PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Kazushi Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Rural Advantage (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Advantage has chosen Drain the Blood as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Sakuraba
vs
Advantage

183 cm
25
175 lbs
12 - 6 - 0

180 cm
26
172 lbs
10 - 7 - 1

Powerful takedowns
Counter striker
Insanely flexible

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Powerful

[CBK] LEGAL HIGHS « AJFC↑ DOUBLE 160Q ®

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 2 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 12 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kazushi Sakuraba!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 7 - 1, fighting out of Tokyo, Rural Advantage!
The judges for this bout are Sosuke Kotani, Yukihiro Yamamoto and Kenichi Hosakawa.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Advantage scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Sakuraba avoids the body shot from Advantage.
Advantage scores with a one two! Sakuraba had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
Advantage doesn't manage to clinch there - Sakuraba circles away.
Advantage throws a body punch but Sakuraba moves out of range.
A left lands for Advantage.
Advantage works Sakuraba's body with a nice hook.
Advantage throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Sakuraba stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Sakuraba avoids a punch combination nicely.
Advantage swings and misses with a hook to the body.
A shot to the liver by Advantage. Beautiful body shot.
Rural Advantage seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sakuraba tries to clinch up but Advantage circles away and keeps his distance.

Advantage has closed the distance and engaged Sakuraba in a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Sakuraba as Advantage tries to tie him up.

Advantage breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Advantage misses with a wild body shot.
Advantage throws a right and a left that Sakuraba avoids nicely.
Advantage fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.

Sakuraba closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Advantage quickly recovers to half guard.
Sakuraba stops Advantage from getting back to his feet.
Sakuraba trying to pass the guard but Advantage defending well.
Advantage is trying to maintain the position but Sakuraba is very close to passing his half guard.
Advantage is trying to stand back up but Sakuraba is controlling him

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba wants to take a breather but Advantage is having none of it.
Sakuraba thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Sakuraba throws a strike but Advantage avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sakuraba with a flurry of punches that miss.
Sakuraba postures up in Advantage's guard and throws a big left but Advantage blocks it.
Advantage keeping full guard, as Sakuraba tries to pass.
Sakuraba sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Advantage's guard.
Sakuraba thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Advantage's head.
Sakuraba stalling.

Advantage is defending against the submission attempts here by Sakuraba.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Advantage has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Sakuraba is working away from the top position though.

Sakuraba is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Advantage defends it well.

Sakuraba is trying to work for a kimura but Advantage is defending well.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Sakuraba working over Advantage with some ground and pound. Advantage looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Advantage is not content to let Sakuraba control the position.
Advantage keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Sakuraba missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Advantage is trying is best to control the position here.

Advantage kicks Sakuraba off and gets back to his feet.
Advantage wants to clinch.

Advantage clinches.
Advantage has had enough of the clinch but Sakuraba keeps him there for the moment.

That's five minutes gone in the round.

Advantage escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Advantage throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Advantage keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Advantage ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Sakuraba moves away.
Sakuraba tries to clinch but Advantage is having none of it.
Advantage takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.

Advantage takes the fight into the clinch.
Sakuraba tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.

Advantage's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Advantage clinches up against the cage.
Advantage wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.

That's six minutes gone in the round.

Advantage escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Sakuraba fails with a takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kazushi Sakuraba. That's going to take a lot out of him.
No joy there for Advantage, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Sakuraba shoots in and gets a takedown into Advantage's guard.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
Sakuraba forces his way into half guard.
Advantage is looking to control Sakuraba's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Advantage avoid being mounted?
Sakuraba content to control rather than advance.
Advantage is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Sakuraba scores with a couple of nice shots.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Sakuraba throws a big elbow that misses, also allowing Advantage to regain full guard.

Sakuraba has gone for a leg lock! Advantage slips out almost immediately though and dives into Sakuraba's guard.

Advantage decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Advantage shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Sakuraba eats them both and turns towards Advantage to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Advantage lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.

Advantage has managed to clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Advantage taking a break, stalling in the clinch.

Advantage escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba throws a shot to the body.
Advantage tries to bum rush Sakuraba with a series of wild strikes but Sakuraba uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Left hook, right uppercut from Advantage.
Sakuraba shoots in looking for a takedown. Advantage tries to sprawl out of it but Sakuraba keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Advantage manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

Sakuraba scores with a takedown into Advantage's guard.
Sakuraba missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Sakuraba passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Sakuraba scores with a couple of short elbows.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba trying to control the position but Advantage is working away.
Sakuraba tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Sakuraba in side control lands a nice looking series of punches and elbows.
Sakuraba lands a nice forearm strike.
Advantage stops Sakuraba from passing to mount.
Advantage struggling a bit here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Advantage wants to get back to his feet but Sakuraba drags him back down.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sakuraba wants to control but Advantage is keeping him busy.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Rural Advantage will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin! This is the final round!

Advantage lands with a hook. Sakuraba tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Advantage misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Advantage doesn't manage to clinch there - Sakuraba circles away.
Sakuraba uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Advantage.

Advantage darts in and clinches Sakuraba up against the cage.
Sakuraba tries to pull guard but Advantage holds him up against the cage and eventually Sakuraba drops back down to his feet.
Sakuraba wants to take the fight to the mat but Advantage manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Sakuraba has Advantage pressed against the cage, preventing Advantage from circling away and getting back to striking at range.

Advantage breaks from the clinch.
Sloppy strikes from Advantage. Those never looked like landing.
Sakuraba misses with a jab, cross combination.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Advantage throws a combination. Sakuraba tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Sakuraba is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.

Sakuraba is rocked!
Advantage lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Sakuraba at a distance.
Oh Sakuraba is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!

Advantage clinches with his opponent.
Advantage is struggling to control the position.

Advantage breaks from the clinch.
Sakuraba seems to have got his legs back now.
Sakuraba slips a jab from Advantage.
Sakuraba dodges the punch combination from Advantage.
Sakuraba avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Sakuraba misses with an uppercut
letting Advantage counter with a right hand.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Advantage jabs at Sakuraba's body.
Advantage misses with a combination

and Sakuraba counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Advantage is breathing heavily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba works his foot free and advances to mount.
Sakuraba pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Sakuraba tucks in and makes sure he doesn't lose the dominant position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Advantage is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.
Advantage is looking to get back to his feet - it's going to be hard from this position.
Sakuraba lands a big shot there that rocks Advantage but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Sakuraba dominating with strikes here.
Sakuraba controlling the pace for now.
Sakuraba is still in mount, landing shots to his trapped opponent. Advantage can't stay in a position like this for much longer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba scoring with strikes but Advantage is staying in there.

Advantage is rocked!
Sakuraba can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Advantage is looking to escape.
Advantage is still in real trouble! Can Sakuraba finish him?
Advantage avoids a series of strikes thrown by Sakuraba.
Advantage seems to have recovered his senses.
Advantage avoids a strike by Sakuraba and manages to complete a very nice reversal in the process, to end up in Sakuraba's guard! Fantastic escape!

Advantage is posturing up here but Sakuraba has hold of an arm and he's gone for an armbar! Advantage tries to roll out but it's too tight and Advantage has to tap! Slick submission there by Sakuraba!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Kazushi Sakuraba!
A victorious Kazushi Sakuraba thanked his army of followers in his post fight interview, telling people to make sure they follow him on Twitter.