PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Yoshihiro Asai (ranked 1240 p4p, 124 weight class) and Holt Dennis (ranked 2812 p4p, 250 weight class). Both fighters will be looking to make this an exciting fight for the fans, I'm sure!

Asai
vs
Dennis

172 cm
34
140 lbs
24 - 12 - 1

175 cm
29
155 lbs
10 - 6 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

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 24 - 12 - 1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Yoshihiro Asai !
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Holt Dennis!
The judges for this bout are Dean Styles, John Kavanagh and Lou da Vinci.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Dennis throws a body kick that misses.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Asai .
Asai throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Dennis tries to counter by closing the distance.
Asai takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Dennis goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Asai tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Dennis manages to circle out of the way.
Dennis tries to bum rush Asai with a series of wild strikes but Asai uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Dennis throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.

Dennis darts in and clinches Asai up against the cage.

Asai pulls guard successfully.

Dennis decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Asai , up you get!

Dennis rushes Asai and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
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!
Asai jumps guard but Dennis stands there with Asai around his waist. Asai gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Asai blocks a body shot from Dennis.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dennis is trying to push Asai away but Asai has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

Asai breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Asai moves forwards but Dennis connects with a nice, crisp jab.
No luck for Asai with that takedown attempt.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yoshihiro Asai . That's going to take a lot out of him.

Asai clinches with his opponent.
Dennis is trying to break the clinch but Asai is controlling him.
Asai is trying to pull guard but Dennis turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Asai is trying to pull guard but Dennis has him pressed against the cage.
Asai tries to score a body lock takedown but Dennis shows good agility there to stay on his feet.

Dennis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Dennis keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

Asai gets caught napping as Dennis dives in and scores a takedown. Asai manages to retain guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Dennis gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Dennis swinging wildly here.
Dennis throws a series of punches but Asai avoids them all with ease.
As Dennis tries to get set, Asai tries to push him back and clinch up but Dennis manages to avoid the attempt.
Holt Dennis seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Dennis rushes in with a sloppy looking punch

and Asai moves into the clinch.
Dennis tries a knee to the head but Asai blocks it.

Dennis pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Dennis stalks Asai and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Asai 's face. Asai staggers backwards, shaken.
Asai misses with a takedown attempt - Dennis sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Asai looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Dennis throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Dennis avoids the head kick by Asai .
Asai throws a series of punches but Dennis moves out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Asai closes the distance and gets a trip takedown into side control. Dennis quickly recovers to half guard.
Asai stops Dennis from getting back to his feet.

Asai seems to be looking for submissions.

Asai is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Dennis sees it coming and defends easily.
Dennis wants to get back to his feet.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Dennis manages to create a bit of space in order to work his way back to his feet. Asai keeps hold of his opponent and drives him back against the cage.
Dennis is trying to push Asai away but Asai has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Dennis is trying to break the clinch but Asai has him pressed against the cage.
Asai looking for a takedown.
Asai fails to pull guard.
Knees to the body from Asai .
Asai tries to pull guard but Dennis won't allow it.
Dennis slowing the pace effectively.

Asai breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Asai throws a sloppy head kick and Dennis moves out of range easily.
Horrible takedown attempt by Asai or perhaps it was just good defense by Dennis, which made it look bad.
Asai shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Dennis as he jumps to the side.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Holt Dennis dominated that round.
That's time! Back to the action!

Dennis shoots in but no luck this time.
Dennis throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Asai counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Asai takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Asai appears to be looking for a counter takedown.

Asai has closed the distance and engaged Dennis in a clinch.
Asai tries to pull guard but Dennis holds him up against the cage and eventually Asai drops back down to his feet.
Asai missing with knees to the body.
Dennis has had enough of the clinch but Asai keeps him there for the moment.
Dennis misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Asai .

Dennis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Asai fails with a takedown attempt.
Asai throws a wild body kick that Dennis sees coming a mile off.
Asai looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Dennis is fending him off so far but Asai persists. Nope, Dennis circles away and we're back to standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yoshihiro Asai . That's going to take a lot out of him.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Dennis misses with a wild body shot.
Asai shoots in for a double leg but Dennis sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Dennis digs a good hook to Asai 's body.
Yoshihiro Asai is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Asai takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Asai with a poor takedown
and Asai takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Dennis has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Dennis scores with a jab to the head.
Dennis shoots in but no luck this time.
Dennis throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Asai .
Asai shoots in but Dennis avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Asai shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Dennis as he avoids it easily.
Asai moves out of the way of the counter high kick fromDennis.
Dennis keeps the fight on the outside.

Asai forces Dennis back against the cage and clinches.

Dennis's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Asai blocks a head kick by Dennis.
Holt Dennis seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Asai tries a head kick but it misses.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Asai fails to land with a series of punches.
Dennis misses with a head kick.
As Dennis looks to move away, Asai throws a big counter combo but Dennis just gets out of the way.
Dennis misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Asai misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.

Asai moves into the clinch successfully.
The pace really dropping off here, momentarily.
Asai is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Dennis breaks the clinch.
Dennis loads up on a big right hand but Asai slips the punch.
Asai drops down looking for a counter takedown but Dennis sprawls and moves away.
Asai avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Asai drops down looking for a counter takedown but Dennis sprawls and moves away.
Dennis buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Dennis sizes up Asai with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.

Asai has taken the fight to the clinch.
Dennis has Asai pushed against the cage.
Asai fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Dennis is struggling to control the position.
Asai jumps guard but Dennis turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Dennis struggles to land a body shot inside as Asai controls his hands.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dennis prevents Asai from breaking the clinch.
Dennis will no doubt start fighting again in a minute but for now he's just having a little rest, leaning Asai up against the cage.
Asai lands on the inside with an uppercut.

Dennis breaks the clinch.
Asai shoots for a double leg takedown but Dennis sprawls well. He's pushed Asai 's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Dennis just misses with a punch to the body.
Asai is looking for a counter combo.
Dennis misses with a few strikes there.
Asai fails with a takedown attempt.
A nice side step and Dennis releases a counter shot to the body, but it doesn't find it's home.
Dennis misses with a body punch
and Asai counters with a nice uppercut.
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!
No joy there for Dennis, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Holt Dennis showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! 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.

Dennis tries to clinch up.
Asai blocks a head kick by Dennis.
Asai avoids the body shot from Dennis.
Asai fails in his attempt to clinch.
Dennis shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Asai as he avoids it easily.
Asai appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Dennis tries to bum rush Asai with a series of wild strikes but Asai uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Asai throws a big counter combination but Dennis scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Dennis tries to close the distance and clinch but Asai swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Asai shoots for a double leg takedown but Dennis sprawls well. He's pushed Asai 's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Dennis slaps away a takedown attempt from Asai , before circling back to the center of the mat.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Asai doesn't manage to clinch there - Dennis circles away.

Dennis gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

Dennis breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Asai shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Dennis but Dennis pushes him off and we're back to square one.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Yoshihiro Asai . That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Dennis clinches with his opponent.
Dennis with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Asai tries to pull guard but Dennis forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Asai tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Asai controlling the action here for a moment.
Asai is trying to stall.
A bit of stalling here from Dennis.
Asai looking for a takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Dennis is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Asai fails to pull the fight into his guard.
Asai has Dennis pressed against the cage, preventing Dennis from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Asai misses with a knee to the head.

Dennis manages to break the clinch.
A jab from Dennis does it's job there.
Asai avoids a kick to the body.
Dennis misses with a body kick.

Dennis fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Asai to the ground. Dennis is now in Asai 's guard.
Asai is looking to stand back up... there's a bit of a scramble and Dennis dives into side control.

This has been an exciting period of action!

Dennis decides to take the fight back to the feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Asai has a takedown stuffed.

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

Dennis stands, ready to strike. The ref makes him back up and allows Asai to get to his feet.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Asai .

Dennis moves into the clinch.
Dennis is trying to push Asai away but Asai has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Dennis is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.

Dennis breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

Dennis manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Asai on his heels. He'll look to pass Asai 's guard now, I'm sure.

Dennis gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Dennis throws a half hearted mid kick.
Dennis throws a body punch but Asai moves out of range.
Dennis is throwing a lot of body shots here, looking to wear down Asai rather than just go for the knockout.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Asai tries to clinch but Dennis is having none of it.
Asai uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Dennis.
Dennis looks to score with a jab to the body but Asai is just out of range.
Asai wants to take advantage of his opponent's missed offense by moving into the clinch.
No joy there for Dennis, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Asai feinted with a counter takedown.
Yoshihiro Asai has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Holt Dennis is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Dennis keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.

And that's the end of the fight!
Holt Dennis comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Dennis 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 Dean Styles scores the fight 27:30
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 27:30
Judge Lou da Vinci scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Holt Dennis!