PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kakazu Rionin (ranked 6339 p4p, 593 weight class) and Bobby Whittaker (ranked 24105 p4p, 732 weight class). Kakazu Rionin has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Rionin
vs
Whittaker

188 cm
18
192 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

183 cm
26
184 lbs
2 - 4 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Kakazu Rionin!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Bobby Whittaker!
The judges for this bout are Winston Howard, Damien Edna and Steve Erwin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Rionin closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.

Whittaker kicks off Rionin and gets to his feet.
Rionin tries to close the distance and clinch up but Whittaker swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Rionin plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Rionin wants to clinch up but Whittaker keeps it at a distance.
Rionin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Whittaker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Rionin throws a lazy uppercut

and Whittaker counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Whittaker escapes and gets back to his feet.
Rionin closes the distance looking to clinch

and Whittaker decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Rionin's guard.

Whittaker stands up and waves to Rionin to follow him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Rionin fails in his attempt to clinch.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Rionin, as that shot connected.
Rionin darts in trying to clinch
and Whittaker counters with a lovely straight right hand!

Whittaker bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

Whittaker has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.

Rionin gets caught on his heels momentarily as he allows Whittaker to score an easy takedown into full guard.

Whittaker stands up and waves to Rionin to follow him.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rionin tries to close the distance and clinch but Whittaker swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Whittaker looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.

Whittaker dives in and scores a takedown into Rionin's guard.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Whittaker stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Rionin misses with a looping right.

Whittaker closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Rionin to the mat! Rionin manages to get full guard.

Whittaker gets to his feet - Rionin follows without any prompting.

Whittaker fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Rionin to the ground. Whittaker is now in Rionin's guard.

Whittaker gets to his feet - Rionin follows without any prompting.

Whittaker scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.

Whittaker stands up and beckons Rionin to join him on the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

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

Whittaker postures up and decides to stand up, from the half guard. The ref calls for Rionin to stand up.
Whittaker slips under a jab.
Rionin looks to clinch
and Whittaker counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Rionin misses with a left hand
and Whittaker counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Whittaker takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?

Whittaker drives through with a really nice takedown into side control.
Rionin is trying to buck Whittaker off.

Whittaker decides to take the fight back to the feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Rionin tries to clinch but Whittaker moves out of range.

Whittaker shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Whittaker showed some decent athleticism there.

Whittaker escapes and gets back to his feet.
Rionin plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Rionin lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Rionin lands with a slapping head kick.

Whittaker closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Whittaker dominated that round.
That's time! Rionin's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight.

Rionin connects with the punch.

Whittaker fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Rionin to the ground. Whittaker is now in Rionin's guard.

Whittaker gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Rionin misses with a head kick.
Rionin is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Whittaker tries a counter takedown but it's more of a dummy move, and he uses it to push himself away.

Whittaker closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.

Whittaker stands up.
Kakazu Rionin is winning the standup battle so far.
Rionin tries to clinch up.
And Whittaker tries to counter it with a takedown but Rionin pushes his down on his head and steps out.

That's one minute gone in the round.

A momentary lapse in concentration from Rionin enables Whittaker to shoot in and score with a neat double leg. Rionin manages to secure a closed guard as the fighters hit the mat.

Rionin is working an open guard so Whittaker takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Rionin with a lazy takedown attempt
and Whittaker counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

Whittaker closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Rionin's guard.

Whittaker decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.

Whittaker closes the distance and looks for a trip takedown... aaaand he's got it - Whittaker lands in his opponent's guard.
Whittaker won't allow Rionin to get back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Whittaker decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
Whittaker takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!

Whittaker scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.

Whittaker has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Whittaker avoids the head kick by Rionin.
Rionin doesn't succeed with the takedown
and Whittaker counters with a three punch combo that has Rionin backing up. Rionin nods at Whittaker to acknowledge the strikes.
Rionin scores with a three punch combo!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Rionin throws a body kick that sends a sickening thudding noise reverberating around the arena.
Rionin throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Whittaker sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Rionin tries to close the distance and clinch but Whittaker swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Rionin misses with a head kick.
Whittaker has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

Whittaker fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Rionin to the ground. Whittaker is now in Rionin's guard.

Whittaker stands and steps away. Rionin gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
A head kick by Rionin misses
and Whittaker counters with a nice body shot.
Rionin lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Rionin lands with a straight right. Whittaker didn't see that one coming.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Whittaker blocks a head kick by Rionin.
Rionin tries to clinch up
and Whittaker makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Rionin throws a head kick that misses

so Whittaker counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!

Whittaker gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Rionin throws a sloppy head kick and Whittaker moves out of range easily.
A lazy body kick from Rionin

and Whittaker counters with a nice double leg into guard.

Whittaker gets to his feet - Rionin follows without any prompting.
Rionin shoots and misses

and Whittaker counters with a takedown into side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Bobby Whittaker showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

A head kick misses from Rionin.
Whittaker misses with a jab, cross combination.

Whittaker bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.

Whittaker decides to stand up, so the ref orders Rionin to his feet.
Rionin is looking to clinch but Whittaker is avoiding it.
Rionin misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Rionin looks to land a left hand but Whittaker moved out of range nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Whittaker gets a takedown into half guard.

Whittaker decides to return to a standing position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Whittaker shoots in looking for a single leg takedown. Rionin is trying to defend but Whittaker finishes it well and ends up in half guard. Let's see if he can advance position further.

Whittaker stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Rionin to get to his feet.
Whittaker takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Whittaker let fly with a counter punch to the body but it didn't land.
Rionin lands with an uppercut that bounces Whittaker off the ropes and back into range.
A head kick misses from Rionin.
Whittaker takes one on the chin but seems OK.
Bobby Whittaker is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Whittaker takes a head kick and keeps coming.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rionin tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Whittaker paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Whittaker swats away the attempt to clinch by Rionin.
Rionin throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Whittaker slips under a jab from Rionin.
A swing and a miss from Rionin.
Whittaker is loading up here, looking for a big counter of his own.

Whittaker drives through with a takedown into guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.

Whittaker stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Whittaker takes a head kick and shrugs it off.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Whittaker shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
Bobby Whittaker has got the better of the ground game so far.

Whittaker stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Rionin to get to his feet.

Rionin tries to sprawl but Whittaker drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Rionin pushes Whittaker off looking to stand but Whittaker dives back in and keeps control.

Whittaker stands up from half guard.

Rionin gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Whittaker stands up and waves to Rionin to follow him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Rionin tries to sprawl but Whittaker drives through with a takedown into half guard.

Whittaker decides to stand up.
Rionin moves in looking to clinch but Whittaker pushes him off.

Whittaker closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Rionin to the mat! Rionin manages to get full guard.

Whittaker gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Rionin moves to clinch but Whittaker breaks away
and Whittaker counters with a one-two to the body.

And that's the end of the fight!
Bobby Whittaker comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Whittaker winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Winston Howard scores the fight 27:30
Judge Damien Edna scores the fight 27:30
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Bobby Whittaker!