PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Kyle Garcia (ranked 2281 p4p, 2502 weight class) and Ikemba Okoye (ranked 320 p4p, 338 weight class). The fight MMA fans around the world have waited their entire lives for!

Garcia
vs
Okoye

184 cm
24
190
5 - 3 - 0

181 cm
23
185
4 - 3 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Cardio machine

BJJ Brown Belt
Lethal high kicks
Heavy handed

Conviction
Conquer

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 5 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Kyle Garcia!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Ikemba Okoye!
The judges for this bout are Bruno Lombardi, Jonathan Paton and Jorge Garcia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Okoye lands a leg kick that knocks Garcia off balance momentarily.
Garcia bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Okoye's head.
Okoye connects with an inside leg kick.
Garcia turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Garcia tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Okoye tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garcia paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Okoye scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Okoye throws a jab when Garcia was well out of range.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Garcia digs a good hook to Okoye's body.
Okoye throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Okoye throws a nice inside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia ducks under a wild hook from Okoye.
Garcia buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
A thudding body kick lands there by Garcia!
A jab from Garcia misses.
Garcia shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Okoye keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Garcia connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Garcia fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Okoye checks a low kick from Garcia.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia connects with a right hand. Okoye shakes it off.
Garcia throws a jab when Okoye was well out of range.
Okoye feints and then cracks Garcia's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Garcia down.
Okoye throws a hook to the side of Garcia's head but Garcia sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Okoye lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Okoye misses with a telegraphed body shot
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
Garcia throws out a loose jab but Okoye uses good head movement to avoid it.
Garcia misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Okoye.
Garcia bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Okoye's head.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Okoye tries to clinch but Garcia is having none of it.
Okoye cracks Garcia with a hook to the jaw. Both fighters smile at eachother and high-five before getting back down to business.
Okoye tries to clinch but Garcia moves away
and Garcia counters with a nice uppercut.
A good leg kick by Garcia.
Okoye thumps Garcia with a low kick.
Garcia throws a body punch but Okoye moves out of range.
Garcia sets himself, and Okoye steps forward looking for the clinch! Garcia avoids it this time.
Garcia rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Okoye counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Garcia thuds a mid kick into his opponent's body. That will wear on Okoye if he has to take too many more of those.
Garcia moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
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!
Jab, jab by Okoye - just one landing.
Garcia scores with a body shot.
Okoye feints and then cracks Garcia's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Garcia down.
Okoye throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Okoye is looking to clinch but Garcia is avoiding it.
Okoye looks to score with a jab to the body but Garcia is just out of range.
Okoye throws a body shot but no joy.
A jab from Garcia misses.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Okoye! But no joy.
Garcia takes a shot right to the bread basket.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Kyle Garcia dominated that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

Garcia walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
A big right from Garcia misses.
Okoye throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A slapping leg kick lands for Garcia.
Garcia scores with a decent looking hook.
Okoye misses with a looping right.
An attempted straight right counter from Garcia misses the target.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Okoye avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Garcia throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
We've been told by Garcia's head coaches at FIGHT FOUNDERS (CA) that he's been working on his takedown defense in preparation for this fight.
Okoye scores with a nice head shot.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Okoye thuds his right hand into Garcia's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.

Garcia is rocked!
Garcia tries to land a front kick but Okoye steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Oh Garcia is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Garcia defending well as Okoye loads up on a big left hand.
Garcia seems to have got his legs back now.
Garcia misses with a kick to the body.
The fight stays on the outside here - Okoye looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Okoye tries to clinch up but Garcia circles away and keeps his distance.
Okoye walks into a jab.
Okoye looks to land a left hand but Garcia moved out of range nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Okoye lands a leg kick that knocks Garcia off balance momentarily.
Garcia uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Okoye.
As Okoye backs away, Garcia returns fire with a leg kick that just misses.
Okoye takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Garcia scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Okoye doesn't seem bothered though.
Kyle Garcia is winning the standup battle so far.
Okoye smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.

Okoye drops his shoulder and cracks Garcia with a huge uppercut! Garcia goes down! Can Okoye finish him?
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Okoye trying to control but Garcia is working from the bottom.
Okoye is in a good position here but he's just trying to control... And he's not even managing to do that successfully.
Okoye passes into half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Okoye is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

Okoye is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Garcia defends it well.
Okoye trying to control from Garcia's half guard. Garcia has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
Okoye stopping the sweep attempt from Garcia.

Okoye has gone for a leg lock! Garcia slips out almost immediately though and dives into Okoye's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia wants to pass the guard but Okoye is keeping the position.
Garcia sneaks a leg through and gets to half guard. That was like a knife through butter how easily he passed Okoye's guard.
Garcia is figuring out what he wants to do next.

Okoye looking to work for a kimura from the bottom.
Okoye trying to get back to full guard but Garcia takes advantage of the position and moves to full mount!
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Ikemba Okoye will probably get the nod - 10:9.
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. This is the final round!

Garcia with a jab.
A low kick from Okoye is predictable there
and Garcia counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Okoye comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Garcia connects with a body shot.
Okoye scores with a jab.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Garcia misses with a jab, cross combination.
Okoye fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Garcia manages to avoid it.
Garcia throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Okoye tries a quick counter leg kick but Garcia is wise to it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A head kick misses from Garcia.
Garcia catches Okoye with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!
Garcia misses with a head kick.
Garcia lands a body shot.
Garcia tests Okoye's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Garcia keeps the fight on the outside.
Okoye lands a beauty of a right hand that gets the crowd cheering.
Garcia misses with a looping left.
Garcia's corner calls for a 1-2. Garcia obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Garcia. That snapped Okoye's head back.
Nice defenses there by Okoye.
Garcia misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Okoye looking to take his opponent's legs away with the low kicks.
Garcia throws a sloppy head kick and Okoye moves out of range easily.
Garcia slips a straight right by Okoye.
Garcia looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Okoye has been working his punching technique in the buildup to the fight and it appears to be paying off.
Okoye with the inside leg kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Okoye ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
Garcia takes one on the chin but keeps coming.
Garcia scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Okoye misses with an attempted mid kick.
Garcia takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.

Okoye throws a big overhand right that connects, sending Garcia tumbling to the canvas!
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Okoye trying to control the position from guard on top but Garcia is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Okoye pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Garcia is keeping the position for now.
Okoye wants to control from the top but Garcia keeps moving.
Okoye stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Garcia swivels though and keeps the full guard.
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.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Ikemba Okoye.
I think Okoye 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 Bruno Lombardi scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jonathan Paton scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Ikemba Okoye!