PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Cray Daddy Tay (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kazushi Sakuraba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Tay comes to the cage accompanied by Bow Down. Sakuraba has chosen Lose yourself as his entrance music. Kazushi Sakuraba has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Daddy Tay
vs
Sakuraba

187 cm
30
186 lbs
19 - 11 - 0

185 cm
27
199 lbs
16 - 1 - 2

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Steel Penn's All 160

BeastMode

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 19 - 11 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Cray Daddy Tay!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 16 - 1 - 2, fighting out of Sydney, Kazushi Sakuraba!
The judges for this bout are Steve Erwin, Darius Henderson and Ben Watson.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sakuraba takes one on the button.
Tay waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Sakuraba.
Sakuraba lands with a hook. Tay tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Tay swings for the body but Sakuraba moves out of range.
Tay circles away from the clinch attempt.
Tay dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Tay scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Sakuraba cracks a nice hook into Tay's ribs.
Tay misses with a looping right.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Tay moves out of range as Sakuraba throws a body kick.
Sakuraba misses with a body shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Tay. Sakuraba does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sakuraba throws a shot from downtown. Tay moves away and avoids it.
Tay scores with a crisp jab that stopped Sakuraba in his tracks.
Sakuraba throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Good shot there by Tay.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Sakuraba, right into the meat.
Sakuraba slips a jab from Tay.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tay has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
Tay throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Sakuraba throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Tay scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Sakuraba doesn't seem bothered though.
Sakuraba blocks a jab.
Sakuraba avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
A jab from Tay misses.
Tay scores with a nice right hand.
Tay scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.

Sakuraba is rocked!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sakuraba misses with a straight left.
Sakuraba defending well as Tay loads up on a big left hand.
Tay jabbing away but nothing is landing.

Sakuraba closes the distance and clinches.
A short right from Tay.
A short uppercut from Sakuraba.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba misses with the head strike.
Sakuraba tries to throw a body punch but Tay avoids it by throwing Sakuraba back against the cage.
Sakuraba tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Sakuraba lands a nice elbow.
Tay lands with a short shot to the head.
Sakuraba throws an elbow but it misses.
Sakuraba tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Sakuraba tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sakuraba working some nice short punches in the clinch.
Sakuraba can't find room to land a body shot as Tay controls the action.
Sakuraba pushes off an throws an elbow but Tay leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
Tay misses with a body punch.
Sakuraba misses with a short punch on the inside.

Tay has double underhooks and is working for a body lock takedown. He's got it. The fighters land in half guard but Sakuraba regains guard immediately.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Tay accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Tay is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Sakuraba keeping moving, preventing Tay from controlling successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tay slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Sakuraba wants to sweep here but Tay controlling him for the moment.
Tay throwing strikes from guard but Sakuraba blocks nicely.
Tay not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

We're going to have a standup here because Cray Daddy Tay wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Sakuraba on the wrong end of a nice hook.
Tay scores with a jab to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sakuraba lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Sakuraba throws a body punch but Tay moves out of range.
Tay takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Sakuraba rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Tay moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Tay throws an overhand right that lands on Sakuraba's shoulder, as Sakuraba tries to avoid the shot.
A looping hook to the body misses from Tay. Sakuraba does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sakuraba throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Sakuraba has Tay up against the cage in a clinch.
Sakuraba goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Sakuraba lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Tay backwards.
Tay misses with a shot to the kidneys.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Sakuraba throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tays head.
Sakuraba misses with a body punch.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Sakuraba.
Tay tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Sakuraba's elbow.
Tay lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Cray Daddy Tay dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Tay looks to score with a jab to the body but Sakuraba is just out of range.
Sakuraba motions for Tay to come forward. Sakuraba throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Sakuraba tries to close the distance and clinch but Tay swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Tay misses with a wild body shot.
No luck for Tay with that takedown attempt.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Tay lands a nice hook to Sakuraba's body. Sakuraba takes it in his stride and looks to land his own strikes.
Tay misses with a body shot.
Sakuraba tries to clinch there but Tay circles away.
Sakuraba takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Tay takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Tay throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Tay takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Tay misses the shot to the body.
Tay connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Sakuraba's hands.
Tay has a takedown stuffed.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Donk. Sakuraba catches Tay right on the button with a cross.
Cray Daddy Tay is winning the standup battle so far.
Sakuraba keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Tay.
Tay takes a swing at Sakuraba's ribcage but misses.
Tay fails to land with a series of punches.
Sakuraba scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Sakuraba scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
Tay misses with a looping right.
Sakuraba blocks a jab.
Tay throws a big shot that misses.

Sakuraba has taken the fight to the clinch.
Sakuraba lands a left hand.
Sakuraba fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Kazushi Sakuraba seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Tay blocks a body shot from Sakuraba.
Tay misses with a shot to the kidneys.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A short right from Sakuraba on the inside.

Tay is rocked!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sakuraba tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Oh Tay is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Sakuraba looks to throw an elbow but misses.
Tay seems to have got his legs back now.
Sakuraba misses with a punch on the inside.
Tay prevents a body shot from Sakuraba.
Tay tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Sakuraba's elbow.
Tay tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Sakuraba's elbow.
Sakuraba struggles to land a body shot inside as Tay controls his hands.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Sakuraba just misses with a elbow thrown towards Tay's brow.
Tay tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Sakuraba's elbow.
Tay tries to work over Sakuraba's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Sakuraba cracks Tay with a nice body shot.
Tay taking a breather.
Sakuraba misses with the head strike.
Tay prevents a body shot from Sakuraba.
Tay throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Sakurabas head.
Tay pressing his opponent against the cage.
Sakuraba blocks a body shot from Tay.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Tay blocks an elbow strike from Sakuraba.
Tay tries a body shot but Sakuraba blocks it.
Tay avoids a wild elbow strike from Sakuraba.
Tay doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tay doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Tay lands a body punch in the clinch.
Tay lands with a left to the head.
Tay throws a head punch that misses.
Tay lands a hook to the side of the head.
Tay tries to land a shot to the body but it's blocked.
Sakuraba blocks an uppercut.
Tay misses with a body punch.
Sakuraba lands a left hand that snaps the head of Tay backwards.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sakuraba looks to throw an elbow but misses.
A left hand lands to the body for Sakuraba.
Sakuraba misses with an elbow strike.
Sakuraba working some nice short punches in the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Sakuraba.

It looks like Cray Daddy Tay has been cut.
Sakuraba lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Tay dodges an elbow strike from Sakuraba.
Sakuraba working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Sakuraba working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Sakuraba lands a damaging elbow.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Sakuraba.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Tay creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Sakuraba swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Tay throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Sakuraba throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Tays head.
Sakuraba fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Sakuraba has Tay pressed against the cage. He pushes Tay back and as he springs towards him off the cage, Sakuraba throws a beautiful elbow that sends Tay crashing to the floor! Sakuraba piles on the pressure with more strikes! Tay is flailing away but he's not defending himself and the referee steps in to stop the fight!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:48 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Kazushi Sakuraba!
Kazushi Sakuraba is the new middleweight champion!
During a confident post fight interview, Kazushi Sakuraba thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.