PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Mitsuyo Maeda (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Hugo Martinez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Hugo Martinez will no doubt be trying to keep this one on the feet, where he has a distinct advantage.

Maeda
vs
Martinez

165 cm
24
145 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

180 cm
26
155 lbs
9 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
Solid boxing
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Mitsuyo Maeda!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 9 - 0, fighting out of New York, Hugo Martinez!
The judges for this bout are Chad Campbell, Eddie Farnsworth and Columbo Gatti.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Maeda rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Martinez counters with a body kick.
Maeda misses with a series of wild punches.

Maeda closes the distance and scores a nice trip takedown into half guard. Martinez did well to prevent Maeda getting side control.
Maeda prevents Martinez from standing back up.
Martinez is not content to let Maeda control the position.
Maeda thows a huge punch but Martinez dodges it nicely.
Maeda tries to pass to full mount but Martinez defends it.
Martinez is controlling Maeda's position as best he can from this difficult position.
Maeda thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maeda not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Maeda throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Maeda not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Martinez keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Maeda throwing shots but Martinez is blocking nicely.
Maeda is looking to advance position but Martinez won't allow it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Maeda is working hard here to advance position.
Maeda thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Maeda wants to control but Martinez is keeping him busy.
Maeda looks to land a strike but Martinez avoids it nicely and regains full guard.
Martinez trying to control the position here.
Martinez working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Maeda.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez has a closed guard, preventing anything of note from happening. Perhaps he's looking to stall.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Maeda throws a hook but Martinez avoids it easily.
Martinez tries to bum rush Maeda with a series of wild strikes but Maeda uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Maeda swings for the body but Martinez moves out of range.
Martinez lands a nice looking body shot.
Maeda throws a big shot that misses.
Martinez scores with a jab to the head.
Martinez misses with a kick to the body.
Martinez lands a body shot.
Martinez moves out of range as Maeda strikes.
Martinez avoids the body shot from Maeda.
Maeda throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Martinez displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Maeda throws out the jab.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maeda throws a lazy right hand but Martinez sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Martinez moves out of range of the strikes.
Martinez misses with a kick to the body.
Maeda uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Martinez.
Maeda keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Martinez takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Maeda closes the distance and takes a jab right on the nose as he does so.
Martinez looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Martinez tries to clinch but Maeda moves out of range.
Martinez blocks a jab.
Good work by Maeda as he checks the leg kick.
Martinez lands with a nice combination. Maeda backs away looking to recover.
Maeda has a takedown stuffed.
Maeda throws a shot from downtown. Martinez moves away and avoids it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Martinez steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Maeda.
Martinez's jab looks to have found its range, popping Maeda under the eye.
Maeda is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
Martinez misses with a head kick.
Martinez takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
A big left from Maeda misses.
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 Mitsuyo Maeda will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Maeda misses with a body shot.
Jab by Martinez.
Martinez blocks a jab.
Martinez misses with a wild body shot.
Maeda misses with a hook. Martinez ducked under it nicely.
Martinez ducks under a wild hook from Maeda.
Hugo Martinez is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A head kick misses from Martinez.
Maeda throws a hook but Martinez blocks it.
Martinez scores with a nice one two combo and darts back out of range to avoid anything coming in the opposite direction.
Martinez misses with a body kick.
Maeda darts in and out, connecting with a jab.

Maeda looking for a takedown here - he's got it.
Maeda tries to free his leg and advance position but Martinez is retaining full guard.
Martinez looking to control.
Maeda looking to pass the guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maeda is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
Maeda throws a big right hand that misses.
Maeda postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Maeda advances position into side control!
Maeda tries to advance to mount but Martinez denies him.
Maeda looks up at the clock and then as Martinez takes his cue and looks up at the clock too, Maeda smacks him right in the chops with a big elbow! How rude!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An elbow from Maeda crashes against the mat.
Maeda scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Martinez to see if he's OK.
Maeda throws a strike aimed at the side of Martinez's head but Martinez avoids it well.
Maeda trying to control the position but Martinez is working away.
Sloppy strikes there by Maeda.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Martinez regains half guard, as Maeda was trying to land strikes.
Maeda is keeping good posture, landing some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Maeda is scoring with some nice ground and pound from the dominant position.
Maeda thows a huge punch but Martinez dodges it nicely.
Maeda throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Maeda missing with some ground and pound from the half guard.
Maeda wants to control but Martinez is keeping him busy.
Maeda not landing any meaningful shots this time.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maeda thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Martinez keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Maeda is trying to control the action in half guard but Martinez is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.
Maeda is just content to waste time from the top position. Martinez takes advantage of the situation and regains full guard.
Martinez working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Maeda.
Maeda wants to control from the top but Martinez keeps moving.
Maeda might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Mitsuyo Maeda dominated that second 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. This is the final round!

Martinez pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Maeda pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Maeda goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Martinez throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Martinez keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Maeda.
Maeda connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Martinez throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Martinez misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Martinez with poor footwork there. He got himself in a bit of a tangle, enabling Maeda to score with a decent uppercut.
Maeda throws a big shot that misses.
Maeda throws a hook but Martinez avoids it easily.

Martinez drives through and clinches with Maeda against the cage.
A head punch on the inside from Maeda fails to land.

Maeda breaks from the clinch.
Martinez tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Martinez just misses with a punch to the body.
Martinez jabs at Maeda's body.
Martinez tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Maeda was well out of range. Poor timing from Martinez.
Martinez misses with a two punch combination.
Hugo Martinez seems to be getting the better of the standup.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Martinez tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Maeda is able to avoid easily.
Martinez throws a series of punches but Maeda moves out of range.
Martinez throws out a loose jab but Maeda uses good head movement to avoid it.
Martinez fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Maeda checks it well.
A jab from Maeda misses.
Maeda is really struggling to find his range with his punches. Martinez's reach advantage is clearly causing him problems.
Martinez needs to keep his hands up - Maeda had a free shot at his head there.
Maeda scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Martinez walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
A lazy left from Maeda finds it's target.
Martinez missing with a left hand there. Maeda was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Martinez misses with a straight left.
A decent looking cross lands there for Maeda.
A jab from Maeda misses.
Maeda showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Martinez.
Martinez uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Maeda.
Martinez on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Martinez blocks a jab.
Martinez is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Maeda rather than just go for the knockout.
A chopping leg kick lands by Martinez.
The fighters circling - Maeda throws out the jab but it was never going to land.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Martinez lands a head shot.
Maeda misses with a wild body shot.
A jab from Maeda misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Maeda lands a nice shot that snaps Martinez's head back.
Maeda lands with a cross.
Maeda scores with a jab to the head.
Martinez misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Martinez jabs Maeda to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Martinez ducks under a wild hook from Maeda.
A looping hook to the body misses from Martinez. Maeda does a little dance to reset his feet.
Maeda avoids the head kick by Martinez.
Martinez throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Martinez fails in his attempt to clinch.
Martinez throws a head kick that misses.
Martinez moves away from the strike by Maeda.
Martinez bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
A looping hook to the body misses from Martinez. Maeda does a little dance to reset his feet.
Martinez takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Martinez throws a looping overhand right but Maeda ducks down to avoid it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Martinez uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Maeda.
Martinez throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Maeda pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Jab by Maeda.
The fighters circle momentarily. Maeda darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
Martinez throws a lazy right hand but Maeda sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Martinez throws a right and a left that Maeda avoids nicely.
Martinez misses with a jab, cross combination.
Martinez takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Maeda looks to land a left hand but Martinez moved out of range nicely.
Martinez moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Martinez scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
A punch combination from Martinez misses.
Martinez slips under a jab from Maeda.
Martinez misses with a double jab.
Maeda misses with a looping left.
Martinez misses with a hook.
Hugo Martinez is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

Maeda gets a takedown into half guard.
Maeda wants to lay and pray for a moment but Martinez keeps working.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Maeda working the head and body with strikes.
Mitsuyo Maeda is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Maeda wants to free his trapped foot but Martinez is holding on for dear life with his legs.
Hugo Martinez has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Maeda looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.

And that's the end of the fight!
Mitsuyo Maeda showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Maeda, 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 Chad Campbell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 30:27
Judge Columbo Gatti scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Mitsuyo Maeda!
After winning the bout, Mitsuyo Maeda thanked all his fans and promised he'd do even better in his next fight. The crowd seemed to love his humility.