PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Kira Yoshikage (ranked 2086 p4p, 4278 weight class) and Alex Martens (ranked 269 p4p, 486 weight class). The crowd seem to be enjoying Martens's choice of entrance music: The XX - Intro. Alex Martens will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Yoshikage
vs
Martens

170 cm
25
160
7 - 4 - 0

183 cm
27
169
9 - 8 - 1

Powerful takedowns
Counter fighter
Cardio machine

BJJ Purple Belt
Dangerous knees
Good gas tank

Conviction

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Kira Yoshikage!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 8 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Alex Martens!
The judges for this bout are Eliza Hachem, Damien Edna and Skip Squint.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Yoshikage tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Martens looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Martens scores with a shot to the body.

Martens clinches up against the cage.

Martens has moved round to his opponent's back and is looking for a suplex! Oh snap! He's tossed Yoshikage clear over his head and slammed him to the mat!
Good control from Martens.

Yoshikage defends a rear naked choke attempt by controlling one of Martens's arms.
Yoshikage turns into Martens and is now in his guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Martens looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Yoshikage loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yoshikage throws a big right hand that misses.
Yoshikage controlling from the top position.
Yoshikage looking to pass the guard.
Yoshikage wants to control from the top but Martens keeps moving.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Yoshikage accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Yoshikage passes easily into side control. Nice work.
Yoshikage is chipping away with strikes.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Martens holds on to Yoshikage's head and controls the position momentarily.
Yoshikage wants to control but Martens is keeping him busy.
The referee asks Yoshikage politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Yoshikage prefers to stall for the moment though.
Yoshikage wants to control but Martens is keeping him busy.
Yoshikage is really struggling to control Martens but he's trying to hold on to the position.
Yoshikage cracks Martens with a big elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Martens is looking to reverse the position.
Yoshikage wants to control for a moment but Martens uses the opportunity to move back to half guard.
Yoshikage sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Martens is refusing to be controlled, as Yoshikage sits in half guard.
Yoshikage missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Yoshikage is looking to stall here but Martens recovers full guard.
Yoshikage might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage with a nice head shot there.
Yoshikage is in close to Martens's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Yoshikage tries to free his leg and advance position but Martens is retaining full guard.
Martens keeping moving, preventing Yoshikage from controlling successfully.
Yoshikage stops Martens from standing up.
Yoshikage in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Yoshikage seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Martens pulls Yoshikage in close to prevent any damage.
Yoshikage trying to control the position from guard on top but Martens is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Alex Martens will probably get the nod.
That's time! Back to the action!

Martens wants to clinch.
Alex Martens seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Martens tries to close the distance and clinch but Yoshikage swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Yoshikage tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Martens manages to circle out of the way.
Martens moves in looking to clinch but Yoshikage pushes him off.

Martens clinches with his opponent.
Yoshikage slowing the pace effectively.
Yoshikage wants a takedown but no success here.
Yoshikage tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Martens smiles and moves away.
Alex Martens is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Martens tries to clinch up.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Martens clinches up against the cage.
Martens tries to land knees in the clinch but Yoshikage avoids the damage to the body.
Yoshikage has Martens pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Martens manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kira Yoshikage. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Yoshikage tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Martens smiles and moves away.

Martens moves into the clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martens lands with a short shot to the head.

Martens's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Yoshikage showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Martens.

Martens drives through and clinches with Yoshikage against the cage.

Yoshikage pulls guard effortlessly.
Martens has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Martens won't allow Yoshikage to sweep him here.
Yoshikage is looking to sweep but instead, Martens has passed into half guard.
Kira Yoshikage overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Martens moves nicely into side control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage tries to work a leg under to get back to half guard but Martens wriggles his own leg back out and remains in side control.
Yoshikage is not content to let Martens control the position.
Sloppy strikes there by Martens.
Martens really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Yoshikage. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Yoshikage gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Martens is stalling here. Yoshikage is in no mood to hang around though. He's locked up a kimura from the bottom! Martens seems to be keeping calm but he's forced to roll out of the hold and Yoshikage has ended up in side control on the top. Nice work.
Martens tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Martens to see if he's OK.
Yoshikage throws a strike aimed at the side of Martens's head but Martens avoids it well.
Yoshikage 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.
Yoshikage trying to control the position but Martens is working away.
Yoshikage working away.
Yoshikage lands some shots froms side control.
Yoshikage throws a strike aimed at the side of Martens's head but Martens avoids it well.
Yoshikage is looking to take a break and control but Martens is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Yoshikage controls the position from side control.
Yoshikage working the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage cracks Martens with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Yoshikage laying and praying for a moment but Martens takes advantage and regains half guard.
Martens is staying active underneath Yoshikage, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Yoshikage moves nicely into side control.
Yoshikage is looking to take a break and control but Martens is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
You can see the frustration on Martens's face as Yoshikage controls the position.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Kira Yoshikage will probably get the nod.
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. 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.

Martens shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Yoshikage's guard.
Martens stopping the sweep attempt from Yoshikage.
Yoshikage keeping moving, preventing Martens from controlling successfully.
Yoshikage is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Yoshikage not doing much here.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Yoshikage wants to control but Martens is keeping him busy.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yoshikage tries to pass the half guard into mount. Martens knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.
Martens is looking to escape.
Yoshikage thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Yoshikage wants to lay and pray for a moment but Martens keeps working.
Martens blocking the ground and pound attempt from Yoshikage.
Yoshikage throwing shots but Martens is blocking nicely.
Yoshikage seems very keen to just sit and control from half guard but Martens does not like that idea so much and is remaining active off his back.
Yoshikage thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Yoshikage trying to control the action but Martens is working from the bottom.
Yoshikage working over Martens with some ground and pound. Martens looks like he wants out of this position, which is understandable.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage looks to score some points with some ground and pound.
Yoshikage with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.
Martens on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Yoshikage slips a nice elbow through Martens's hands, connecting with Martens's forehead.
Yoshikage is looking to pass the guard... He's managed it - he's now in full mount!
Yoshikage controlling the pace for now.
Martens blocking the ground and pound.
Yoshikage looking to control and managing it successfully.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage postures up and cracks his opponent a couple of times before moving back into close ground control. Martens looks a forlorn figure.
Yoshikage lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Martens hang on?
Yoshikage lands a shot to the body, followed up by a shot to the exposed head of his trapped opponent.
Yoshikage thuds his fist into the canvas! Oooouch!
BOOM! Yoshikage connects with a massive shot to the dome!
Yoshikage tries to control but Martens wriggling away.
Yoshikage landing strikes from the mount and Martens is in trouble!

Martens is rocked!
Yoshikage takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Martens is still in real trouble! Can Yoshikage finish him?
Martens wants to try and get back to his feet.
Martens seems to have recovered his senses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Yoshikage breaks from Martens's wrist control and lands an elbow.
A nice elbow there by Yoshikage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Martens taking shots to the head.
Yoshikage lands a big elbow.
Yoshikage landing strikes, looking to finish!
Yoshikage lands a big shot to the head and Martens winces in pain. He's tapped out due to strikes!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 4:52 of round 3, we have a winner by way of Submission (Strikes). Kira Yoshikage!