PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Joe Pae (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nari Vari (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Nari Vari has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Pae
vs
Vari

185 cm
19
191 lbs
4 - 0 - 0

185 cm
19
195 lbs
6 - 1 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent boxer
Heavy handed

Cold Blooded Kemists ↑ 5x160Q

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Joe Pae!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Nari Vari!
The judges for this bout are Yukihiro Shimada, Hirohito Nitta and Tatsuya Matsuyama.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Pae moves into the clinch successfully.
Vari throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Vari pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Vari misses with an elbow strike.
Vari missing with knees to the body.
Pae throws an elbow but it misses.
Pae wants to get back to striking at distance but Vari won't allow it.
Vari dodges an elbow strike from Pae.
Vari tries to land knees in the clinch but Pae avoids the damage to the body.
Vari avoids a wild elbow strike from Pae.
Vari missing with knees to the body.
Vari dodges an elbow strike from Pae.
Pae managing to block the knees to the body from Vari.
Vari misses with an elbow strike.
Pae trying to land knees to the body.
Vari pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Vari tries to break free but Pae pushes him back against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vari creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
Pae tries to land knees in the clinch but Vari avoids the damage to the body.
Pae misses with an elbow over the top.

Vari breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Sloppy strikes from Vari. Those never looked like landing.
Vari throws out a loose jab but Pae uses good head movement to avoid it.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Pae.
Pae buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Pae swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Pae explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Pae ducks under a wild hook from Vari.
Pae pulls out of a head kick attempt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Vari cracks Pae with a right hand to the side of the head.
Vari on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Pae. Pae obviously looking to wear him down.

Pae gets a clinch.

Pae escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Pae misses with a two punch combination.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vari misses with a double jab.
Vari cracks Pae with a good jab.

Pae closes the distance and clinches.
Pae keeps control of Vari as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Vari blocks an elbow strike from Pae.
Vari missing with knees to the body.
Vari takes a knee to the side of the body.
Pae misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Vari.

Pae escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
A right-left combo lands from Pae.
Vari ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Pae moves away.
Pae chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch but Vari swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Pae keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Vari.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch up but Vari swats him away and circles back towards the center.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pae rushes Vari and presses him up against the cage.
Pae pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.

Pae breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Pae uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Vari.
Vari scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Vari misses the jab.
Vari throws a body punch but Pae moves out of range.
Pae tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Some wild striking there from Pae.
A jab from Vari misses.
Vari pushing out the jab but it's not landing.

Pae pushes Vari up against the cage in a clinch.
Vari tries to break the clinch but Pae is controlling the position.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Vari just misses with a elbow thrown towards Pae's brow.
Vari tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Pae avoids it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Vari pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Pae throws a nice looking combination but Vari bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Vari swings for the body but Pae moves out of range.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Pae.
Pae throws a head kick that half lands.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Vari rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Pae moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vari throws a couple of head shots and lands with the final one - a decent hook, which struck Pae on the side of the head.
Pae misses with an uppercut
and Vari counters with a three punch combo that has Pae backing up. Pae nods at Vari to acknowledge the strikes.
Pae misses with a wild combination.
A head kick misses from Pae.
Pae keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pae lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Pae is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Vari misses the shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Pae dominated that round.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

A slapping body kick lands there for Pae.
Nice uppercut lands for Vari. That snapped Pae's head back.
Pae throws a head kick that Vari semi-blocks.
Vari misses with a jab, cross combination.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Pae!

Vari is rocked!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Vari on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Vari swinging wildly here.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari moves out of range.
Pae moves in looking to clinch but Vari pushes him off.
Pae avoids a punch combination nicely.
The fighters circling - Vari throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Vari blocks a head kick by Pae.

Pae instigates a clinch.
Pae pushes off an throws an elbow but Vari leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Vari avoids the elbow strike from Pae, against the cage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Vari throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Pae blocks it with crossed arms.
Vari wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Pae has him pressed against the cage.
Vari misses with a knee strike.
Pae throws an elbow but it misses.
Vari on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Pae breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Vari throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Pae stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch but Vari swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Pae misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Joe Pae is winning the standup battle so far.
Pae ducks under a wild hook from Vari.
Vari will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Vari throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Pae lands with an overhand left.
Vari jabbing away but nothing is landing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pae throws a head kick that misses.
Joe Pae is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Pae throws a head kick that misses.
Pae wants to clinch.
Pae's corner calls for a 1, 2 combination and Pae duly obliges.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Pae has taken the fight to the clinch.

Pae manages to break the clinch.
Vari throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Vari!
Vari misses with a few strikes there.
Pae blocks a jab.

Pae clinches up with Vari and pushes him back against the cage.
Pae is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

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

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vari throws a hook but Pae blocks it.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch but Vari swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Vari misses the shot to the body.
Pae throws a half hearted mid kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Pae looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Pae pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Vari tries to keep at a distance but Pae has taken the fight into the clinch.
Vari throws an elbow but it misses.
Vari managing to block the knees to the body from Pae.
Vari creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Pae's defenses.

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

Pae moves into the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pae pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Vari using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Pae has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Vari takes a knee to the side of the body.
Vari blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
With the fighters up against the cage, Pae throws an elbow but misses.
Pae missing with knees to the body.

Pae's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Vari fails to land with a series of punches.
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!
Pae displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Pae misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch but Vari swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Pae takes a swing at Vari's ribcage but misses.
Vari misses with the combination.
Vari avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Pae dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action.

Pae on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Vari scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Pae scores with a head kick. Vari tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
Pae avoids a punch combination nicely.
Vari pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Vari avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Pae doesn't manage to clinch there - Vari circles away.
Pae throws a nice head kick!
Vari is still on wobbly legs! Can Pae finish him?
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vari scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Vari seems to have recovered his senses.
Pae lands with a slapping head kick.
Vari misses the jab.
Vari scores with a body shot.
Vari cracks a nice hook into Pae's ribs.
Vari avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Pae has not gone for a single takedown so far in this fight, which seems like a very strange tactic when you consider that he has the superior wrestling and BJJ.
Pae wants to clinch up but Vari keeps it at a distance.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pae avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Vari has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Pae.
Vari throws a looping overhand right but Pae ducks down to avoid it.
Vari scores with a nice right hand.
Vari swings for the body but Pae moves out of range.
Vari misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Pae rushes Vari and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Pae just misses with a elbow thrown towards Vari's brow.

Vari breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Vari scores with a one two! Pae had his feet all tangled up there and couldn't avoid the strikes.
A right-left combo lands from Vari.
Vari takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Vari misses with a double jab.
Vari avoids the head kick by Pae.

Pae moves into range and clinches up with Vari.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Pae breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Pae clinches up with Vari and pushes him back against the cage.

Pae's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Vari looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
The fight stays on the outside here - Pae looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Pae lands a nice leg kick that just misses Vari's sensitive parts.
Pae lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Pae lands a two punch combo.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari moves out of range.
Pae misses with a wild combination.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch up but Vari swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari moves out of range.
Vari throws a lazy right hand but Pae sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Vari misses with a body shot.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Vari throws a body punch but Pae moves out of range.

Pae clinches up with Vari and pushes him back against the cage.
Joe Pae has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Vari tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Pae avoids it.
Pae creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.

Pae escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Pae wants to clinch.
Vari throws a body punch but Pae moves out of range.
Vari misses with a hook. Pae ducked under it nicely.
Pae scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Vari misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Pae.
Pae throws a body kick that misses.
Pae connects with an inside leg kick.
Pae is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Vari.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari moves out of range.
Pae is looking to clinch.
Pae scores with a head kick. Vari tried to block it but didn't get his arm up in time.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Pae tries to clinch up but Vari circles away and keeps his distance.
Pae tries a head kick but it misses.
Vari misses with a body shot.

Pae has closed the distance and engaged Vari in a clinch.
Pae lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Vari tries to break the clinch but Pae is controlling the position.
Vari tries to land knees in the clinch but Pae avoids the damage to the body.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Nice elbow from Vari.

Pae breaks from the clinch.
Pae takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Vari throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Pae clearly takes that round.
That's time! Pae's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Vari tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Pae manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Vari's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Vari throws a hook but Pae blocks it.
Vari circles away from the clinch attempt.
Vari throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
The crowd cheers as Pae lands an impressive looking overhand right. Vari doesn't seem phased though.
Pae doesn't manage to clinch there - Vari circles away.
Pae wants to clinch up but Vari keeps it at a distance.
Vari lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Pae fails to land with a series of punches.
Pae scores with a nice body kick.

Pae fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Vari, pushing him back against the cage.
Vari pushes off an throws an elbow but Pae leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

Pae manages to break the clinch.
Pae is looking to clinch but Vari is avoiding it.
Vari avoids the head kick by Pae.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pae throws a body kick that misses.
Vari throws a jab but it's blocked by Pae.
Pae lands a head kick. Vari smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Vari scores with a jab to the jaw.
Vari swinging wildly here.
Pae throws a head kick but Vari moves out of range.
Some wild striking there from Pae.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Vari throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Vari scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Vari thows a body shot but no joy.
Vari scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Vari looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Vari lands with a nice body punch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pae takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Pae keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Pae wants to clinch.
Vari throws a right and a left that both miss.
Vari waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Pae.
Danga de danga de dang - Pae scores with a four punch combination!
Pae throws a half hearted mid kick.
Vari thows a left - swing and a miss!
No joy there for Vari, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Pae rushes Vari and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Pae on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.

Pae breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Pae gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Pae dodges an elbow strike from Vari.
Pae missing with knees to the body.

Pae breaks from the clinch.
Pae moves in looking to clinch but Vari pushes him off.
Vari rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Pae moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vari throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Pae stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Pae goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Vari throws a right and a left that Pae avoids nicely.
Vari swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.

Pae closes the distance and pushes Vari back into the cage.

Pae breaks the clinch.
Vari stuns Pae with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Vari misses with a straight right.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pae throws a head kick that Vari semi-blocks.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Vari misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Pae.
Vari swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Vari takes a kick to the side of the head.
Vari jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Pae scoring well with a low kick there.

Pae gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Pae misses with an elbow strike.
Pae tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Vari avoids it.
Pae dodges an elbow strike from Vari.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Pae breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Vari moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Vari avoids the head kick by Pae.
Vari throws a shot to the body.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Joe Pae had his way with Nari Vari in that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Vari jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Pae misses with a looping left.
Vari ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Pae moves away.
Pae takes a jab on the nose. He smiles like he loves it and keeps coming.
Vari misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Pae.
A combination from Vari does no damage.
Vari punishes Pae's body with a nice straight punch.
Pae tries to bum rush Vari with a series of wild strikes but Vari uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Vari circles away from the clinch attempt
and Vari counters with a nice uppercut.
Pae throws a head kick but Vari moves out of range.
Pae lands a nice looking body kick.
Vari swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Pae chopping away at his opponent's legs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A looping hook to the body misses from Vari. Pae does a little dance to reset his feet.
Pae ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Pae thows a body kick. Vari tries to catch it but that hurt him.
Pae keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Vari is wobbling all over the place through exhaustion. Will he make it to the final bell?
Pae connects with the punch.
Vari swats away the attempt to clinch by Pae.
Pae goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Vari throws a series of punches but Pae moves out of range.
Vari misses with a looping right.
Vari has developed a nice purple lump on his ribcage, as a result of some heavy body kicks from Pae.
A big left from Vari misses.
Vari rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Pae moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Vari ducks right into an uppercut from Pae.
Pae throws a head kick that misses.
Vari waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Pae.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Vari lands a nice shot that snaps Pae's head back.
Pae looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Vari walks forward, straight into a front kick from Pae.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A punch combination from Vari misses.
Vari throws a lazy right hand but Pae sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Pae tries to clinch up but Vari circles away and keeps his distance.
Vari changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Pae tries to clinch there but Vari circles away.
Vari is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Pae throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
Pae tries to close the distance and clinch but Vari swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Vari tries to clinch but Pae moves out of range.
Pae thuds his shin into the meat of Vari's side.
Vari will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
An inside leg kick lands from Pae.
Vari tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Pae was well out of range. Poor timing from Vari.
Vari throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.

Pae lands a big head kick that sends Vari tumbling to the mat! Pae takes a step backwards and waves Vari back to his feet - he wants the finish!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Pae ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Vari moves away.
Pae takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari is having none of it.
Vari tries to bum rush Pae with a series of wild strikes but Pae uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Pae tries to clinch but Vari moves out of range.
Vari throws a hook but Pae avoids it easily.
Nice body punch from Vari.
Vari throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Vari fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Pae manages to avoid it.
Pae lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pae fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
A head kick misses from Pae.
Pae dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Vari throws a series of punches but Pae avoids them all with ease.
Vari missing with a left hand there. Pae was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Joe Pae is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Pae is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Vari can do to turn this around?
Vari misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Pae.
Vari takes a swing at Pae's ribcage but misses.

Pae forces Vari back against the cage and clinches.
Vari throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Pae blocks it with crossed arms.

Vari breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Vari darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
A head kick from Pae lands but Vari takes it in his stride.
Nari Vari has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Vari throws the left hand but Pae avoids the punch easily.
Pae dodges the punch combination from Vari.

And that's the end of the fight!
Joe Pae showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Pae has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Yukihiro Shimada scores the fight 50:45
Judge Hirohito Nitta scores the fight 50:45
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Joe Pae!
Joe Pae retains his middleweight title!
A relieved looking Joe Pae thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.