PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Takeshi Watanabe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and bj Ferguson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Rumors backstage are that the fighters have been paid to keep it standing but we know that would never happen in MMA!

Watanabe
vs
Ferguson

175 cm
27
135 lbs
7 - 5 - 0

164 cm
34
135 lbs
29 - 16 - 0

BJJ White Belt
World class boxer
Granite chin

Decent wrestler
Brawler
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Takeshi Watanabe!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 29 - 16 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, bj Ferguson!
The judges for this bout are Frank Dennis, Chris Downing and Alan Glass.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Ferguson tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Watanabe swivels and escapes.
We've been told by Watanabe's head coaches at Champions GYM | All Elite Coaches| that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.

Ferguson darts in and clinches Watanabe up against the cage.

Watanabe breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Watanabe throws a right hand that Ferguson ducks under and follows up with a left that Ferguson also avoids with ease.
Watanabe swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Watanabe misses with a double jab.
Ferguson shoots in but Watanabe avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Watanabe throws a series of punches but Ferguson avoids them all with ease.
Watanabe keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Watanabe misses with a combination

and Ferguson counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Watanabe can't break the clinch.

Watanabe escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Watanabe lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Ferguson circles away quickly and effectively.
Ferguson misses with a jab, cross combination.
Ferguson doesn't manage to clinch there - Watanabe circles away.
Watanabe throws a nice looking combination but Ferguson bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Ferguson wants to clinch up but Watanabe keeps it at a distance.

Ferguson fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Watanabe sprawls well initially but Ferguson persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Watanabe is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Ferguson scores with a couple of nice shots.
Watanabe is trying to stand.
Ferguson is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Watanabe wants to get back to his feet.
Watanabe is in trouble now - Ferguson has advanced to mount!
Ferguson has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Ferguson with the ground and pound from mount.
A nice elbow there by Ferguson.
Watanabe wants to try and get back to his feet.
Watanabe is desperately trying to improve his position but Ferguson has a good base and remains in mount.
Ferguson connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Ferguson is in the full mount, landing strikes.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Ferguson prevents Watanabe from getting the reversal.
Both fighters really going for it on the ground here!
Ferguson working the ground and pound effectively.
Watanabe trying desperately to get to his feet.
Ferguson pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Watanabe really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
Ferguson lands with some strikes.
Ferguson looking to finish Watanabe with some ground and pound. This is bad for Watanabe!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe working to try and regain half guard.
Watanabe tries to buck Ferguson off but he can't manage it.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Watanabe is breathing heavily.
Ferguson landing strikes from the mount.
Ferguson is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Watanabe's corner are shouting for him to stand up but that's bad cornering - how is he meant to stand up when he's mounted? He should be looking to improve his position on the ground before trying to stand back up.
Ferguson pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Watanabe really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Ferguson is in the full mount, landing strikes.
Watanabe is in a horrible position here. Ferguson smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Watanabe bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!

Ferguson has his foot on Watanabe's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Watanabe works his way back into a safe position though.

Ferguson is looking for a triangle but Watanabe pushes his legs off easily.
Ferguson striking from the bottom here.

Watanabe gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Ferguson showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Watanabe.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe throws a series of punches but Ferguson avoids them all with ease.
No luck for Ferguson with that takedown attempt.
Takeshi Watanabe has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of bj Ferguson.
Watanabe throws a right hand that Ferguson ducks under and follows up with a left that Ferguson also avoids with ease.
Watanabe throws a series of punches but Ferguson avoids them all with ease.
Ferguson avoids a punch combination nicely.
Ferguson avoids a punch combination nicely.

Ferguson manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Watanabe on his heels. He'll look to pass Watanabe's guard now, I'm sure.
Ferguson passes Watanabe's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Watanabe knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Ferguson on the ground.
Ferguson works his way into full mount!
Ferguson with a couple of short strikes.
Ferguson landing strikes from the mount and Watanabe is in trouble!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Ferguson in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Ferguson unloading with bombs!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Ferguson working the ground and pound effectively.
Ferguson pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Ferguson lands a big elbow.
Watanabe tries to reverse the position but Ferguson maintains control.
Ferguson looking to ground and pound his opponent to a finish here.
Watanabe is not a happy chappy… he wants out of there.
Watanabe takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Ferguson cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Ferguson has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Watanabe's face.

Watanabe is rocked!
Ferguson in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Oh Watanabe is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!
Watanabe is looking to improve his position but Ferguson isn't that keen on the idea.
Watanabe seems to have got his legs back now.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Ferguson in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
Watanabe really trying hard to get back to half guard here.
Ferguson pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Ferguson slips a jab and a cross from Watanabe.
Watanabe throws a series of punches but Ferguson avoids them all with ease.
Watanabe fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Watanabe fails to land with a series of punches.
Watanabe swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Watanabe stuffs the takedown.
Nice takedown defense from Watanabe. No joy for Ferguson on that attempt.
No joy there for Watanabe, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Ferguson fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Watanabe manages to avoid it.
Danga de danga de dang - Watanabe scores with a four punch combination!
Watanabe misses with a few strikes there.
Takeshi Watanabe seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Ferguson doesn't manage to clinch there - Watanabe circles away.
Ferguson throws a sloppy head kick and Watanabe moves out of range easily.
Danga de danga de dang - Watanabe scores with a four punch combination!
Watanabe defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Ferguson.
Takeshi Watanabe has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of bj Ferguson.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Watanabe misses with a series of wild punches.
Watanabe throws a right and a left that Ferguson avoids nicely.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Watanabe defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Ferguson.
Ferguson dodges the punch combination from Watanabe.
Some wild striking there from Ferguson.
Ferguson shoots in looking for a takedown. Watanabe tries to sprawl out of it but Ferguson keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Watanabe manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Watanabe throws a series of punches but Ferguson avoids them all with ease.
Ferguson will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.
Watanabe misses with a wild combination.

Ferguson clinches with his opponent.
Ferguson keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Watanabe's efforts to push away.
Watanabe tries to break the clinch but Ferguson is controlling the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Ferguson wants a takedown but no success here.
Ferguson tries to circle away but Watanabe has him pinned against the cage.
Ferguson looking for a takedown.
Watanabe wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Ferguson has him pressed against the cage.
Watanabe gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Ferguson.
Watanabe wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
Watanabe working hard to break the clinch.
A frustrated look appears on Watanabe's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Watanabe working hard to break the clinch.

Ferguson wants the takedown. Watanabe is fighting it off but Ferguson persists and manages to bring the fight to the ground, ending up in Watanabe's guard against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Ferguson looking to pass the guard.
Watanabe wants to stand and escape but Ferguson is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Ferguson working some strikes from top position.
Watanabe is working an open guard here, looking to improve his position. No doubt that will leave him open to counters but at least he's being more offensive.
Watanabe will need to keep those long limbs tucked in whilst he's on the ground, to prevent any submissions.
Ferguson works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Ferguson passes to full mount!
Watanabe is desperately trying to improve his position but Ferguson has a good base and remains in mount.
Ferguson fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Watanabe taking shots to the head.
Ferguson putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!
Ferguson scoring with strikes but Watanabe is staying in there.
Watanabe really wants to buck Ferguson off and get back to his feet.
Ferguson scoring with some good ground and pound from mount here. Will he manage to finish Watanabe?
Ferguson raining down shots from the mount!
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Watanabe is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Watanabe takes a big shot to the head but keeps on trying to improve his position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe is trying desperately to improve position.
Watanabe slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Watanabe wants to get back to his feet.
Ferguson moves into full mount! Watanabe won't be happy about that!
Ferguson lands with some strikes.
The crowd growing excited in anticipation of a finish here! Right on cue, Ferguson cracks his opponent with a massive right hand that draws loud cheers!
Watanabe is in a horrible position here. Ferguson smacks him with another shot as he tries to escape the position.
Ferguson landing strikes, looking to finish!
Ferguson in mount throwing good strikes here, bouncing his opponent's head off the canvas.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Ferguson lands a big shot there that rocks Watanabe but he's holding on and managing to survive for now.
Ferguson landing strikes, looking to finish!
Watanabe working to try and regain half guard.
BOOM! Ferguson connects with a massive shot to the dome!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

bj Ferguson showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
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. This is the final round!

Ferguson shoots in and bounces Watanabe off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Watanabe can't keep his opponent in guard - Ferguson advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
Nice strikes from Ferguson there.
Watanabe wants to get back to his feet.
Ferguson slips a nice elbow through Watanabe's hands, connecting with Watanabe's forehead.
Ferguson stops Watanabe from getting back to his feet.
Watanabe trying desperately to get back to his feet here but he's not having any joy at all. He's going to tire himself out if he's not careful.
Ferguson moves into full mount! Watanabe won't be happy about that!
Ferguson lands a nice shot to the head.
Ferguson has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Ferguson connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
You get the feeling that Watanabe really doesn't like being in this position too much.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Ferguson dominating with strikes here.
Ferguson won't let Watanabe get back to his feet... He wants to keep the fight where it is for now.
Ferguson unloading with bombs!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Ferguson working the ground and pound effectively.
Ferguson with the ground and pound from mount.
Ferguson lands a couple of nice shots there from mount.
Watanabe on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Watanabe tries to get out of the position.
Ferguson landing punches.
Ferguson postures up and lands a whopping elbow - oh that's hurt Watanabe bigstyle! Two more strikes land for Ferguson and the fight is over!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:35 of round 3, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). bj Ferguson!
In his post fight interview, bj Ferguson started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.