PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Rob Halaki (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kiyoshi Yamada (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Yamada has chosen Turnt Up - Travis Porter as his entrance music. Kiyoshi Yamada will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Halaki
vs
Yamada

180 cm
22
165 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

168 cm
22
156 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Prefers ground

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Determined

Hell's Balls Fightwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Rob Halaki!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Kiyoshi Yamada!
The judges for this bout are , and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Yamada bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Halaki sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Halaki looks like he's trying to stand up.
Halaki wants to control but Yamada is keeping busy.
Yamada tries to stand and escape but Halaki is controlling the position.
Halaki tries to roll over but Yamada keeps him under control.
Halaki has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Yamada is working away from the top position though.
It looks like Yamada is going to stand back up.
Halaki is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Yamada shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Halaki as he jumps to the side.
Halaki jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Halaki misses with a two punch combination.
Yamada fails with a takedown attempt.
Halaki throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Yamada.
Halaki misses with a looping right.
Halaki misses with a takedown attempt - Yamada sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Yamada shoots and misses

and Halaki counters with a nice double leg into guard.
Rob Halaki has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Kiyoshi Yamada.
Halaki showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Halaki wants to control from the top but Yamada keeps moving.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Halaki looking to pass the guard.
Yamada looking for a sweep. Not yet Yamada, not yet.
Halaki forces his way into half guard.
Halaki thows a big elbow that misses, also allowing Yamada to regain full guard.
Halaki postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

Halaki postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Yamada is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Halaki, into his guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yamada pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Halaki is keeping the position for now.
Halaki is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Halaki is working for a submission of some sort.
Yamada really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Halaki. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Yamada wants to get back to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Halaki seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Yamada does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Halaki thows a huge punch but Yamada dodges it nicely.
Halaki will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Halaki looks to land a strike but Yamada avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Yamada avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Halaki stopping the sweep attempt from Yamada.
Yamada preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rob Halaki dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Yamada with a lazy takedown attempt

and Halaki counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Yamada!
Yamada working to try and regain half guard.
Halaki with a couple of short strikes.
Halaki connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Halaki cracks Yamada with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Rob Halaki overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Halaki misses with a head shot.

Halaki is working for a guillotine from mount but Yamada frees his head quite easily.
Yamada avoids a series of strikes thrown by Halaki.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Halaki throws an elbow from mount that misses. Lucky escape for Yamada because Halaki loaded up on that one.
Halaki fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Halaki trying to control but Yamada is having none of it.
Halaki fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Yamada is trying desperately to improve position.
Halaki landing strikes from the mount.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Halaki is in full mount, looking to secure a guillotine but Yamada is surviving well by controlling Halaki's body position as best he can.
Halaki throwing sloppy strikes here. Perhaps if he tightened up his striking from such a dominant position, he'd be able to finish easier.
Yamada tries to hold on but Halaki pushes him away.
Halaki punishing his opponent with strikes.
Halaki punching from mount but Yamada doing a good job of avoiding damage.
Halaki thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
Halaki pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halaki lands a big elbow.
Halaki unloads with some shots from mount but Yamada bucks and avoids them well.
Halaki throwing shots from mount but they're not landing.
Yamada is wriggling around trying to escape.

Halaki looking to secure an arm triangle but Yamada defends it well.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Yamada tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Yamada is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

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.
Halaki is landing with some decent strikes but Yamada is trying to advance his position so the referee is letting the fight continue.
Halaki misses with a head shot.

Halaki has control of Yamada's right arm, working for a kimura. It's a bit of a token attempt though and Yamada regains control of the situation pretty easily.
Yamada is wriggling around trying to escape.
Yamada wriggling around on the bottom manages to avoid the strikes thrown by Halaki.
Halaki has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Yamada's face.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rob Halaki dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Yamada shoots in but doesn't get the takedown

and Halaki counters by clinching up.
Halaki tries for a takedown. No joy.
Halaki can't get the takedown.
Yamada misses with a short punch on the inside.
Halaki is trying to break the clinch but Yamada has him pressed against the cage.
Halaki is working for takedown but Yamada is calmly controlling the position for now.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Rob Halaki. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Yamada keeps control of Halaki as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Halaki wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Yamada has him pressed against the cage.
Halaki tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Halaki goes for a takedown in the clinch but Yamada prevents it.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Halaki is looking to break free of the clinch but Yamada has double underhooks.
Yamada lands a hook to the side of the head.
Yamada leaning his opponent against the cage.
Halaki misses with a punch to the body.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yamada trying to stall but Halaki improves his position.
Yamada scores with a nice hook to the head.
Halaki is working for takedown but Yamada is calmly controlling the position for now.
Yamada misses with some punches.
Yamada taking a break, stalling in the clinch.
Yamada keeps control of Halaki as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Halaki tries to pull guard but Yamada holds him up against the cage and eventually Halaki drops back down to his feet.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Yamada.
Halaki tries for a takedown. No joy.
Halaki wants a takedown.
A short right from Yamada on the inside.
Yamada misses with a punch on the inside.
Yamada lands a left hand.
Halaki digs a right hand into Yamada's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Yamada's gas tank.

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.
Halaki wants a takedown.
Yamada lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Yamada lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Yamada has a couple of punches blocked by Halaki.
Yamada keeps control of Halaki as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Yamada misses with the head strike.
Yamada gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Halaki.
Yamada misses with a short punch on the inside.
Yamada is pressed up against the cage. Halaki has hold of a leg and is looking to drag Yamada down to the mat. Yamada avoids the attempt though and has circled away. We're back to striking at a distance.
Halaki walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Yamada checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Halaki misses with a wild combination.

Yamada fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Halaki sprawls well initially but Yamada persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Halaki wants to improve his position but Yamada is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Halaki is working hard here to advance position.
Yamada is trying to control the action in half guard but Halaki is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Halaki is looking to improve his position.
Yamada tries to stand but can't do so whilst Halaki controls his leg.
Halaki missing with punches from the bottom.
Halaki is striking from the bottom but he's now found himself mounted! Oh dear - not enough focus on defense there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
There's not a lot going on here and the crowd are letting the fighters know they're not willing to tolerate a lack of action.
Yamada takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Halaki really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Halaki wants to control but Yamada is having none of it.
Halaki swinging wildly from the bottom but he's not landing.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Yamada sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Halaki is squirming around, avoiding Yamada's attempts to control the action.

And that's the end of the fight!
Kiyoshi Yamada comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Halaki 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 Andi Peters scores the fight 29:27
Judge Gordon Ramsey scores the fight 29:27
Judge Frank Skinner scores the fight 29:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rob Halaki!