PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Saku Takashi (ranked 2626 p4p, 294 weight class) and Ruston Cohle (ranked 3888 p4p, 401 weight class). Cohle has chosen Raining Blood as his entrance music. Ruston Cohle will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Takashi
vs
Cohle

189 cm
26
195 lbs
4 - 1 - 0

185 cm
26
185 lbs
3 - 1 - 0

Good wrestling
Basic striking
Experienced

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Determined

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 4 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Saku Takashi!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 1 - 0, fighting out of London, Ruston Cohle!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, Chris Edwards and Steven Brown.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Cohle misses with a head kick.

Takashi closes the distance, clinches up and gets a nice trip takedown into side control. Very smooth.
Cohle is trying to escape the position but Takashi is controlling the position.
Cohle is trying to get back to half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a big elbow.
Cohle is trying to control Takashi's posture but Takashi avoids it.
Takashi lands a few punches from side control.
Takashi looking to punish the body of his opponent here but Cohle is avoiding damage well.
Cohle looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Takashi wants to control but Cohle is keeping him busy.
Cohle is looking for a sweep.
Takashi trying to control the action but Cohle is working from the bottom.
Cohle is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Cohle being controlled for a moment.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Cohle is not content to let Takashi control the position.
Takashi remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Cohle takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Cohle takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.
Cohle tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a big elbow.
Takashi is chipping away with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Cohle's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Takashi wants to lay and pray for a moment but Cohle keeps working.
Takashi working the ground and pound.
Takashi 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.
Cohle is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Takashi lands a nice forearm strike.
Takashi lands a knee to the body and follows it up with some ground and pound to the head. That will wear Cohle down.
Cohle is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
Cohle takes a nasty elbow to the side of the head.
Cohle is looking to reverse the position.
The referee tells the fighters to keep busy.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a big elbow.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Takashi trying to control the position but Cohle is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takashi is chipping away with strikes.
Takashi is working Cohle over with some ground and pound from side control.
Takashi works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Takashi landing with strikes to the head and body from side control.
Takashi working the ground and pound.
Takashi working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
Takashi scores with a couple of short elbows.
Takashi remains in side control and seems content to stay there. It's a versatile position from which he can work both strikes and submissions, whilst maintaining that control, so maybe he'll sit here for a while.
Cohle sneaks back into half guard.
Takashi looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Cohle won't allow Takashi to pass to mount.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cohle wants to improve his position but Takashi is controlling well.
Nice strikes from Takashi there.
Takashi working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Takashi content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Takashi looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Takashi lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Cohle trying to control from the bottom.
Takashi working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
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!
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Takashi lands a nice short elbow.
Cohle taking some punishment here, with Takashi in his half guard.
Takashi scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
Cohle trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Saku Takashi dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Takashi fails with the takedown.
Nice takedown defense from Takashi. No joy for Cohle on that attempt.
Cohle shoots in for a takedown but Takashi shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Takashi drops down looking for a counter takedown but Cohle sprawls and moves away.

Cohle tries to sprawl but Takashi drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Takashi working the head and body with strikes.
Takashi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Takashi missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Cohle moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a solid left hand.
Takashi landing with the ground and pound.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Takashi postures up in Cohle's guard and throws a big left but Cohle blocks it.
Takashi engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a solid left hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Takashi is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.
Cohle has momentary wrist control but Takashi slips an elbow through the middle.
Cohle avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Takashi postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.

Takashi avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Takashi lands a couple of elbows.
Takashi cracks Cohle with a solid left hand.
Saku Takashi overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Takashi working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Takashi postures up and scores with a shot to the body and a follow up elbow to the head.
Takashi postures up and lands a big shot to Cohle's brow.
Takashi is looking to work some ground and pound but Cohle has wrist control.
Takashi not doing a lot at the moment. He'll have to show some more aggression or the fight will get stood up.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Takashi connects with a couple of short punches.
Takashi scoring with some ground and pound.
Takashi is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Cohle can do to turn this around?
Takashi chips away with some ground and pound.
Takashi controls from within his opponent's guard.
Takashi's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.
Cohle looking for a sweep. Not yet Cohle, not yet.
Cohle preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Takashi slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Cohle avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takashi trying to control the position from guard on top but Cohle is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Takashi is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Cohle is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Takashi chips away with some ground and pound.
Takashi working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Takashi lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Takashi lands a couple of digs.
Cohle throwing some rather feeble looking strikes off his back.
Cohle has momentary wrist control but Takashi slips an elbow through the middle.
Takashi throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Takashi with a flurry of punches that miss.
Takashi sitting in guard here, content to control.
Takashi trying to control but Cohle is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Takashi got a little sloppy there for a moment and Cohle has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Takashi has managed to get both his arms back between Cohle's legs - danger averted.
Takashi is in close to Cohle's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Takashi throwing strikes but missing.
Takashi connects with a couple of short punches.
Takashi trying to control but Cohle is working from the bottom.
Takashi is intent on slowing down the pace of the fight, simply looking to control.

Takashi got a little sloppy there for a moment and Cohle has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Takashi has managed to get both his arms back between Cohle's legs - danger averted.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Takashi with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Takashi throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Cohle works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Cohle is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Saku Takashi dominated that second round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Takashi shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Takashi showed some decent athleticism there.
Cohle wants to get back to full guard.
Takashi looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Takashi controlling the pace.
Cohle slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.
Takashi with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Takashi controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Further stalling from Takashi.
Cohle doesn't do any damage with a couple of strikes from the bottom.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Takashi makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Cohle can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Takashi controls the pace.
Takashi is working Cohle over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Takashi engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.
Takashi seems to have a rather negative gameplan on the ground. He seems keen to just score the takedown and hold down Cohle for as long as he can get away with.
Takashi wants to control from the top but Cohle keeps moving.
Takashi passes Cohle's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Cohle throws a strike from the bottom that misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Cohle on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Takashi sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Cohle is trying to get back to full guard.
Takashi is looking to take a break and control but Cohle is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Takashi throwing shots but Cohle is blocking nicely.
Takashi working over Cohle with some ground and pound. Cohle looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.
Cohle is positioning himself well to prevent Takashi advancing to mount.
Takashi blocks the strikes from Cohle.
Takashi prevents Cohle from improving his position.
Cohle avoiding damage under a succession of punches from Takashi.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Takashi is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.
Nice strikes from Takashi there.
Takashi not doing much here.
Takashi looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Takashi stalling.
Takashi scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Takashi lands a nice short elbow.
Takashi takes a deep breath and rests his weight momentarily on top of his opponent, to control the position.
Takashi missing with the ground and pound from half guard.

Cohle looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Cohle takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

Cohle looking for submissions from an awkward position here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Ground and pound from Takashi.
Ruston Cohle has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Takashi working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.
Takashi seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Takashi lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
Takashi lands strikes from half guard.
Takashi lands strikes from half guard.
Cohle on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Takashi lands a nice short elbow.
Takashi winds up and cracks Cohle with a swinging punch to the side of the head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Cohle strikes from the bottom but Takashi passes into mount!
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Takashi scoring with strikes but Cohle is staying in there.
Takashi working away from the top, dropping strikes.
Takashi with shots to the head and body - Cohle looks very uncomfortable down there.

And that's the end of the fight!
Saku Takashi showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Takashi, 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 Andrew Berry scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:26
Judge Steven Brown scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Saku Takashi!
Ruston Cohle spoke after the fight, saying 'What can ya do.'.