PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Sauli Somelainen (ranked 1378 p4p, 1391 weight class) and Sunshine Okafor (ranked 176 p4p, 177 weight class). Okafor has chosen Bliss as his entrance music. Both fighters look fresh as a daisy as they make their way towards the cage.

Somelainen
vs
Okafor

181 cm
26
160
5 - 3 - 2

175 cm
26
156
10 - 6 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Excellent boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Paddy's Enhancing Drugs (160Q)
FF Gear

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 5 - 3 - 2, fighting out of Amsterdam, Sauli Somelainen!
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, Sunshine Okafor!
The judges for this bout are Lou da Vinci, David Schapiro and Dean Styles.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Somelainen misses with a hook. Okafor ducked under it nicely.
Somelainen blocks a jab.
Somelainen slips a straight right by Okafor.
Somelainen connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
A slow jab from Somelainen misses its intended target.
Okafor tries to close the distance and clinch up but Somelainen swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Jab by Somelainen.
Okafor chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Somelainen can pounce on him.
Okafor fails with an attempt to clinch.
Somelainen throws a low kick, looking for Okafor's leg but Okafor calmly moves out of range.
Somelainen connects with a slap. Keep your fist closed son.
Nice shot lands for Somelainen.
Donk. Somelainen catches Okafor right on the button with a cross.
A jab from Somelainen does it's job there.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Okafor lands with a cross.
Somelainen ducks under a wild hook from Okafor.
Okafor avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice cross by Somelainen.
A slow jab from Somelainen misses its intended target.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Okafor! But no joy.
Okafor stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Okafor wants it to stay on the feet.
Somelainen tries a low kick but Okafor avoids it.
Okafor looks like he wanted to counter with a high kick but didn't throw it.
Somelainen throws a leg kick
and Somelainen takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Okafor displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Somelainen throws out the jab.
Somelainen lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Somelainen on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Somelainen swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Okafor's hands are dropping dangerously low here and Somelainen connects clean with a right hook that sends him down to one knee! Okafor scrambles back to his feet.
Okafor tries to clinch up but Somelainen circles away and keeps his distance.
Okafor misses with the body kick
and Somelainen counters with a series of strikes. Okafor will be more careful next time no doubt.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Okafor is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Okafor swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Somelainen moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Okafor tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Somelainen lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Okafor defending well as Somelainen loads up on a big left hand.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Okafor.
Somelainen throws a jab but it's blocked by Okafor.
Okafor replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Somelainen blocks it well.
Somelainen thumps Okafor with a low kick.
Okafor displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Somelainen throws out the jab.
That kick from Somelainen tenderised Okafor's leg. Okafor is trying to keep his angry face on.
A shot to the liver by Okafor. Beautiful body shot.
Somelainen stuns Okafor with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Somelainen is really peppering his opponent's head with punches.
Somelainen looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Somelainen defending well as Okafor loads up on a big left hand.
A punch combination from Okafor misses.
Sunshine Okafor is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Somelainen tries to score with a low kick but Okafor moves his leg out of the way.
Okafor is clearly trying to counter these attacks from Somelainen with a body shot.
Okafor fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Somelainen manages to avoid it.
Nice cross by Somelainen.
Somelainen throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Somelainen throws a hook to the side of Okafor's head but Okafor sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Somelainen tries to score with an inside leg kick but telegraphs it and Okafor is able to avoid easily.
Okafor ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Okafor swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Okafor wants to clinch up but Somelainen keeps it at a distance.
Somelainen appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Okafor moves away from the strike by Somelainen.
Somelainen misses with an uppercut. Okafor saw that one coming.
A jab from Somelainen does it's job there.
A swing and a miss from Somelainen.
Somelainen backing away here, and Okafor unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Sauli Somelainen seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Somelainen throws a body punch but Okafor moves out of range.
Somelainen lands a jab to the head.
Okafor's corner calls for a 1-2. Okafor obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Somelainen stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Somelainen connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Okafor momentarily.
Somelainen lands a jab to the nose.
Somelainen scoring well with a low kick there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Okafor tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Somelainen manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Somelainen shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Okafor defends it nicely.
A nice leg kick from Somelainen, right into the meat of the thigh.
Somelainen looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Somelainen fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Okafor manages to avoid it.
Somelainen digs a good body shot into Okafor's ribs.
Somelainen takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Okafor keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Somelainen.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Okafor throws a series of punches but Somelainen avoids them all with ease.
Somelainen appears to be looking for a counter takedown.
Somelainen uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Okafor.
Somelainen cracks a nice hook into Okafor's ribs.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Sauli Somelainen 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.

Okafor throws a right hand that misses
enabling Somelainen to counter with a crisp jab.
Okafor fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
A punch combination from Somelainen misses.
Okafor throws a nice looking combination but Somelainen bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Somelainen avoids a kick to the body.
Good work by Okafor as he checks the leg kick.
Somelainen throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Okafor stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
A jab from Somelainen finds it's way through Okafor's defenses.
Somelainen cracks Okafor with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
A telegraphed right hand from Okafor misses the target.
Somelainen tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Sauli Somelainen is winning the standup battle so far.
Somelainen looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Somelainen throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Both these guys seem content to just stand up and trade with each other but Okafor might want to think about changing up his gameplan a bit because over the course of the fight, Somelainen has got the better of the exchanges.
Okafor is looking to clinch.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Somelainen thows a left - swing and a miss!
Okafor is trying to counter with his kicks.

Somelainen scores with a nice takedown into half guard. Let's see what he's got on the ground.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Okafor is trying to get back to full guard.
Okafor wants to control but Somelainen is keeping busy.
Somelainen landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Somelainen wants to control but Okafor is keeping him busy.
Okafor is trying to maintain the position but Somelainen is very close to passing his half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Somelainen scoring with strikes to the body and head.
Okafor wants to control but Somelainen passes into side.
Okafor is trying to improve his position.
Okafor struggling a bit here.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Somelainen trying to control the position but Okafor is working away.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Okafor is looking to reverse the position.
Somelainen cracks Okafor with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Okafor wants to control but Somelainen postures up.

Somelainen wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Okafor, who protects the arm well.
Somelainen throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are getting on the fighters' backs, as the pace has dropped off in the last minute or so.
Somelainen scoring with punches from side control.
Somelainen cracks Okafor with an elbow. That is naaassty.
Somelainen grinds an elbow into Okafor's temple.
You can see the frustration on Okafor's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Somelainen trying to control the action but Okafor is working from the bottom.
Okafor tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Sauli Somelainen overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Somelainen wants to lay and pray for a moment but Okafor keeps working.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Sauli Somelainen dominated that second round.
That's time! Somelainen's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Somelainen tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Okafor was well out of range. Poor timing from Somelainen.
Somelainen throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Somelainen is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Okafor.
Somelainen pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Okafor swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Okafor scores with a nice right hand.
Okafor connects with a looping left hand that seems like it dazed Somelainen momentarily.
Somelainen bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Somelainen checks a leg kick.
Somelainen avoids the head kick by Okafor.
Somelainen connects with a lovely jab that went straight through the gap between Okafor's hands.
Somelainen is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Okafor can do to turn this around?
Okafor takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Okafor thows a left - swing and a miss!
Okafor ducks under a wild hook from Somelainen.
Some bone on bone action there as Okafor checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Okafor takes a jab right on the kisser.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Okafor gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Somelainen.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Okafor steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Somelainen.
A little jabbing left from Okafor on the counter but it doesn't find it's target.
Okafor uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Somelainen.
Somelainen slips a straight right by Okafor.
Somelainen throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Okafor misses with a looping left.
Okafor's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Somelainen throws a head kick but Okafor moves out of range.
Somelainen tries a low kick but Okafor avoids it.
Somelainen fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Okafor misses the shot to the body.
Somelainen misses with a looping right.
Okafor only half commits to the counter leg kick.
A chopping leg kick lands by Somelainen.
Somelainen swings for the body but Okafor moves out of range.
Somelainen with a nice looking leg kick. You could hear that one land in a back row.
Okafor takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
Sunshine Okafor has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Somelainen scores with a hook.
Somelainen chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Okafor can pounce on him.
That kick from Somelainen tenderised Okafor's leg. Okafor is trying to keep his angry face on.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Somelainen shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Okafor defends it nicely.
A big right from Okafor misses.
Somelainen lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Okafor.
Okafor is the more experienced fighter here and he's going to need to draw on some of that experience if he's going to pull this one out the bag.
A nice right hand lands inside from Okafor.
A left hand lands to the body for Okafor.
Okafor stops a takedown attempt from Somelainen.
Somelainen drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Okafor gets the underhooks and prevents it.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Sauli Somelainen. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Somelainen is trying to push Okafor away but Okafor has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Somelainen has Okafor pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Somelainen pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Okafor tumbling to the mat - Somelainen dives into Okafor's guard.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Okafor is on top in guard.

Okafor working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Somelainen's head.
Okafor throws a big elbow that misses.
Somelainen controls Okafor momentarily but Okafor frees himself.
Somelainen bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Okafor's guard.

Okafor is active off his back here, looking for submissions.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Somelainen is pushing down on Okafor's leg trying to pass to half guard. Okafor is fighting to maintain full guard but Somelainen has managed to sneak the leg through.
Somelainen slips a nice elbow through Okafor's hands, connecting with Okafor's forehead.
The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Somelainen lands a nice short elbow.
Somelainen looks towards his corner to check for any instructions. The corner give him nothing to work with, so he cracks Okafor with a short hammerfist. I guess that's as good as any advice he could get in this position.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Okafor is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.
Somelainen working some ground and pound from close in. He's looking to maintain this position and strike for a while by the looks of things... although he'll probably advance to full mount in a minute now I've said that.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sauli Somelainen showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Somelainen, 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 Lou da Vinci scores the fight for Sauli Somelainen!
Judge David Schapiro scores the fight for Sauli Somelainen!
Judge Dean Styles scores the fight for Sauli Somelainen!

Sauli Somelainen wins by unanimous decision!
A relieved looking Sauli Somelainen thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.