Tanaka pushes him back against the cage.
Dan is clearly stalling here... Pick up the pace son.
Tanaka has Dan pressed against the cage, preventing Dan from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Dan tries to break the clinch but Tanaka is controlling the position.
Dan is trying to break free.
Tanaka lands a nice elbow.
Dan tries to circle away but Tanaka has him pinned against the cage.
Dan wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Tanaka has him pressed against the cage.
Tanaka avoiding damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka throws an elbow that misses.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Tanaka just misses with a elbow thrown towards Dan's brow.
Tanaka prevents Dan from breaking the clinch.
Naoki Tanaka seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Tanaka lands a damaging elbow.
Tanaka scores with a knee to the head.
Tanaka throws an elbow but it misses.
Tanaka wants to stall.
Tanaka throws a head punch that misses.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Dan.
Tanaka looking to stall.
Tanaka throws an elbow that misses.
The referee is keeping an eye on Dan - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Dan working hard to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Tanaka stalling in the clinch but Dan improves position.
Dan wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Dan is working Tanaka over against the cage.
Nice body punch from Dan - that landed with a thud.
Tanaka takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Dan wants to break the clinch but can't.

Dan breaks the clinch.
Tanaka takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Tanaka tries to clinch up.

Tanaka rushes Dan and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Tanaka landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Nice body punch from Dan.
Tanaka misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Dan.
Dan struggles to land a body shot inside as Tanaka controls his hands.
Dan tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.

And that's the end of the fight!
Naoki Tanaka comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Tanaka has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Valeri Chadov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Aleksandr Martynov scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Naoki Tanaka!