PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Ivan Emelianenko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sagara Sanosuke (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sagara Sanosuke has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Emelianenko
vs
Sanosuke

170 cm
26
185 lbs
17 - 11 - 0

190 cm
21
199 lbs
10 - 3 - 0

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
KO power

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the middleweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 17 - 11 - 0, fighting out of London, Ivan Emelianenko!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Sagara Sanosuke!
The judges for this bout are Matti Vanhoillinen, Anni Minnemäki and Marco Blurström.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Sanosuke looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Emelianenko moves into range and connects with a jab.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.
Emelianenko misses with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Emelianenko throws a right hand that misses
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.
Emelianenko swings widly with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a thumping low kick.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Emelianenko falls off balance throwing a combination
and Sanosuke counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Emelianenko steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Sanosuke. That one must have hurt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Emelianenko gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.
Sanosuke attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Sanosuke goes for a high kick. It partially lands.
Sanosuke tries a head kick but it misses.
Emelianenko is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Sanosuke's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Emelianenko misses with a few strikes there.
Emelianenko chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sanosuke can pounce on him.
Emelianenko with a lazy takedown attempt
and Sanosuke counters with a thumping low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Emelianenko misses with a left hand
and Sanosuke makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Emelianenko misses with a hook to the body
and Sanosuke counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Sanosuke bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Emelianenko's head backwards.
Emelianenko throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Sanosuke stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Good leg kick by Sanosuke there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Emelianenko is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Emelianenko changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Sanosuke tries to avoid it but Emelianenko manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Sanosuke to the ground. Sanosuke escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Emelianenko. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Emelianenko tries to score a power double leg takedown but Sanosuke sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Emelianenko somewhat.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko shoots in looking for a takedown but Sanosuke manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Emelianenko's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Emelianenko misses with a hook
and Sanosuke counters with a leg kick.
Sanosuke scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Ivan Emelianenko seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sanosuke cracks the inside of Emelianenko's front leg.
Sanosuke connects with a high kick.
Sanosuke misses with a low kick.
Emelianenko misses with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko misses with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Emelianenko is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Emelianenko misses with a hook to the body
and Sanosuke counters with a low kick, right behind Emelianenko 's knee.
Emelianenko shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Sanosuke defends it nicely.
Emelianenko takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sanosuke connects with an inside leg kick.
Sanosuke fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Emelianenko is out of range.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sagara Sanosuke dominated that round.
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.

A low kick from Sanosuke misses
and Emelianenko counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.
Sanosuke misses with a hook
and Emelianenko connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Sanosuke throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Emelianenko misses the body punch
and Sanosuke counters with a head kick. That will keep Emelianenko thinking before he tries any more sloppy attacks!
Emelianenko shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Emelianenko misses with a combination
and Sanosuke counters with an inside leg kick.
Sanosuke lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Emelianenko misses with a body punch
and Sanosuke counters with a big head kick but Emelianenko shrugs it off.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Emelianenko takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Emelianenko rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sanosuke counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Sanosuke connects with a leg kick. Emelianenko looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Sanosuke misses with a leg kick.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Sanosuke thumps Emelianenko with a low kick.
Some bone on bone action there as Emelianenko checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Emelianenko misses with a left hand
letting Sanosuke counter with a right hand.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Emelianenko ducks under a wild hook from Sanosuke.
Sanosuke fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Emelianenko.
Sanosuke scores with a push kick.
Sanosuke lands with a thumping leg kick.
Emelianenko swings widly with a right hand
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Sanosuke swings away with a leg kick that misses.
Emelianenko rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko swings widly with a right hand
and Sanosuke makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Emelianenko rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.
Sanosuke lands a right hook to the body.
Sanosuke has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Emelianenko throws a lazy uppercut
and Sanosuke counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Sanosuke throws a quick inside leg kick.
Emelianenko shoots for a takedown but Sanosuke saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Sanosuke slips a jab and a cross from Emelianenko.
Sanosuke fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Emelianenko checks it well.
Emelianenko on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sanosuke counters with an inside leg kick.
Emelianenko stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Sanosuke.
Sanosuke connects with a single shot there.
Sagara Sanosuke seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a thumping low kick.
Emelianenko takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Sagara Sanosuke is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Sanosuke scores with a leg kick.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sanosuke throws a front kick aimed at Emelianenko's knee but Emelianenko avoids it well.
Emelianenko misses with a body shot.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sagara Sanosuke showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the ring so we can get back down to business.

Sanosuke darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
Emelianenko changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Emelianenko swings and misses with a shot to the body
and Sanosuke counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Emelianenko misses with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a nice body kick.
Sanosuke lands a nice looking kick to the body. Emelianenko takes a step back to recover.
Sanosuke cracks Emelianenko with a right hand to the side of the head.
Sanosuke scores with a slapping inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A swing and a miss from Emelianenko.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Sanosuke throws a head kick that Emelianenko semi-blocks.
Emelianenko throws a looping overhand right but Sanosuke ducks down to avoid it.
Emelianenko misses with a telegraphed body shot
and Sanosuke counters with a nice leg kick.
Emelianenko shoots in looking for a takedown but Sanosuke manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Emelianenko's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
Emelianenko misses with a lunging right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a thumping low kick.
Emelianenko misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sanosuke connects with a leg kick. Emelianenko looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Sanosuke lunges at Emelianenko with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Emelianenko's hand.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Emelianenko. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Emelianenko checks a leg kick nicely.
Emelianenko misses with a takedown attempt
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.
A nice inside leg kick there by Sanosuke. That's going to slow Emelianenko down.
Emelianenko misses with a hook to the body
and Sanosuke counters with a big head kick but Emelianenko shrugs it off.
Sanosuke attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Sanosuke lands with a kick to the temple. Emelianenko shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Emelianenko will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko throws a right hand that misses
and Sanosuke cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Nice takedown defense from Sanosuke. No joy for Emelianenko on that attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Emelianenko. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Sanosuke moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Emelianenko throws a lazy uppercut
and Sanosuke counters with a flying knee. Nice.
Sanosuke connects with a looping right hand.
Sanosuke defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Emelianenko.
Sanosuke chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Crunch! Sanosuke slams his shin into Emelianenko's torso.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sanosuke connects with a solid leg kick.
Emelianenko checks the leg kick.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke finishes the little exchange by landing a big kick to the body.
Emelianenko chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sanosuke can pounce on him.
Emelianenko misses with a double jab
enabling Sanosuke to counter with a crisp jab.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Emelianenko chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sanosuke can pounce on him.
Sanosuke buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sagara Sanosuke really dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Sanosuke thumps Emelianenko with a low kick.
Emelianenko looks for a takedown but Sanosuke sprawls well.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a body kick.
Sanosuke is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
letting Sanosuke counter with a right hand.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Emelianenko swings away with a body shot that misses
and Sanosuke counters with an outside leg kick.
Sanosuke tries a low kick but Emelianenko avoids it.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.
Sanosuke lands a front kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Sanosuke.
Emelianenko throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Sanosuke cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Emelianenko tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Sanosuke swivels and escapes.
Emelianenko throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Sanosuke counters with a thumping low kick.
Sanosuke pushes Emelianenko away with a front kick.
Sanosuke scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Sanosuke lands a nice looking kick to the body. Emelianenko takes a step back to recover.
Emelianenko walks into a jab.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko misses with a jab to the body
and Sanosuke connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
A slapping leg kick lands for Sanosuke.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Sanosuke.
A thudding body kick lands there by Sanosuke!
Sanosuke tries to score with a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Sanosuke throws a leg kick but Emelianenko moved away.
Emelianenko shoots for a takedown but Sanosuke saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Ivan Emelianenko. That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko lands with an overhand left.
Emelianenko on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Sanosuke. Sanosuke obviously looking to wear him down.
Emelianenko throws a right hand that misses
and Sanosuke counters with an inside leg kick.
Sanosuke throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A head kick misses from Sanosuke.
Sanosuke lands a head kick. Emelianenko smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Some bone on bone action there as Emelianenko checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Emelianenko chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sanosuke can pounce on him.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Emelianenko misses with a left hand
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.
Emelianenko rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sanosuke counters with a solid body kick.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a slapping leg kick.
Emelianenko misses with a hook
and Sanosuke counters with a solid body kick.
Sanosuke lands with a kick to the temple. Emelianenko shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Emelianenko misses with a right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a slapping leg kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sagara Sanosuke dominated that fourth round.
That's time! Emelianenko's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Sanosuke connects with an inside leg kick.
Sanosuke has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Sanosuke throws a leg kick but Emelianenko sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Emelianenko throws a combination that misses
and Emelianenko takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Emelianenko misses with an uppercut
and Sanosuke counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Sanosuke throws a low kick, looking for Emelianenko's leg but Emelianenko calmly moves out of range.
Emelianenko misses with a wild body shot.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A slapping leg kick lands for Sanosuke.
Sanosuke lands an overhand left. A wild punch that just about connected.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Sanosuke, right into the meat.
Emelianenko looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sanosuke thuds his shin into the meat of Emelianenko's side.
Emelianenko scores with a hook.
Emelianenko falls off balance throwing a combination
and Sanosuke counters with a low kick, right behind Emelianenko 's knee.
Emelianenko's corner calls for a 1-2. Emelianenko obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Emelianenko throws a poor cross that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a nice low kick that buckles Emelianenko's knee momentarily.
The crowd cheers as Sanosuke lands an impressive looking overhand right. Emelianenko doesn't seem phased though.
Emelianenko misses with a hook to the body
and Sanosuke makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Emelianenko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Sanosuke counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Emelianenko avoids the head kick by Sanosuke.
Sanosuke throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Emelianenko misses with a combination
and Sanosuke makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Emelianenko takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Emelianenko fails with the takedown
and Sanosuke counters with a straight right hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Like a baseball bat into the meat of his leg there - nice leg kick by Sanosuke.
Emelianenko shoots in but doesn't get the takedown
enabling Sanosuke to counter with a crisp jab.
Sanosuke dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Emelianenko. That did some damage!
Emelianenko throws an off balance right hand
and Sanosuke counters with a nice low kick that buckles Emelianenko's knee momentarily.
Sanosuke lands a nice leg kick that just misses Emelianenko's sensitive parts.
Emelianenko throws a lazy uppercut
and Sanosuke counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
A nice leg kick lands there from Sanosuke.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sanosuke scores with a punch to the head.
Sanosuke lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Emelianenko misses with a double jab
and Sanosuke counters with a low kick, right behind Emelianenko 's knee.
Sanosuke throws a front kick that sends Emelianenko stumbling back into the ropes.
Emelianenko misses with an uppercut
and Sanosuke counters with a good low kick that Emelianenko was not able to check.
Sanosuke lands with a nice low kick. That'll leave a bruise.
Ivan Emelianenko has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sanosuke connects with a nice looking jab.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sagara Sanosuke comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Sanosuke 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 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Matti Vanhoillinen scores the fight 45:50
Judge Anni Minnemäki scores the fight 45:50
Judge Marco Blurström scores the fight 45:50

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sagara Sanosuke! Sagara Sanosuke retains his middleweight title!