PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between I Am (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Kantaro Hoshino (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Am's ring entrance music is that housewives' favourite, Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Part II. Kantaro Hoshino has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with I Am's chin.

Am
vs
Hoshino

175 cm
32
149 lbs
18 - 6 - 0

165 cm
37
145 lbs
38 - 11 - 2

Great wrestler
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Sin City Allstars
Aspire Clothing

Aspire Clothing
RAGS of a RONIN

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 18 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, I Am!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 38 - 11 - 2, fighting out of Montreal, Kantaro Hoshino!
The judges for this bout are Steve Smith, Ian Loll and Trevor Gratis.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Hoshino misses with a looping right.
Hoshino scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
Hoshino lands a glancing blow to the side of Am's head.
Hoshino throws a looping overhand right but Am ducks down to avoid it.
Am looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Am moves out of range of the strikes.
Hoshino ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Am moves away.
Hoshino ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Am moves away.
Am seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Hoshino fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hoshino scores with a nice strike.
Am lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!
Hoshino gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Am.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Hoshino throws a poor cross that misses
and Am counters with a stiff right hand.
Hoshino is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.

Am lands a big head kick that sends Hoshino tumbling to the mat! Am takes a step backwards and waves Hoshino back to his feet - he wants the finish!
Am lands the left hand.

Hoshino is rocked!
Am bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Am lands a jab to Hoshino's midsection.
A punch lands to the side of Am 's head but he takes it in his stride.
Hoshino misses with a right hand
and Am counters with a nice uppercut.
Am looks to land a left hand but Hoshino moved out of range nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Hoshino! But no joy.
Hoshino swings away with a body shot that misses
and Am cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Am ducks under a wild hook from Hoshino.
Am looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Hoshino takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
A looping hook to the body misses from Hoshino. Am does a little dance to reset his feet.
Hoshino connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Hoshino misses with a hook. Am ducked under it nicely.
Hoshino throws a lazy uppercut
and Am counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Am uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hoshino.
Hoshino throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Am counters with a nice uppercut.
Hoshino lands a slapping body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Jab by Hoshino.
Hoshino misses with a straight left.
Am throwing a counter right hand but Hoshino manages to avoid it.
Hoshino misses with a straight left.
Am misses with a head kick.
Hoshino is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Am with a body shot.
Am throws a hook but Hoshino blocks it.
Hoshino fakes a head shot and lands one to the body.
Hoshino works Am's body with a nice hook.
Hoshino throws a lazy right hand but Am sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Am uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Hoshino.
Am slips under a jab from Hoshino.
Am lands a jab-cross combination.
Am ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Hoshino moves away.
Kantaro Hoshino is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Hoshino swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Am counters with a stiff right hand.
Hoshino misses with an uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino throws a looping overhand right but Am ducks down to avoid it.
A punch combination from Hoshino misses.
Am appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Hoshino darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Am is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Am lands a glancing blow to the side of Hoshino's head.
A slow jab from Hoshino misses its intended target.
Am is looking to counter with head kicks.
Hoshino will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Am wants to clinch.
Hoshino throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Hoshino falls off balance throwing a combination
and Am counters with a stiff right hand.
Hoshino blocks a leg kick.
Am loads up on a big right hand but Hoshino slips the punch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Am takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Hoshino looks to land a right hand but Am moved out of range.
Hoshino misses with a looping right.
Hoshino connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Am's hands.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Hoshino fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Am manages to avoid it.
Am throws a low kick but it's checked well by Hoshino.
We've been informed that Hoshino has been working hard on his conditioning in the buildup to the fight.
Hoshino waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Am.
Am is using his height advantage well here, landing a good percentage of his punches.
Am throws out a loose jab but Hoshino uses good head movement to avoid it.
Hoshino throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Am sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Am feinted with a counter takedown.
Am uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hoshino.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Hoshino connects with the punch.
Am dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Am throws a wild body kick that Hoshino sees coming a mile off.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that I Am will probably get the nod.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Am throws a low kick but Hoshino avoids it.
A little jabbing left from Hoshino on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Am walks into a jab.
Am keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Am feints and then cracks Hoshino's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Hoshino down.
Am throws a lazy right hand but Hoshino sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A swing and a miss from Am.
Hoshino lands a body shot.
Hoshino throws a lazy uppercut
and Am counters with a nice uppercut.
Am moves out of range as Hoshino strikes.
Hoshino swings widly with a right hand
and Am counters with a nice leg kick.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Hoshino throws a body punch but Am moves out of range.
Am went nuts there looking for a big combo counter but none of the flurry connected.
Am swings for the body but Hoshino moves out of range.
Hoshino throws a body shot but no joy.
Am lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Hoshino circles away quickly and effectively.
Kantaro Hoshino seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Am avoids the body shot from Hoshino.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Am takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Am digs a good body shot into Hoshino's ribs.
Am throws a sloppy head kick and Hoshino moves out of range easily.
Sloppy strikes from Hoshino. Those never looked like landing.
Am drops down looking for a counter takedown but Hoshino sprawls and moves away.
Hoshino digs a good body shot into Am's ribs.
Am is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Hoshino connects with a nice looking jab.
Hoshino slips a jab from Am.
Hoshino tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Am was well out of range. Poor timing from Hoshino.
A swing and a miss from Hoshino.
Am scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Hoshino doesn't seem bothered though.
Hoshino throws an off balance right hand
enabling Am to counter with a crisp jab.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Am scores with a nice looking left hook and follows it up with an uppercut!
Hoshino throws a hook but Am avoids it easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino's jab looks to have found its range, popping Am under the eye.
Hoshino swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Am uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Hoshino.
It appears Am was looking to counter with a kick there.
I Am is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Hoshino sizes up Am with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Am takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Hoshino takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Am swings widly with a right hand
and Hoshino counters with a right hand to the body.
A swing and a miss from Hoshino.
Am was looking to counter that last move with a shot to the body but he didn't commit.
Hoshino misses with an uppercut. Am saw that one coming.
It looked like Am wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Am misses with a jab, cross combination.
Hoshino let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Hoshino lands with an uppercut that bounces Am off the cage and back into range.
Hoshino misses with a lunging right hand
and Am counters with a straight right hand.
Hoshino throws a right hand that misses
and Am counters with a nice body shot.
Hoshino uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Am.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Am takes a swing at Hoshino's ribcage but misses.
Hoshino throws a body punch but Am moves out of range.
Am seem to be loading up, looking for a big counter.
Hoshino lands the left hand.
Am on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Hoshino cracks Am with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Hoshino throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
It looked like Am wanted to counter with a hook but didn't fully commit.
Am misses with a wild body shot.
Hoshino blocks a jab.
Am uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Hoshino.
Am buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Am looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Am on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
A slow jab from Am misses its intended target.
Hoshino blocks the body kick.
Kantaro Hoshino seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Hoshino misses with a hook. Am ducked under it nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Am looks for the body kick but Hoshino saw that one coming.
Hoshino lands with an overhand left.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Am walks into a left hand.
Am bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Hoshino pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Am changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Hoshino connects with a body shot.
Hoshino fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Am manages to avoid it.
As Hoshino looks to move away, Am throws a big counter combo but Hoshino just gets out of the way.
Hoshino lunges in with an uppercut that skims his opponent's chin.
Hoshino feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Ams jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Hoshino displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Am throws out the jab.
Hoshino misses the jab.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Hoshino pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Am steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Hoshino.
Some wild striking there from Am.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kantaro Hoshino showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Hoshino fails to land with a series of punches.
Hoshino misses with a left hand
and Am counters with a two punch combo.
Hoshino throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hoshino misses the jab.
Am moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Hoshino swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Am throws a leg kick which misses Hoshino's front leg but catches the back leg as Hoshino tries to avoid it.
Hoshino avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Am takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Am tried to score with a low kick but Hoshino checks it.
A looping hook to the body misses from Am. Hoshino does a little dance to reset his feet.
Jab by Hoshino.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Hoshino digs a good body shot into Am's ribs.
Hoshino misses with a hook
letting Am counter with a right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Hoshino lands a body shot.
Am walks into a straight right hand from Hoshino.
Hoshino misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Am counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
A lazy left from Hoshino finds it's target.
Am takes a jab right on the kisser.
Hoshino swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Am thinks about countering with a head kick.
Hoshino checks a leg kick.
Hoshino digs a good body shot into Am's ribs.
Hoshino uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Am has time to react.
Hoshino looks to throw the jab but Am is out of range.
Am ducks under a wild hook from Hoshino.
Hoshino throws a jab but it's blocked by Am.
Hoshino throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Hoshino avoids a lazy jab quite easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino throws a body shot but no joy.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Am moves out of range of the strikes.
Am throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Hoshino! But no joy.
Am steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Hoshino.
Am appears to be looking for a big counter.
Nice cross by Hoshino.
Hoshino looks to land a left hand but Am moved out of range nicely.
Hoshino shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Am blocks a jab.
Hoshino scores with a decent looking hook.
Hoshino throws a hook but Am blocks it.
Am lands with a nice body kick.
Hoshino misses with a hook. Am ducked under it nicely.
Hoshino throws the left hand but Am avoids the punch easily.
Hoshino misses with a right hand
and Am counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Hoshino misses with an uppercut. Am saw that one coming.
Am throws a leg kick
and Hoshino counters with a left to the body.
Am throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Hoshino fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Am manages to avoid it.
Am throws a big counter combination but Hoshino scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Am walks into a left hand.
Hoshino lands a straight punch to the body, keeping Am at a distance.
Hoshino takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Am misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Hoshino.
Hoshino let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Hoshino lands with a nice body punch.
Am works over Hoshino's head and body with a nice combination.
Hoshino swings widly with a right hand
and Am counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
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!
Hoshino lands a body shot.
Nice sprawl there from Hoshino as Am shoots in.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Am throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Hoshino avoids the body shot from Am.
A nice side step and Hoshino releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Hoshino misses with an uppercut. Am saw that one coming.
Am misses with a leg kick.
Hoshino misses with a wild body shot.
Am misses the jab.
Am takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Am swinging wildly here.
Am moves away from the strike by Hoshino.
Hoshino throws an off balance right hand
and Am counters with a nice uppercut.
Hoshino lands with a good body shot.
Hoshino ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Am moves away.
Am throwing a counter right hand but Hoshino manages to avoid it.
Hoshino throws a shot from downtown. Am moves away and avoids it.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Kantaro Hoshino.
Well Hoshino has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Steve Smith scores the fight 28:29
Judge Ian Loll scores the fight 28:29
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kantaro Hoshino!
Kantaro Hoshino seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.