PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Rolli Poli (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sisu Okunaba (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighter's entrance songs getting the crowd jumping here.

Poli
vs
Okunaba

178 cm
19
194 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

175 cm
21
194 lbs
2 - 0 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter fighter
Very strong

Good wrestler
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Rolli Poli!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Sisu Okunaba!
The judges for this bout are James Ackerman, William Gold and Andrew Berry.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Okunaba tries to score a power double leg takedown but Poli sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Okunaba somewhat.
Poli slaps away a takedown attempt from Okunaba, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Poli stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Poli wants it to stay on the feet.
Rolli Poli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sisu Okunaba.

Poli gets caught napping as Okunaba dives in and scores a takedown. Poli manages to retain guard.
Poli seems to have improved his submission grappling technique since last time we saw him. Let's see if he can pull off a submission.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Okunaba passes Poli's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Poli is trying to control but Okunaba manages to pass to mount!
Poli regains half guard.
Poli tries to roll over but Okunaba keeps him under control.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Okunaba moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Poli.
Poli is looking for a sweep.

Okunaba is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Poli has escaped the position, nice work there.
Poli is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

Okunaba tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Okunaba has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Poli is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Okunaba is pausing for a moment. What's he doing? It looks like he's clearing his nose. Oh dude! He's shot a load of snot all down Poli's shoulder. That is not cool.
Poli is not content to let Okunaba control the position.
Poli tries to get back to half guard but can't.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
You can see the frustration on Poli's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Poli gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.
Poli trying to control here but he's found himself mounted! Oh no!
Poli sneaks a leg under to get to half guard.
Okunaba trying to mount his opponent but Poli defends it.
Okunaba is keen to just control but Poli is a slippery customer.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba uses his free foot to push down on Poli's thigh. Eventually he works his other foot free and he's advanced to mount - this is trouble for Poli.
Poli tries to reverse the position but Okunaba maintains control.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.
Poli prevents Okunaba from taking his back.
Okunaba looking to control and managing it successfully.
Poli wants to control but Okunaba is having none of it.
Okunaba has been taking part in the yoga sessions down at EvolutioN MMA Acadamy & Gym ( 12 ELITE Coaches ). Presumably he's going to look for a slick submission... Or maybe he's looking to avoid one.
Okunaba takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Poli tries to hold on but Okunaba pushes him away.
Poli is desperately trying to improve his position but Okunaba has a good base and remains in mount.
Poli slips a leg in and gets back to half guard.
Okunaba keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Poli is pressing down on Okunaba's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Poli is trying to keep Okunaba in close.
Poli keeping full guard, as Okunaba tries to pass.
Poli not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's six minutes gone in the round.

Poli had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Okunaba defends it easily.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Poli keeping moving, preventing Okunaba from controlling successfully.

Poli is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Okunaba defends well.
Okunaba wants to control from the top but Poli keeps moving.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba slows down the pace of the fight, as he sits in guard.
Poli keeping moving, preventing Okunaba from controlling successfully.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Sisu Okunaba wasn't active enough on the ground.
Poli doesn't succeed with the takedown

and Okunaba decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Poli's guard.
Okunaba must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Okunaba tries to free his leg and advance position but Poli is retaining full guard.
Okunaba is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba sitting in guard, not really doing much.
Okunaba trying to control the position from guard on top but Poli is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Poli working for submissions but it's allowed Okunaba to get to half guard.
Okunaba trying to control from half guard but Poli is working away.
Poli is looking to improve his position.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Poli keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Poli is staying active underneath Okunaba, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.
Okunaba works his way into full mount!
Okunaba mounts Poli! Really nice guard pass there!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Poli is squirming around, avoiding Okunaba's attempts to control the action.

Okunaba with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sisu Okunaba 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.

Okunaba throws a looping left and ducks down for a takedown. He's got his arms around Poli's waist but Poli gets an underhook and avoids the takedown by throwing Okunaba off to one side.
Poli leaves Okunaba with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Poli slaps away a takedown attempt from Okunaba, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Rolli Poli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sisu Okunaba.
Poli shoots in for a takedown but Okunaba shows good takedown defense.
Okunaba shoots in looking for a takedown. Poli tries to sprawl out of it but Okunaba keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Poli manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Okunaba shoots in but no luck this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Okunaba dives in and grabs Poli's left leg, looking for a takedown. Poli pushes down on Okunaba's head and hops out.
Okunaba stuffs the takedown.
Okunaba fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Poli avoids it really well and circles away.
Sisu Okunaba seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

Okunaba bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Okunaba is breathing heavily.
Poli is trying to control Okunaba's posture but Okunaba avoids it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Poli manages to get back to half guard.
Okunaba tries to pass to full mount but Poli defends it.
Poli is trying to maintain the position but Okunaba is very close to passing his half guard.

Poli looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Poli has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Okunaba is working away from the top position though.
Okunaba tries to pass the half guard into mount. Poli knows what he's doing though and prevents the attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Okunaba moves into side control, avoiding a weak kimura attempt from Poli.
Poli sneaks back into half guard.
Okunaba is looking to take a break and control but Poli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

Poli looking for a kimura from the bottom but Okunaba passes into side control!
A lull in the action here.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Poli is trying to control Okunaba's posture but Okunaba avoids it.
Poli is not content to let Okunaba control the position.
Poli tries to bench press Okunaba off him but Okunaba keeps the position.
You can see the frustration on Poli's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Okunaba content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.

Okunaba thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba is looking to take a break and control but Poli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Poli tries to buck Okunaba off but Okunaba is having none of it.
Poli is moving his hips around well on the bottom and has managed to get back to half guard.
Poli is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Okunaba's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Okunaba's back!

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba is defending well here and trying to improve his position.
Poli struggling to keep hold of the position.

Okunaba is displaying good submission defense - not really looking in danger of submitting to the rear naked choke at the moment. That could change in an instant of course if Poli gets his way!

Poli has his opponent's back and is working for the choke.
Poli keeps control of the position as Okunaba tries to break free.

Poli looking for the RNC.
Poli is looking to control Okunaba but Okunaba is wriggling around and keeping busy.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba trying to control the action but Poli just sinks the hooks in.
Okunaba tries to escape but Poli has the hooks in and won't let him break free.
Will Poli go for the finish here or will he try and keep control of the position?
Poli doesn't have the hooks in and Okunaba manages to turn into his guard.
Poli working a defensive guard here.
Poli has control of Okunaba's left arm, preventing Okunaba from doing any damage.

Poli has his foot on Okunaba's thigh. He's trying to push off and get in position for a triangle, I think. Okunaba works his way back into a safe position though.
Poli seems keen to control Okunaba's posture.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Poli being controlled here, momentarily.
We must be close to a standup if these guys don't pick up the pace.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Okunaba shoots in for a double leg but Poli sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.

Okunaba shoots in for a takedown from distance. He catches Poli napping and manages to drive through into side control!
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A lull in the action here as Okunaba stalls from top position.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba working away.
Poli tries to bench press Okunaba off him but Okunaba keeps the position.
Okunaba wants to lay and pray for a moment but Poli keeps working.

Okunaba working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Poli tries to buck Okunaba off but Okunaba is having none of it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Sisu Okunaba will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Poli shoots for a takedown but Okunaba saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Okunaba closes the distance and clinches up with Poli, looking for a takedown. Okunaba pushes Poli against the ropes but Poli circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Okunaba shoots in and drives through. Poli sprawls well.
Okunaba looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Poli is fending him off so far but Okunaba persists. Nope, Poli circles away and we're back to standing.
Rolli Poli has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sisu Okunaba.
Okunaba shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Poli defends it nicely.
Poli shoots in looking for a takedown. Okunaba tries to sprawl out of it but Poli keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the ropes. Okunaba manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Okunaba takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Okunaba stuffs the takedown.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Okunaba shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Poli dives in for a single leg takedown but Okunaba sprawls and the fighters end up clinched against the ropes.
Poli is defending well against a takedown attempt.
Poli tries to pull guard but Okunaba won't allow it.
Poli is trying to pull guard but Okunaba turns him against the ropes and we stay in the clinch.

Poli jumps into guard, dragging Okunaba to the mat.

Poli looking for subs off his back but Okunaba has passed one foot through into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Okunaba in particular looking to stall.

Poli is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Okunaba pulls his head out easily.
Poli is looking for a sweep. Okunaba is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

Poli is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Okunaba pulls his head out easily.
Poli tries to get to full guard but Okunaba has control of the leg.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba with a momentary lay and pray from half guard.

Okunaba is looking for a kimura here.

Poli actively working from the bottom here.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Okunaba in particular looking to stall.
Poli is looking for a sweep. Okunaba is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Poli is working for an escape here. He's hooked one of Okunaba's legs and he's managed to sneak out and take Okunaba's back!
Okunaba trying to control but not successfully.
Poli is trying to stick to Okunaba's back but Okunaba is turning into Poli. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Poli's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Okunaba.

Poli looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.

Okunaba avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Poli working a defensive guard but Okunaba manages to pass into side control anyway.
The referee asks Okunaba politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Okunaba prefers to stall for the moment though.

That's five minutes gone in the round.
Poli is trying to control Okunaba's posture but Okunaba avoids it.
Poli tries to buck Okunaba off but Okunaba is having none of it.
Poli is working hard here to advance position.
Okunaba wants to control but Poli is keeping him busy.
Poli can't do much from the bottom here.

That's six minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba wants to lay and pray for a moment but Poli keeps working.

Okunaba is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Poli has escaped the position, nice work there.
Poli gets back to half guard.
Neither fighter is being very active at the moment, with Okunaba in particular looking to stall.

That's seven minutes gone in the round.
Poli is refusing to be controlled, as Okunaba sits in half guard.
Poli is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.
Poli is trying to control but can't.

Poli actively working from the bottom here.
Poli is trying to get back to full guard.

That's eight minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba passes to side control.
Okunaba trying to control the position but Poli is working away.

Okunaba working hard here to secure a kimura but he's not really in the right position for it.
Okunaba is looking to take a break and control but Poli is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Poli gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

That's nine minutes gone in the round.
Okunaba controlling the action here.
Poli moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Poli not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

Poli has an active guard here but Okunaba has managed to pass into half guard.
Okunaba prevents Poli from improving his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Rolli Poli.
I think Okunaba has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 James Ackerman scores the fight for Sisu Okunaba!
Judge William Gold scores the fight for Sisu Okunaba!
Judge Andrew Berry scores the fight for Sisu Okunaba!

Sisu Okunaba wins by unanimous decision!