PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Nicky Santoro (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Ilafat Urskilz (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Santoro
vs
Urskilz

160 cm
26
150 lbs
21 - 8 - 0

164 cm
26
150 lbs
9 - 6 - 0

Great wrestler
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Milwaukee's Best 160
Merciless Gladiators

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Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 21 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Nicky Santoro!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 6 - 0, fighting out of New York, Ilafat Urskilz!
The judges for this bout are Shigeki Sano, Tatsuya Matsuyama and Shigeki Fujiwara.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Santoro scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Urskilz doesn't manage to clinch there - Santoro circles away.
A head kick misses from Urskilz.
Urskilz takes a body punch but keeps moving.
A nice leg kick lands there from Urskilz.
Urskilz throws a head kick that misses.
Nicky Santoro seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Santoro ducks under a wild hook from Urskilz.
Santoro checks a low kick from Urskilz.
Santoro throws a right and a left that both miss.
Urskilz throws a low kick but it's checked well by Santoro.
Urskilz uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Santoro.
Urskilz keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Urskilz walks into a left hand.
Santoro swings wildly with a hook that is half blocked by Urskilz.
Santoro scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Santoro lands a really nice looking cross but Urskilz seems unphased.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Urskilz misses with an uppercut. Santoro saw that one coming.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Urskilz thuds his shin into the meat of Santoro's side.
Santoro shoots in looking for a takedown but Urskilz manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Santoro's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Urskilz feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Santoro's calf.
Santoro rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Urskilz moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Urskilz punishes Santoro's body with a nice straight punch.
Santoro fails to land the takedown.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Nicky Santoro. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Santoro avoids the head kick by Urskilz.
Urskilz keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
We've been informed that Urskilz has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Santoro throws a hook but Urskilz avoids it easily.
Santoro fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Urskilz lands a leg kick that knocks Santoro off balance momentarily.
Urskilz slips under a jab.
Urskilz tries to clinch but Santoro moves out of range.
Santoro is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Urskilz.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Santoro scores with a takedown into Urskilz's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Urskilz working a defensive guard here.
Urskilz keeping full guard, as Santoro tries to pass.
Santoro is fighting to break Urskilz's control of his arms but Urskilz is doing a good job of controlling the position at the moment.
Santoro trying to control but Urskilz is working from the bottom.
Santoro passes Urskilz's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Urskilz is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Urskilz is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Santoro's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Santoro's back!
Santoro manages to reverse the position and now he's in Urskilz's guard. Nice work there by Santoro.
Urskilz controls Santoro momentarily but Santoro frees himself.
Santoro trying to control the position from guard on top but Urskilz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Urskilz pulls Santoro in to control the position.
Santoro working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Urskilz's head.
Urskilz is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Santoro trying to control but Urskilz is working from the bottom.
Santoro postures up.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Ilafat Urskilz wasn't active enough on the ground.
Santoro avoids the head kick by Urskilz.

Santoro shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Urskilz's guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Santoro stands and throws Urskilz's legs to the side, diving into side control.

Santoro tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Santoro has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Santoro misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Urskilz is trying to control Santoro's posture but Santoro avoids it.
Santoro working the body and head with strikes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Urskilz manages to work his way to half guard, despite Santoro's best efforts.
Santoro thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

Santoro wants to work for an arm triangle but Urskilz is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Santoro in particular looking to stall.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Santoro moves out of range of the body kick.
Santoro misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Urskilz moves out of range as Santoro strikes.
Urskilz scores with a punch to the head.
Ilafat Urskilz seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Santoro is trying hard to land a takedown here. Urskilz sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
Urskilz throws a leg kick but Santoro sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Santoro lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Urskilz circles away quickly and effectively.
Santoro shoots in but Urskilz avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Santoro looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Santoro tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Urskilz was well out of range. Poor timing from Santoro.
Santoro 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.
Nicky Santoro is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Urskilz misses with a low kick.
Santoro lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.

Urskilz closes the distance and clinches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Santoro lands with a left to the head.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Santoro.
Santoro wants to take the fight to the mat but Urskilz manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Nicky Santoro. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Urskilz has Santoro pressed up against the ropes. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Urskilz pulls back from the ropes and twists to the side, sending Santoro tumbling to the mat - Urskilz dives into Santoro's guard.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Santoro looking to control.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Urskilz throws an elbow that misses. Santoro uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Urskilz's guard. Nice move by Santoro!
Urskilz seems keen to control Santoro's posture.
Urskilz looking to control.
Urskilz keeping full guard, as Santoro tries to pass.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Urskilz holds on and takes a little breather.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Santoro advances position into side control!
Santoro tries to land with some ground and pound but misses.
Santoro has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Santoro creates some space and throws a big elbow, but Urskilz sees it coming and moves his head just enough to avoid the strike.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Urskilz manages to land a sweep and he's now on top! Lovely Jiu Jitsu!
Santoro has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Urskilz is working away from the top position though.
Santoro is trying to get back to full guard.
Urskilz is thwarting Santoro's attempts to control the position.
Urskilz looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Urskilz seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Santoro does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Santoro is trying to get back to full guard.
Santoro moves into full guard.
Urskilz engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Urskilz trying to control but Santoro is working from the bottom.
Urskilz must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

Urskilz got a little sloppy there for a moment and Santoro has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Urskilz has managed to get both his arms back between Santoro's legs - danger averted.
Santoro is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Urskilz is refusing to be controlled, as Santoro sits in half guard.
Urskilz keeping hold of Santoro's head, controlling as best he can.
Urskilz tries to roll over but Santoro keeps him under control.

Santoro is trying to work for a kimura. This could be trouble! No, Urskilz has managed to free his arm - good work.
Nicky Santoro overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Santoro throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Urskilz has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Santoro is working away from the top position though.
Urskilz wants to get back to full guard.
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 Nicky Santoro will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Urskilz is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Santoro.
A punch combination from Santoro misses.
Santoro misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Santoro throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Urskilz tries to clinch but Santoro moves out of range.
Urskilz looking to land some kicks to the body here.
Urskilz misses with a straight right.
Urskilz throws a body kick that misses.
Santoro throws a looping overhand right but Urskilz ducks down to avoid it.
Urskilz throws a sloppy head kick and Santoro moves out of range easily.
Urskilz throws a head kick that misses.

Santoro throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Urskilz was covering up waiting for the punch and Santoro finishes the takedown easily into guard.
Urskilz working a defensive guard here.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Santoro drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Santoro jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Santoro postures up in Urskilz's guard and throws a big left but Urskilz blocks it.
Urskilz trying to control the position.
Urskilz keeping moving, preventing Santoro from controlling successfully.
Urskilz trying to control the position.
Santoro wants to control from the top but Urskilz keeps moving.
Urskilz avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Santoro throwing strikes from guard but Urskilz blocks nicely.
Santoro trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Santoro controls from within his opponent's guard.
Santoro trying to control the position from guard on top but Urskilz is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.

Nicky Santoro has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Urskilz throws a nice inside leg kick.
Santoro lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Santoro dives in and grabs Urskilz's left leg, looking for a takedown. Urskilz pushes down on Santoro's head and hops out.
Nice shot by Santoro.
Ilafat Urskilz is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Santoro takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Santoro catches Urskilz with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Santoro misses with a double jab.
Urskilz lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Urskilz misses with a looping left.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Santoro!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Urskilz tries to land a front kick but Santoro steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Urskilz looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Santoro throws a body punch but Urskilz moves out of range.
Urskilz scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Santoro avoids the head kick by Urskilz.
Santoro fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Urskilz manages to avoid it.
That kick from Urskilz tenderised Santoro's leg. Santoro is trying to keep his angry face on.
Santoro misses the jab.
Santoro steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Urskilz. That one must have hurt.
Urskilz misses with the combination.
Urskilz is looking to clinch but Santoro is avoiding it.
It looks like Santoro has been trying to sharpen up his punching technique, as it looks crisper than last time we saw him.
A head kick misses from Urskilz.
Santoro misses with a hook. Urskilz ducked under it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Urskilz takes one to the side of the head.
Urskilz takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Urskilz fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Santoro checks it well.
Santoro connects with a looping right hand.
Urskilz fakes a jab and then connects with a hook.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Urskilz jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.
A punch combination from Santoro misses.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Santoro.
Who's going to make the next move?
Santoro throws an elbow but Urskilz slips to the side and avoids it well.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Urskilz struggling a bit here.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Nicky Santoro.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Santoro, 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 Shigeki Sano scores the fight for Nicky Santoro!
Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight for Nicky Santoro!
Judge Shigeki Fujiwara scores the fight for Nicky Santoro!

Nicky Santoro wins by unanimous decision!
Nicky Santoro made sure to mention his sponsor, Milwaukee's Best 160 in his post fight interview.