PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between James Raban (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Taisto Tapper (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Both fighters look pumped up here. Let's hope this is a good fight!

Raban
vs
Tapper

200 cm
38
270 lbs
21 - 22 - 0

199 cm
28
260 lbs
11 - 8 - 0

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
World class boxer
Good gas tank

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 21 - 22 - 0, fighting out of New York, James Raban!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 11 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Taisto Tapper!
The judges for this bout are Aafke Stam, Paul Aken and Saam Ante.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Raban misses with a looping left.
Tapper fails to land with a series of punches.
Tapper tries to bum rush Raban with a series of wild strikes but Raban uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Decent striking displayed by Tapper there.
Tapper is looking to slow Raban down with leg kicks.
Raban ducks under a wild hook from Tapper.
Tapper looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Raban throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Tapper stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Tapper on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Raban looks to land a left hand but Tapper moved out of range nicely.
Raban throws a sloppy head kick and Tapper moves out of range easily.
Raban dives in and grabs Tapper's left leg, looking for a takedown. Tapper pushes down on Raban's head and hops out.
Tapper misses with a hook. Raban ducked under it nicely.
Raban closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Raban looks to throw the jab but Tapper is out of range.
Tapper is looking for the big counter here.
Raban throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Tapper appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Tapper ducks under a wild hook from Raban.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Tapper scores with a head kick.

It looks like James Raban has been cut.
Tapper throws a combination. Raban tries to block but a couple of punches get through.
Taisto Tapper seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Raban scores with a nice right hand.
Tapper scores with a punch to the head.
Raban on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
A combination from Tapper does no damage.
Tapper fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Raban manages to avoid it.
A big left from Raban misses.
Raban steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Tapper.
Raban ducks under a wild hook from Tapper.
Raban has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Tapper finds it's way round the side to connect with Raban's head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Excellent takedown into side control there by Raban.
Raban creates a bit of distance and throws down some hard shots.
You can see the frustration on Tapper's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Raban lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Raban misses with a strike but at least he's keeping busy, looking to cause some damage - that will still help him when it comes to the judges scorecards.
Tapper is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Raban is controlling him well.
Raban is working Tapper over with some ground and pound from side control.
Tapper is not content to let Raban control the position.
You can see the frustration on Tapper's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Tapper is looking to reverse the position.
Tapper sneaks back into half guard.

Raban is trying for a kimura here. Tapper looks like he's in a lot of pain... and he's tapping out! Raban wins by kimura!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3:55 of round 1, we have a winner by way of Submission (Kimura). James Raban!
James Raban took to the mic after the fight and begged the organizational hierarchy for a shot at the title.