SAITAMA SUPER ARENA
SAITAMA, JAPAN
APRIL 12, 2019
FRIDAY NIGHT PRELIMS
VANNAH WHITE HOSTS
YOUTUBE LIVE SPECIAL
Follow Vannah White on Twitter
[A young lady by the name of Vannah White is standing outside of an empty octagon with a microphone in hand.]
VANNAH WHITE
Hi, my name is Vannah White and tonight I'll be your host for UGP 10's special prelim presentation here LIVE in Japan hosted in partnership exclusively with YouTube! Tonight, we will feature a series of three fights as we prepare for tomorrow's main card which will feature three HUGE title fights you won't want to miss on PPV!
Opening up tonight's show, our first fight will feature Kevin Van Damne an (0-4) competitor of Seattle who is known for his world class boxing, athleticism and otherworldly cardio! Kevin will look for his first win in Union Grand Prix against (0-1) JB Alan who is one of the best wrestlers in the UGP Cruiserweight Division training out of HILITE FC.
In order for Kevin Van Damne to prevail tonight he's going to want to keep the fight standing. Kevin is an aggressive fighter but will benefit greatly if he can stay at range and avoid any grappling exchanges with JB Alan.
For JB Alan, the takedown is vital here. It is unlikely he'll be able to win a stand up fight with someone as aggressive and as active as Kevin Van Damne and should be able to exploit Kevin Van Damne if he's put on his back. Once there, he'll want to be fairly aggressive with his GNP game and look to finish the fight in top control.
In our second fight of the night, a kickboxer by the name of Nicky Rollings (0-1) will be going head to head with Jack Nation (0-0) a BJJ specialist and another HILITE FC gym member this time making his UGP professional debut here tonight.
For Nicky Rollings, he's going to need to keep this fight standing. He's a great kickboxer that carries power with both his punches and devastating kicks. He will need to avoid all grappling exchanges initiated by Jack Nation as failure to do so will likely will be the demise of Nick Rollings here tonight.
As for Jack Nation, I spoke with Takeshi Kato who will be main eventing tomorrow nights card in Japan and he has vouched for Jack Nation regarding his ground capabilities and BJJ skills and even insinuated that he's gotten the better of him a few times. Jack Nation must aggressively look for a takedown or initiate a grappling exchange and look to grab any limbs he finds vulnerable.
In our last preliminary fight of the night, South Korea's Sang-Hyun Lee (1-2-1) will go head to head with Kira Izumi (0-5) who will be fighting in his hometown in Japan here tonight.
For Sang-Hyun Lee, he's going to want to find a way to get the fight to the mat as quick and as often as possible. A wizard of sorts on the ground, he'll want to aggressively pursue the submission even if it means giving up top position. His opponent has proven to be susceptible to submission finishes in the past and there's no reason why a specialist like Lee can't finish the fight in just about any position on the canvas.
For Kira Izumi, his best chance at victory is to mix it up. He needs to throw punches, kicks, clinch, knees. He needs to grind Lee down over the course of three rounds unless a finish presents itself. Sang-Hyun Lee has the better grappling game so Kira Izumi is better off avoiding the takedown but ultimately playing a reserved control game once the fight goes there. Heading into this fight on a 5 fight losing streak, he'll need to summon the support of the crowd to will him through what will be a very tough fight.
So without further ado, let's get on with tonight's prelims!
FAN POLL: 62% JB Alan
REFEREE: Jordan Ripley
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ROUND ONE
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The fight gets underway.
Kevin Van Damne has found an opening in the defense of Alan, launching a big uppercut. Bingo! Alan is wobbling! Kevin Van Damne suddenly spins around...and he connects with a spinning back fist just on Alan's chin! Alan is holding Kevin Van Damne's left leg and is trying to take him down, Kevin Van Damne loses balance and goes to the ground. JB Alan is in side mount over Kevin Van Damne. Kevin Van Damne attempts to trap JB Alan in his guard but manages to switch to full guard instead. JB Alan is in the closed guard of Damne. KVD has a high cardio that helps him in this position. With Alan in closed guard KVD rolls on the ground! Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over JB!
Kevin Van Damne holds a full mount over JB. JB Alan works on the ground with his fingers over KVD's face but he shakes his head and continues fighting on the ground. KVD retains full mount over JB. JB Alan measures the resilience of KVD's ribs with a couple of big punches from guard. Those hits are leaving hitches in KVD's side! Damne is still in full mount over JB Alan. Kevin Van Damne tries to better his position and take JB’s back while on the ground and Damne is in a great position to land some GNP!
Kevin Van Damne maintains control over JB Alan. Alan tries to escape from the full mount but KVD sees the transition coming and moves to side mount to keep his superior position. Kevin Van Damne is in side mount over JB Alan. KVD now looks to mount JB! Damne slides his knee across the belly and gets back to mount. KVD positions himself for a round of ground and pound and tries to finish the fight with some precise elbows! One, two, three! Alan's being punished here and now there is a small laceration on JB Alan's Chin!
Kevin Van Damne is in full mount over JB Alan. KVD tries to keep his position while looking to begin a ground and pound beatdown. Damne controls the position despite JB Alan desperate attempt to escape from under the full mount. Alan tries to escape again but KVD is prepared and moves to side mount to keep his superior top position. In side mount. Kevin Van Damne looks to move to a full mount on JB Alan. Damne slides his knee across the belly and gets to mount. KVD holds position instead of launching a GNP session. KVD opts to control the mount while JB Alan exercises his best efforts trying to escape the full mount.
Retaining his position in full mount, KVD is taking the opportunity to rest. JB Alan tries to explode and roll to his side to get to half guard butt Damne rolls with JB to his stomach and takes his back! KVD is in rear mount over Alan. Kevin Van Damne is proving to be one step ahead of JB Alan on the ground and JB is being outclassed. JB Alan knows he doesn't want to continue the fight in this position and tries to get back on his feet, the attempt is successful and now JB alan is standing. KVD tries to stand up but Alan doesn't allow him! Jordan Ripley steps in and halts the fight to stand up KVD. The fight resumes with both fighters standing and the fans who are watching this in venue are cheering for the fighters.
JB Alan throws a combo but Damne ducks under and catches him with a counter straight! Alan swings again, only to get countered once more! Alan is looking bad here! KVD moves forward pressing for some action and JB Alan struggles a bit before breaking KVD's attempt of grappling. A nice inside leg kick from KVD lands on the inside of JB Alan's leg. KVD spins around and tries a spinning back kick! JB Alan was not expecting something like that! It lands on his chin! Is this over!? No time to think about it, KVD launches a stiff jab! A follow up shot barely hits Alan's face but it seems like one finger has poked his eye! Did the referee see that? Jordan Ripley has seen that! Jordan Ripley allows Alan some time to recover and the fight resumes with both fighters meeting in the middle of the cage.
Kevin Van Damne throws a looping right hand. That lands on Alan's chin and stops Alan in his tracks! Damne has found an opening in the defense of Alan, launching a big uppercut but JB Alan is fast enough to dodge the uppercut. Alan fakes a punch and shoots a takedown. KVD sprawls and remains on his feet. JB Alan gets sloppy and KVD tries to take advantage... Brutal-looking high kick from Kevin Van Damne! Oh my! You could hear the impact from the back seats and immediately swelling is visible on JB’s jaw. JB Alan takes a few seconds to recover his breath and wits about him before Jordan Ripley tells the fighters to go to their corners as the round is over.
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ROUND TWO
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KVD spins around and tries a spinning back kick! Damne hits hard and cracks JB Alan ribs with that one! Alan nearly wrenches over like a little broken branch. KVD swoops in but carefully avoids a dangerous strike from Alan and fends him off with feel-out punches to create some space. KVD decides to launch some tentative punches and takes the best of a brief punching exchange. Damne launches a rapid series of punches taking Alan from one end of the cage to the other. That's awesome! Alan's chin continues to swell and becomes a bigger target for Damne. KVD bounces around showing that he has the cardio to last a full three rounds.
Alan desperately attempts to shoot for a leg but Kevin Van Damne hops back and delivers a powerful kick to his head and Alan hits the ground hard! That crushing blow from Kevin Van Damne has left Alan unconscious! What a finish by Kevin Van Damne!
Winner: Kevin Van Damne by KO (High Kick) at 1:05 Round 2
Statistics: Kevin Van Damne
Punches 18/22 (82%)
Kicks 5/5 (100%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 3/3 (100%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 153 s
Statistics: JB Alan
Punches 0/1 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 1/2 (50%)
GnP strikes 2/2 (100%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 153 s
FAN POLL: 60% Jack Nation
REFEREE: Dusty Whittaker
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ROUND ONE
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The fight begins!
Jack Nation immediately shoots for a double leg takedown! Nicky Rollings sprawls and manages to stay on his feet. Nation is a cardio machine and shoots in for another double leg takedown! This time, he hits it! Nicky Rollings is taken off his feet, but he manages to pull Nation into his guard on the way down. Jack Nation is in closed guard over Rollings. Nation use some of his wrestling skills to escape from the closed guard but Nicky Rollings holds Jack Nation and prevents him from moving to a better position! Jack Nation remains in the closed guard of Rollings. Nation tries to escape from closed guard again but Rollings was waiting for the moment to roll and it’s too late for Jack Nation! He is reversed and now Nicky Rollings is on top in half guard!
Nicky Rollings is in half guard over Nation and Jack tries to close the guard but fails. Nation is breathing fine here and shows no signs of slowing down, he’s in great shape. Quickly, Nation moves to a high guard and closes in an armbar! It’s a crippling lock! Nicky Rollings lifts his opponent from the ground displaying great power and slams down Jack! Jack refuses to break the lock and Nicky Rollings is running out of time! This armbar is looking nasty! Rollings in desperation lifts his opponent from the ground displaying great power once and again and slams Jack Nation onto the canvas with all his might! Jack grimaces as he continues to hold onto the arm bar and Nicky Rollings is in serious danger of snapping his arm!
That is a nasty, the armbar is locked in tight! You can see the pain reflected in Rollings's eyes as he tries to squirm out of the hold. The crowd stirs to their feet again as Nicky Rollings lifts his opponent from the ground displaying great power and slams Jack Nation down on the back of his head for the third time! It isn’t the charm! Jack Nation now has Rolling’s arm fully extended in a horrific armbar but Nicky refuses to tap out! Rollings tries to break the lock slamming Jack Nation against the mat but Jack Nation doesn't allow Nicky Rollings to escape. Jack Nation has completely dislocated Nicky’s elbow, that is NASTY; despite the refusal to tap, Dusty Whittaker has no choice to jump in and pry Jack Nation off of the arm. His job is to protect the fighters!
Winner: Jack Nation by Submission (Armbar) at 1:04 Round 1
Statistics: Jack Nation
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 1/2 (50%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 34 s
Statistics: Nicky Rollings
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 34 s
FAN POLL: 70% Sang-Hyun Lee
REFEREE: Dusty Whittaker
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ROUND ONE
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Kira Izumi and Sang-Hyun Lee touch gloves in the center to get this fight started! Sang-Hyun Lee is doing his best Floyd Mayweather impression by not engaging. The Prince of Darkness studies his opponent looking for a hole in his defense. These two fighters are showing each other a ton of respect. Lee fakes a punch and shoots a takedown! Kira Izumi didn't see it coming and has been put on the ground! Sang-Hyun Lee is in open guard over The Prince of Darkness! Kira tries to close his guard around Lee but he is not able to do it. Lee’s cornermen are yelling at him to try to escape from the ground as Kira Izumi can finish a fight on the ground with some good pounding if you give him the chance.
Kira Izumi moves to high guard and tries to lock in an armbar! Sang-Hyun Lee breaks the the grip and hits a roll on the ground and stands up to his feet quickly. Dusty Whittaker halts the fight to stand up Kira Izumi. The fight resumes with both fighters standing. The Japanese fans who are watching in the crowd clap their hands showing appreciation for both fighters who circle around the center of the cage. Sang-Hyun Lee tries to take the fight to the ground by grabbing hold of a single leg, Kira is unable to remain on his feet and falls to the ground and Sang-Hyun Lee is in open guard over The Prince of Darkness. The Prince tries to close the guard on Lee but fails.
Sang-Hyun Lee is in open guard over Kira Izumi. Lee looks to transition on the ground and moves to side mount. In side mount Sang-Hyun Lee goes for an americana but Kira Izumi pulls his arm free! Lee is still in side mount over Kira Izumi and The Prince attempts to trap Sang-Hyun Lee in his guard but Lee maintains control and remains in side mount. Sang-Hyun Lee looks to mount Kira Izumi and slides his knee across the belly and gets to mount. Sang-Hyun Lee takes a deep breath as he passes his arm over Kira Izumi shoulder and pushes his left arm against the mat! You can see the pain reflected in Kira’s eyes, it looks to be a crippling lock! NO! Kira Izumi breaks free of the Americana attempt!
Sang-Hyun Lee is in full mount over Kira Izumi. The prince tries to move on the ground and escape from the full mount! Sang-Hyun Lee doesn't want to lose his advantageous position and fights hard to maintain the full mount. Kira Izumi tries to roll on the ground but Lee knows how to keep his advantage on the ground. Sang-Hyun Lee isolates Kira Izumi's arm and neck looking for an arm triangle but Kira Izumi is able to relieve the pressure on his neck and slip out of the hold. Still mounted, Kira tries to move on the ground and escape from the full mount! Lee doesn't want to lose his superior position and works to maintain the full mount. Lee tries to gain an advantage after Kira makes an error! Lee fakes a few punches and after a brief struggle he catches Kira Izumi's arm and tries an armbar! That looks tight! Kira Izumi struggles to free himself but after some hand fighting he is able to break Lee's lock. Kira rolls over and launches over Sang-Hyun Lee and takes top position!
Kira Izumi is in side mount over Sang-Hyun Lee. Lee tries move into Kira Izumi guard and Lee manages to switch to half guard. Lee continues to fish for better positioning and an attempt to move to full guard is successful. Kira Izumi is in open guard over Lee so Lee tries to close his guard around The Prince of Darkness and succeeds! Kira loses his positioning when Lee hits a beautiful sweep on the ground. Nice reversal! He is now in full mount over Kira Izumi! Lee tries to hold superior position and holds off on initiating a GNP session. Lee manages to control his top positioning in mount despite Kira Izumi’s best efforts to escape the full mount! Lee suddenly grabs hold of Kira Izumi's arm and tries an armbar! That Armbar from Sang-Hyun Lee appears to be unbreakable!!! Kira Izumi is getting his arm hyperextended and the armbar looks nasty. Kira struggles to free himself from the punishing hold! The pain reflected in Kira Izumi’s eye’s imply that he is on the verge of submitting! NO! Kira Izumi manages to slip out of the lock and gains top position via a closed guard over Lee!
Kira Izumi is trying to use some of his grappling skills to escape from the closed guard but Sang-Hyun Lee holds Kira Izumi and prevents him from moving to a better position! Dusty Whittaker stands the fighters up due to a lack of activity. Both fighters have climbed to their feet and they continue the fight standing. The people who are watching this in venue are cheering for the fighters! Kira Izumi moves forward and launches a low kick but Lee blocks checks the kick. Both fighters circle around the center of the cage.Lee fakes a punch and shows some good footwork moving aside. The Prince of Darkness seems hesitant as if he would give the initiative to his opponent. Kira Izumi fakes a punch and launches himself over Sang-Hyun Lee but Lee fakes with a few feints and then backpedals. The fighters size each other up in the center of the cage as the referee separates the fighters as the buzzer sounds.
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ROUND TWO
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Lee springs out of his corner and looks to be in good shape. He sure has trained hard for this fight. Lee is on his back peddle and Kira Izumi is asking him if he came today for fighting or running. Kira Izumi throws a body kick and is blocked by Lee’s forearms. A follow up body kick thrown by Kira Izumi is blocked. The Prince of Darkness clumsily fails here and it's time for Sang-Hyun Lee to fight back! Lee exchanges with a body kick and The Prince of Darkness blocks the kick. Kira Izumi fakes a punch and shows some footwork moving aside. Sang-Hyun Lee fakes a punch and hits a shuffle showing some good footwork while moving out of the pocket. Kira Izumi feints a move and moves laterally before trying to grab a leg and sweep the single but Lee was ready and shrugs off the takedown attempt!
Low kick by Kira Izumi to maintain his distance. Bad move. That was far from landing. Kira Izumi moves forward and launches a low kick but Lee blocks that. The Prince of Darkness misses a step and Sang-Hyun Lee sees an opportunity to counter him! Sang-Hyun Lee moves forward looking for some grappling action Lee has his opponent in a text book double collar thai clinch! Both fighters are tied in a clinch.Kira Izumi tries to stomp on Lee's feet while in the clinch. Lee seems barely affected. Kira Izumi should look for a better strategy if he wants anything from this fight. Sang-Hyun Lee launches a few punches towards Kira’s ribs while he holds him in a double overhooks! Kira Izumi takes a couple of good blows to his ribs. Kira Izumi tries a knee to the midsection and Lee blocks the knee. Lee tries to look for an advantage after his opponent misstep. Clinched against the cage, Lee steps in for a throw and Kira Izumi is flat on his back after a great Judo technique is shown!
Sang-Hyun Lee is in side mount over Kira Izumi! Lee fishes for an Americana but The Prince of Darkness breaks free. From side mount, Lee is trying to isolate the arm going for an Americana but Kira Izumi pulls his arm free! Kira escapes but it appears these grappling exchanges have him breathing heavily, he’s tired. In side mount, Kira launches a few weak armed punches from the bottom which Lee blocks effectively and Lee seems to be getting frustrated here. Lee tries to move to full mount! Nice move. He is in full mount now. Sang-Hyun Lee tries to better his position on the ground, maybe looking to take the back and Lee is in a great position to land some GNP!
On bottom it appears as if Kira is gassing out. He’s in a bad spot against a superior grappler and is performance may be going down from here. Kira tries to move on the bottom and Lee is looking to counter! Kira Izumi tries to escape from the full mount and Lee is forced to give up the mount and take side control to maintain top position. Sang-Hyun Lee isolates Kira Izumi's left arm looking for an armbar and it appears to be unbreakable! Crippling lock! The Prince of Darkness clasps his hands together with all his might! Lee is trying to pry Kira’s fingers apart to fully extend the arm! Kira Izumi manages to sit up and pull his arm out of danger! Sang-Hyun Lee lost his dominant position!
Kira Izumi is in open guard over Lee Kira Izumi doesn't want to continue the fight in this position and tries to get back on his feet but Lee ties him up and doesn’t let him stand. Kira Izumi is exhausted and looks like he wants to remove the mouthpiece as to draw some deep breaths, he tries to get back up to his feet once and but Lee is having no part of it and keeps him wrapped up, he’ll need to do something different here. Before Kira can make another move, Lee tries an armbar from the bottom! That armbar from Sang-Hyun Lee appears to be unbreakable! Lee has the arm fully extended and Kira Izumi has nowhere to go, he has no choice but to tap out! Dusty Whittaker jumps in and breaks the hold!
Winner: Sang-Hyun Lee by Submission (Armbar) at 4:31 Round 2
Statistics: Kira Izumi
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/5 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/4 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/3 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 319 s
Statistics: Sang-Hyun Lee
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/1 (0%)
Clinch strikes 2/4 (50%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 9/9 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 319 s
[At the conclusion of the show, Vannah White is standing backstage microphone in hand with a smile a mile wide on her beautiful face.]
VANNAH WHITE
Tonight at Union GP’s first ever YouTube prelim special we seen a dynamic head kick KO as Kevin Van Damne finishes off JB Alan in spectacular fashion to pull of his first Union Pro victory in five showings! Also, Jack Nation hits the record books with the quickest submission in Union GP history at 1:04 into the first round capping off a successful debut!
Finally in our hometown highlight of tonight, Sang-Hyun Lee pulls off a sweet submission over hometown favourite Kira Izumi who has likely seen his last fight here in Union GP after a disappointing run of six consecutive losses.
Thank you all for tuning into UGP #10’s prelims and I’ll see you all tomorrow night for UGP 10’s pay per view event: Kato vs. Rose who will headline the blockbuster event LIVE in Japan! I hope to see you all there! XoXo!
[Vannah White blows a kiss to the camera as the Union GP graphic flashes on screen and the YouTube live broadcast comes to an end.]