PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Peter Taphorn (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Abah Okafor (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). This should be a great matchup!

Taphorn
vs
Okafor

170 cm
28
153 lbs
20 - 8 - 1

174 cm
29
156 lbs
14 - 3 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
Dangerous knees
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Granite chin

Reaper Combatwear

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the featherweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 8 - 1, fighting out of New York, Peter Taphorn!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 14 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Abah Okafor!
The judges for this bout are Russell Pearce, Eddie Farnsworth and Reed Andrews.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
A jab from Taphorn finds it's way through Okafor's defenses.
Okafor waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Taphorn.
Taphorn throws a nice inside leg kick.
Okafor thuds his right hand into Taphorn's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Taphorn lands a nice looking body shot.
Abah Okafor seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A low kick from Taphorn is predictable there
and Taphorn takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Okafor tries a head kick but it misses.
Taphorn connects with the punch.
Okafor throws a right hand that misses

so Taphorn counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Taphorn is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.
Okafor trying to control the position here.
Taphorn wants to control from the top but Okafor keeps moving.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Taphorn loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taphorn stays in close to Okafor's body and controls the position.
Taphorn advances to half guard.
Okafor trying to control from the bottom.
Taphorn performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Taphorn thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Okafor's head.
Okafor is in trouble now - Taphorn has advanced to mount!
Okafor bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Taphorn controlling the position.
Taphorn controls Okafor momentarily but Okafor frees himself.

Okafor avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Okafor gets to his feet. Taphorn looking to butt scoot but the ref puts an end to that. On your feet son!
Okafor waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Taphorn.
A solid leg kick lands there for Taphorn.
Okafor slips under a jab.
Taphorn is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Taphorn throws a right hand that misses
and Okafor counters with a left to the body.
Okafor throws a lazy uppercut

and Taphorn counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Taphorn thows a huge punch but Okafor dodges it nicely.
Okafor keeps control of the position for the meantime.
Taphorn wants to take a breather but Okafor is having none of it.
Okafor is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn prevents Okafor from improving his position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Okafor is trying to control but can't.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Okafor gets full guard.
Okafor pulls Taphorn in close to prevent any damage.
Taphorn postures up.
Taphorn trying to control the position from guard on top but Okafor is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Taphorn stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Okafor swivels though and keeps the full guard.
Taphorn postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Okafor trying to keep a closed guard but Taphorn is proving a slippery customer.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
A big right from Okafor misses.
A jab from Okafor misses.
Okafor lands with a kick to the temple. Taphorn shrugs as if to say "is that all you've got?"
Okafor missing with a left hand there. Taphorn was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Taphorn ducks under a wild hook from Okafor.
Okafor swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Taphorn ducks right into an uppercut from Okafor.
Taphorn fails with a takedown attempt.
Okafor looks to land a right hand but Taphorn moved out of range.
Okafor's coach down at What Private was telling us pre-fight that they have been working on Okafor's balance. Obviously they view that as a key factor in the outcome of this fight.
Taphorn lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Okafor missing with a left hand there. Taphorn was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
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 Peter Taphorn will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Okafor drops his hands and takes a jab to the jaw for his troubles.
Okafor checks the leg kick nicely there.
Taphorn scores with a jab.
Taphorn slips a straight right by Okafor.
Okafor uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Taphorn.
Okafor takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Okafor misses with a head kick.
Okafor misses with an uppercut

and Taphorn counters with a takedown into side control.
Taphorn throws a strike aimed at the side of Okafor's head but Okafor avoids it well.
Okafor stuck in half guard on the bottom here.
Okafor is looking for a sweep.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Okafor dodges the ground and pound from Taphorn.
Taphorn is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Okafor will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Taphorn is putting a hurting on Okafor here, landing some big shots from side control.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Taphorn tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Taphorn has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!
Taphorn is looking to take a break and control but Okafor is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
What's Okafor going to do here then? He's in a bit of a pickle.
Okafor is looking for a sweep.
Taphorn sitting in side control, looking to soften his opponent up with elbows and hammerfists but Okafor is avoiding damage well and looking to escape the position.
You can see the frustration on Okafor's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Taphorn is putting a hurting on Okafor here, landing some big shots from side control.
Okafor stops Taphorn from passing to mount.
Taphorn working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
Taphorn trying to control the position but Okafor is working away.
Okafor can't do much from the bottom here.
Okafor prevents Taphorn from improving position.
Peter Taphorn overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Taphorn wants to lay and pray for a moment but Okafor keeps working.
Okafor can't do much from the bottom here.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.
Taphorn is looking to take a break and control but Okafor is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Okafor is looking for a sweep.
Taphorn trying to control the position but Okafor is working away.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Taphorn lands an elbow.

Taphorn looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Okafor is positioning himself to get back to half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Well. There's a bit of a lull in the action here and the crowd are starting to get restless.
Okafor is trying to control Taphorn's posture but Taphorn avoids it.
Taphorn misses with an attempted head punch from side control.
Taphorn works a knee to the body and follows up with a nice elbow to the head.
Okafor sneaks a leg under to get back to half guard.
Okafor wants to control but Taphorn is keeping busy.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Okafor trying to keep hold of his opponent's head but Taphorn manages to pass to mount!
Taphorn working the ground and pound effectively.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Peter Taphorn dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Taphorn fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Okafor misses with a body shot.
Taphorn keeps his opponent at a distance with a nice jab.
Abah Okafor seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Nice defenses there by Taphorn.
Taphorn throws the left hand but Okafor avoids the punch easily.
Okafor has his front leg slapped to the side - a nice low kick landing there from Taphorn.
Okafor moves out of range of the body kick.
A jab lands there for Taphorn.
Okafor swings widly with a right hand

and Taphorn holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Okafor slowing the pace effectively.
Taphorn misses with a hook from the clinch.
Taphorn throws a head punch that misses.

Okafor breaks the clinch.
Taphorn doesn't react quick enough there as he takes a shot to the body.
Taphorn avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Okafor might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taphorn tries to clinch but Okafor moves out of range.
Taphorn lands a front kick.
Taphorn jabs at Okafor's body.
Taphorn throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Okafor avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Taphorn misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Okafor.
Taphorn lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

It looks like Abah Okafor has been cut.
Taphorn dances in quickly and lands a nice inside leg kick on Okafor. That did some damage!
Taphorn throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Taphorn tries a head kick but it misses.
Taphorn swings and misses with a hook to the body.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Taphorn.
Taphorn misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Okafor.
Okafor swings for the body but Taphorn moves out of range.
Taphorn is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Okafor can do to turn this around?
Taphorn throws a leg kick
and Okafor counters with a nice body shot.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Okafor misses the jab.
Okafor looks to throw the jab but Taphorn is out of range.
Abah Okafor is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Taphorn jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Taphorn staying out of range there.
Taphorn moves out of range as Okafor strikes.
Taphorn ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Okafor misses the shot to the body.

Taphorn looking to score a takedown here. Okafor is defending well but Taphorn drives through and ends up in Okafor's guard.
Taphorn scoring with some ground and pound.
Okafor is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Taphorn stays in close to Okafor's body and controls the position.
Okafor looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Taphorn trying to control the position from guard on top but Okafor is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Taphorn postures up in Okafor's guard and throws a big left but Okafor blocks it.
Taphorn throws a big right hand that misses.
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Okafor holds on and takes a little breather.
Taphorn postures up.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
A swing and a miss from Taphorn.
Taphorn takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Okafor looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn works his jab well there, keeping his opponent at a distance.
Taphorn fails with a takedown attempt.
Okafor lands a slapping body shot.
Okafor takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Okafor throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Taphorn sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Okafor checks the leg kick.
Okafor with a hook.
Okafor on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Taphorn. Taphorn obviously looking to wear him down.
Taphorn blocks a head kick by Okafor.
Taphorn throws a leg kick that misses.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Taphorn misses with a looping right.
Taphorn steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Okafor.
Taphorn throws a chopping leg kick but Okafor manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Peter Taphorn clearly takes that round.
The cut man is working on Abah Okafor's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Okafor lands with a hook. Taphorn tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Okafor throws a big shot that misses.
Okafor misses with an uppercut.
A nice leg kick lands there from Taphorn.
Taphorn lands a jab to Okafor's midsection.
Taphorn fails in his attempt to clinch.
Okafor tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Taphorn lands with a thumping leg kick.
Okafor lands a head kick. Taphorn smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

It looks like Peter Taphorn has been cut.
Okafor misses with a hook. Taphorn ducked under it nicely.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Taphorn drops his hands momentarily and Okafor takes advantage with a crisp shot to the head.
Okafor's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Taphorn staying out of range there.
Taphorn uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Okafor.
Taphorn works Okafor's body with a nice hook.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Taphorn staying out of range there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Taphorn throws a hook to the side of Okafor's head but Okafor sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.

Taphorn closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Taphorn is looking to take a break and control but Okafor is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.
Okafor trying to control but Taphorn postures up.
Taphorn seems to be taking a bit of a break to think of his next move. He lands a short punch in the meantime.
Ground and pound from Taphorn.
Okafor is looking to improve his position.
Taphorn is looking to take a break and control but Okafor is keeping him honest, looking to work from the bottom.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are battling for position here. Okafor manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Okafor not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Taphorn controls from within his opponent's guard.
Okafor is pulling down on Taphorn's head to control his posture.
Taphorn working some strikes from top position.
Taphorn is working Okafor over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Okafor is controlling Taphorn's posture.
Okafor utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn postures up.
Taphorn pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Okafor is keeping the position for now.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.
Okafor takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Okafor on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Taphorn. Taphorn obviously looking to wear him down.
Okafor throws the left hand but Taphorn avoids the punch easily.
Taphorn misses with a two punch combination.
Taphorn misses the shot to the body.
Taphorn takes a swing at Okafor's ribcage but misses.

Taphorn shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
Taphorn wants to pass the guard but Okafor is keeping the position.
Okafor seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Okafor looking to control.
Taphorn postures up in Okafor's guard and throws a big left but Okafor blocks it.
Taphorn postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Taphorn content to stall in guard here.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Okafor looks to land a right hand but Taphorn moved out of range.
Okafor moves out of range as Taphorn strikes.
Okafor misses with a looping right.
Okafor misses with a hook

and Taphorn counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Okafor looking to slow down the pace here.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Peter Taphorn had his way with Abah Okafor in that round.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
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!

Taphorn thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Okafor if he has to take too many more of those.
Taphorn misses with a body shot.
Okafor throws a hook but Taphorn blocks it.
Taphorn moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Ooooh, nice body kick lands from Taphorn. Okafor shrugs it off though.
Taphorn ducks under a wild hook from Okafor.
Taphorn fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Okafor has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Taphorn throws a chopping leg kick but Okafor manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Taphorn jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Taphorn defending well as Okafor loads up on a big left hand.
Okafor pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Taphorn shoots in and scores a nice double leg takedown into half guard.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Taphorn is trying to control. Okafor wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Taphorn is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Okafor sees it coming and defends easily.
Okafor is not content to let Taphorn control the position.
Okafor has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Taphorn is working away from the top position though.
Okafor preventing any damage for now, controlling his opponent's head.
Taphorn trying to mount his opponent but Okafor defends it.
Okafor is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are starting to boo a lack of action.
Okafor blocking the ground and pound attempt from Taphorn.

Okafor is defending against the submission attempts here by Taphorn.
Okafor is trying is best to control the position here.
Okafor is looking for a sweep. Taphorn is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Okafor is doing well to avoid being mounted. He's controlling the position at the moment.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Okafor pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Okafor throws a jab when Taphorn was well out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Taphorn jabs at Okafor's body.
Okafor sizes up Taphorn with a pawing jab and scores with a straight right down the middle.
Okafor throws a shot from downtown. Taphorn moves away and avoids it.
Okafor ducks under a wild hook from Taphorn.
Taphorn takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Taphorn is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
A jab lands there for Taphorn.
Okafor takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Okafor throws a poor cross that misses

and Taphorn counters with a takedown into side control.
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!
Taphorn misses with an attempted head punch from side control.

Taphorn looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.
Peter Taphorn is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Okafor tries to buck Taphorn off but Taphorn is having none of it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Okafor keeps trying to improve his position.
The referee asks Taphorn politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Taphorn prefers to stall for the moment though.
Taphorn working the ground and pound.
Taphorn has been looking to land a fair amount of strikes on the ground. He might be looking to soften his opponent up in order to work for a submission.
Taphorn wants to control but Okafor is keeping him busy.
Taphorn controlling from side mount.
Taphorn wants to control but Okafor is keeping him busy.
Abah Okafor has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Okafor throws an elbow to the body but it doesn't land.

And that's the end of the fight!
Peter Taphorn showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Taphorn has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Russell Pearce scores the fight 50:45
Judge Eddie Farnsworth scores the fight 50:45
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 50:45

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Peter Taphorn!
Peter Taphorn retains his featherweight title!
During a confident post fight interview, Peter Taphorn thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.