PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Killian Gallagher (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Valentino Rosso (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gallagher comes to the cage accompanied by Kakkahätä 77 - Tää on sun helvetti. Killian Gallagher could well score a knockout today. He has the power to get to Valentino Rosso's chin.

Gallagher
vs
Rosso

202 cm
24
250 lbs
9 - 4 - 0

225 cm
25
240 lbs
9 - 5 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Brawler
Experienced

Good takedowns
Good kicks
Determined

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 9 - 4 - 0, fighting out of London, Killian Gallagher!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 9 - 5 - 0, fighting out of London, Valentino Rosso!
The judges for this bout are Sam Margolis, Chris Edwards and Colin Fotheringham.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Gallagher gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Rosso misses with a shot to the kidneys.
A short right from Gallagher on the inside.

Gallagher escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Gallagher throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Rosso is looking to clinch.
The fight stays on the outside here - Gallagher looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Gallagher tries to clinch there but Rosso circles away.
Gallagher throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Rosso displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gallagher throws out the jab.
Rosso is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Rosso keeps the fight on the outside.

Gallagher moves into the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Rosso misses with an elbow strike.
Rosso takes an elbow to the forehead.
Rosso working hard to break the clinch.

Gallagher breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Gallagher wants to clinch
and Rosso makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
Rosso uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Gallagher.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Gallagher drives through and clinches with Rosso against the cage.
Rosso lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Gallagher backwards.
Gallagher blocks a body shot from Rosso.
Gallagher landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Gallagher creates a bit of distance and throws an elbow that only just misses.
A body shot lands from Gallagher.
Rosso is trying to break free.
Both fighters working to control the clinch.
Rosso throws an elbow that misses.
Gallagher lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Gallagher lands an elbow inside that Rosso shrugs off.
Gallagher tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Gallagher letting Rosso take a breather here.
Rosso misses with an elbow strike.

Gallagher breaks from the clinch.

Gallagher rushes Rosso and presses him up against the cage.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Gallagher obliges.
Gallagher is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Rosso lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
Rosso is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Gallagher is defending well for now.
A nice left hand lands by Gallagher.
Rosso looks gassed!
Gallagher with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Rosso tries to throw a body punch but Gallagher avoids it by throwing Rosso back against the cage.
Gallagher lands a knee to the head.
A frustrated look appears on Rosso's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Gallagher gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Gallagher blocking some punches.
Still in the clinch, Gallagher scores with a nice short uppercut.
Rosso takes a knee right on the jaw!
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Rosso is trying to maintain a safe position but Gallagher gets an underhook and turns Rosso into the cage.
Rosso looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Gallagher using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Rosso has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Gallagher lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Rosso.
Gallagher working Rosso over with knees to the body.
Gallagher unloads a knee to the mid-section.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Gallagher.
Nice elbow from Gallagher.
Gallagher lands with a left to the head.
Gallagher landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
Gallagher unloads a knee to the mid-section. Rosso lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Nice body punch from Gallagher.
Knees to the body from Gallagher.
Rosso takes an elbow to the forehead.
Gallagher comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Gallagher utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Gallagher stalls.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Gallagher escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Gallagher shoots and misses
and Rosso counters with a three punch combo that has Gallagher backing up. Gallagher nods at Rosso to acknowledge the strikes.
Gallagher tries to close the distance and clinch up but Rosso swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Gallagher tries to clinch up.
Gallagher jabs away that one connects to the head of his opponent.

Gallagher moves into the clinch successfully.
Gallagher keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Rosso's efforts to push away.
Gallagher lands a nice knee to the body.

Gallagher turns his back and goes for a hip toss. It's a bit messy but it gets the job done and Gallagher manages to end up in side control.
Gallagher throws an elbow but Rosso slips to the side and avoids it well.
Rosso is looking to work his way out of this bad position but Gallagher is controlling him well.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gallagher working the ground and pound but Rosso is defending the strikes.
Rosso parries the strikes from Gallagher easily there. Gallagher is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable Rosso to escape.

Gallagher is trying to get an arm triangle but Rosso is defending well.

Gallagher tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

Gallagher is trying to get an arm triangle but Rosso is defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Rosso looks to score with a jab to the body but Gallagher is just out of range.

Gallagher instigates a clinch.
A left hand lands to the body for Gallagher.
Gallagher utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Gallagher scores a nice knee to the body.
Gallagher stalling against the cage.
Gallagher has Rosso pressed against the cage, preventing Rosso from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Gallagher unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Gallagher tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Gallagher creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Rosso's defenses.
A knee to the head by Gallagher.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Gallagher is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Rosso can't fight it off and eventually Gallagher manages to take the fight to the floor. Rosso looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Gallagher thinks about going for a leg but decides against it, in order to maintain the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gallagher won't allow Rosso to get back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Gallagher passes Rosso's right leg, so he's now in half guard.
Rosso is refusing to be controlled, as Gallagher sits in half guard.

Gallagher is trying to work for a kimura but Rosso is defending well.
Gallagher stops Rosso from getting back to his feet.
Rosso is staying active underneath Gallagher, who seems content to just control the action from this position.
Rosso is trying to stand.
Gallagher is trying to control. Rosso wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Gallagher wants to work for an arm triangle but Rosso is really keeping half guard well and defending the submission attempt.

Gallagher seems to be looking for submissions.

Rosso is defending against the submission attempts here by Gallagher.
Gallagher thows a wild elbow that connects with the canvas.
Rosso is trying to stand up here but Gallagher is controlling him well.

Gallagher is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Rosso defends it well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Gallagher passes to full mount!
Rosso avoids a series of strikes thrown by Gallagher.

Gallagher is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Rosso can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.

Gallagher has hold of Rosso's left arm, perhaps looking for a submission. The two fighters tussle over control of the isolated limb and Rosso manages to get his arm back to his side and away from danger.
Gallagher unloads with some shots from mount but Rosso bucks and avoids them well.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.

Gallagher is working on an americana here. Ooh, that looks pretty nasty! Nope, Rosso has managed to escape the submission attempt.

Gallagher goes for an armbar but he's not got it… Rosso turns into him and now he's in Gallagher's guard.
Rosso wanted to stand there but Gallagher had control of the position.

Gallagher working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Rosso doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Rosso manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

Gallagher is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Rosso is aware though and is defending well.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Killian Gallagher dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! So, we enter the final round. Let's see if either fighter can bring us a finish, or whether we're going to the judges scorecards.

Rosso just misses with a punch to the body.
Gallagher with a nice cross.
Gallagher wants to clinch up but Rosso keeps it at a distance.
Gallagher misses with a body shot

and Rosso counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Gallagher utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Rosso being controlled against the cage.
Gallagher unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Gallagher lands an elbow inside that Rosso shrugs off.
A hook to the body from Gallagher.
Gallagher pushes Rosso back against the cage and lands a hook to the side of the head.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Gallagher lands a shot to the body.
Gallagher is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Rosso can do to turn this around?
Gallagher works on Rosso's body with a couple of short punches.
Gallagher creates a bit of space for himself and sneaks an elbow through Rosso's defenses.
Rosso has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Gallagher with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Gallagher lands a knee to the body.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Gallagher obliges.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Gallagher lands a nice knee to the body.
Gallagher lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Rosso using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Gallagher has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Gallagher scores a nice knee to the body.
Gallagher lands a nice elbow.
Gallagher scores with a knee to the head.

Gallagher jumps guard.

Gallagher working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Rosso doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Rosso manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Rosso must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.

Gallagher is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Gallagher looking for a sweep. Not yet Gallagher, not yet.
Rosso wanted to stand there but Gallagher had control of the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Gallagher escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Rosso gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Rosso wants to get up but he can't break Gallagher's closed guard. He needs to be careful trying to break the legs open, as he's open to submissions here.
Gallagher might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.

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

Gallagher is working an open guard so Rosso takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
Gallagher takes a swing at Rosso's ribcage but misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Gallagher clinches up against the cage.
Gallagher pressing his opponent against the cage.
Gallagher lands a knee to the body.
Gallagher is looking for a takedown up against the cage. Rosso gets underhooks though and prevents the takedown attempt.
Gallagher blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
With the fighters up against the cage, Rosso throws an elbow but misses.
Gallagher crunches a lovely knee into Rosso's ribcage.
Gallagher is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Rosso is defending well for now.
Rosso wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Gallagher lands a body shot.
Rosso trying to stall but Gallagher improves his position.
Kneeeeees! The crowd are calling for knees to the body. Gallagher obliges.
Rosso tries to circle away but Gallagher has him pinned against the cage.
Rosso tries to land a knee to the head but Gallagher blocks with his arms.
Rosso wants to break the clinch but can't.
Gallagher lands a nice elbow.

Gallagher gets control of Rosso's arms and successfully pulls guard. Gallagher will no doubt be looking for submissions off his back.

Gallagher working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Rosso doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Rosso manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Valentino Rosso has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Killian Gallagher is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gallagher throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Rosso has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Gallagher is proving hard to escape from.

Rosso got a little sloppy there for a moment and Gallagher has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Rosso has managed to get both his arms back between Gallagher's legs - danger averted.

Rosso gets to his feet - Gallagher follows without any prompting.

Gallagher gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gallagher stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.

Gallagher breaks from the clinch.
Gallagher missing with a left hand there. Rosso was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Rosso circles away from the clinch attempt.

And that's the end of the fight!
Killian Gallagher showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Gallagher, 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 Sam Margolis scores the fight 30:26
Judge Chris Edwards scores the fight 30:27
Judge Colin Fotheringham scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Killian Gallagher!