PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Autry Gayle (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Sam Kildahl (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Gayle is coming into this fight with a significant injury, which will no doubt have an effect on his cardio. Sam Kildahl told me before the fight that he's been watching a lot of DVDs so let's see if that helps him in this one! I can't wait to find out!

Gayle
vs
Kildahl

188 cm
21
180 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

184 cm
18
194 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Very confident

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 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Autry Gayle!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Sam Kildahl!
The judges for this bout are Steve Montenegro, Reed Andrews and Jorge Garcia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kildahl moves in looking to clinch but Gayle pushes him off.
Gayle is breathing heavily.
Kildahl looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Gayle is fending him off so far but Kildahl persists. Nope, Gayle circles away and we're back to standing.
Gayle throws a jab but it's blocked by Kildahl.
A nice leg kick lands there from Kildahl.
Gayle avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Kildahl tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but Gayle swivels and escapes.
Kildahl lands with a nice body punch.

Kildahl closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Gayle to the mat! Gayle manages to get full guard.
Kildahl works a leg free and moves into half guard.
Gayle is not content to let Kildahl control the position.
Gayle wants to get back to full guard.
Kildahl seems content to maintain position for now, rather than mounting any offense.

Kildahl is trying to work for a kimura. He's got his hands clasped together - this could be trouble! No, Gayle has managed to free his arm - good work.
Kildahl wants to take a breather but Gayle is having none of it.

Kildahl is working for a submission of some sort.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kildahl trying to control from half guard but Gayle is working away.
Gayle is looking to regain full guard. Not this time though.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Kildahl misses with a double jab.
Gayle looks for a takedown but Kildahl sprawls well.
Kildahl tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Kildahl thows a body shot but no joy.
Gayle stuffs the takedown.
Autry Gayle has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sam Kildahl.
Gayle stalks Kildahl and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Kildahl's face. Kildahl staggers backwards, shaken.
Gayle slow jab from Kildahl misses its intended target.
Gayle swings for the body but Kildahl moves out of range.
Kildahl shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Gayle pinned against the cage. Gayle gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Gayle misses with a hook to the body

and Kildahl counters with a nice double leg into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gayle is not content to let Kildahl control the position.

Kildahl stands up from half guard.
Kildahl swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Kildahl tries a head kick but it misses.
Gayle checks a low kick from Kildahl.
Kildahl lands with a slapping head kick.

It looks like Autry Gayle has been cut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Kildahl throws a sloppy head kick and Gayle moves out of range easily.
Kildahl looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Gayle is fending him off so far but Kildahl persists. Nope, Gayle circles away and we're back to standing.
Kildahl tries to close the distance and clinch up but Gayle swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Kildahl shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Kildahl scores with a leg kick.
Kildahl misses with a low kick.
Gayle misses with a combination
and Kildahl counters with a good low kick that Gayle was not able to check.
Kildahl with a lazy takedown attempt
and Gayle counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Kildahl tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Gayle paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kildahl wants to clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kildahl lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Gayle moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Kildahl tries to clinch but Gayle is having none of it.
Kildahl looks for a takedown but Gayle sprawls well.
Kildahl walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.

Kildahl gets caught flat footed, as Gayle shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Kildahl not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Gayle wants to pass the guard but Kildahl is keeping the position.
Kildahl manages to land a sweep and now he's in mount on top!
Kildahl pausing momentarily but resumes with a couple of decent strikes that do a bit of damage.
Kildahl takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Kildahl wants to control the pace but Gayle is squirming around nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The fighters are starting to get a bit slippery now, which will make submissions a bit more difficult.
Gayle is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Kildahl tries to control but Gayle wriggling away.
Kildahl fakes a shot to the body and cracks his opponent in the head. Nice ground and pound there!
Gayle is squirming around, avoiding Kildahl's attempts to control the action.
Gayle tries to get back to half guard but can't.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kildahl trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Kildahl lands with some vicious ground and pound - can Gayle hang on?
Kildahl controlling his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sam Kildahl dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Autry Gayle's cut.
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.

Kildahl fails with the takedown

and Gayle counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Gayle.

Kildahl pushes Gayle off and gets back to his feet.
Kildahl tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Gayle paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Kildahl looks to land a combination. Gayle sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Kildahl throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Gayle.
Gayle scores with a decent looking hook.
Gayle circles away from the clinch attempt.
Gayle lands a really nice looking cross but Kildahl seems unphased.

Kildahl gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
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!
Kildahl is pulling down on Gayle's head. It's preventing any offense from Gayle, at least for the moment.

Kildahl looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Sam Kildahl has got the better of the ground game so far.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Kildahl looking to control.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kildahl trying to punch from his back but it's not doing any damage.
Gayle stopping the sweep attempt from Kildahl.
Gayle prevents Kildahl from getting back to his feet.
Gayle postures up.

The referee has ruled that neither fighter is active enough on the ground and has stood them back up.
A punch combination from Gayle misses.
Kildahl shoots and misses

and Gayle counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Gayle missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Kildahl tries to roll over but Gayle keeps him under control.
Kildahl is persisting with the attempt to improve his position.
Gayle not throwing his punches with enough precision this time.
Kildahl manages to get to full guard.
Kildahl lands a decent punch to the body there.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Gayle with a flurry of punches that miss.
Kildahl is trying to control the position but Gayle postures up.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Gayle throws a left and a right that both miss
and Kildahl counters with a three punch combo that has Gayle backing up. Gayle nods at Kildahl to acknowledge the strikes.
Gayle misses with a double jab
and Kildahl counters with a nice body shot.
Kildahl fails with the takedown

and Gayle counters with a nice single leg takedown and he's in Kildahl's guard now.
Autry Gayle has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sam Kildahl.
Gayle missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Kildahl manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Gayle manages to get himself to full guard.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Kildahl chips away with some ground and pound.
Kildahl must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Gayle thows some rabbit punches from the bottom but they don't do any damage.
Kildahl trying to control the position from guard on top but Gayle is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Kildahl looking to pass the guard.
Kildahl content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Kildahl decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.

Kildahl gets a takedown into half guard.
Kildahl sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Kildahl is keen to just control but Gayle is a slippery customer.
Kildahl drops an elbow to the side of Gayle's head.
Kildahl slows the pace down in half guard.
Kildahl looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Gayle is looking for a sweep. Kildahl is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Gayle is trying to defend against the ground and pound but Kildahl scores with a couple of nice shots.
Gayle is refusing to be controlled, as Kildahl sits in half guard.
Kildahl frees up his trapped foot and advances to mount.
Kildahl cracks Gayle with a nasty head shot there - the crowd let out an audible gasp there, as the noise reverberated around the arena.
Kildahl tries to control but Gayle wriggling away.
Kildahl takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Gayle is bucking up trying to escape but Kildahl cracks him with another couple of good strikes.
Kildahl with a couple of short strikes.
Kildahl connects with a couple of good shots from mount.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Autry Gayle will probably get the nod.
The cut man is working on Autry Gayle's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're 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.

Kildahl gets his takedown attempt stuffed easily

and Gayle counters with a nice double leg into half guard.
Kildahl slips a foot under and gets full guard. Nice work.

Kildahl throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Gayle scoring with punches to the head and body.
Gayle tries to free his leg and advance position but Kildahl is retaining full guard.
Kildahl trying to control the position.

Kildahl throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
Kildahl tries to strike from the bottom.
Gayle throwing strikes from guard but Kildahl blocks nicely.

Gayle avoids a guillotine attempt easily.
Kildahl working a defensive guard here.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kildahl manages to escape and get back to his feet.
Kildahl misses with a takedown attempt

and Gayle counters with a takedown into full mount! That could mean trouble for Kildahl!
Kildahl is trying to get to the cage to help him get back to his feet.
Kildahl is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Kildahl wants to control but Gayle is having none of it.
Kildahl is desperately trying to get back to half guard.
Kildahl manages to regain half guard. Good work.

Gayle is working for a submission of some sort.
Kildahl regains full guard. Nicely done.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Kildahl throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Gayle is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Gayle working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Gayle trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Kildahl controls Gayle momentarily but Gayle frees himself.

Gayle drops back looking for a heel hook - he quickly realises he's not going to get it but Kildahl manages to dive on top of him before he can escape and now Gayle has Kildahl in his guard.
Kildahl would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Gayle being controlled here, momentarily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kildahl wants to control from the top but Gayle keeps moving.
Kildahl scoring with punches to the head and body.
Kildahl controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.

Kildahl decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Gayle, up you get!
Kildahl tries to clinch up but Gayle circles away and keeps his distance.
Kildahl displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Gayle throws out the jab.

Kildahl shoots in and bounces Gayle off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Kildahl wants to control from the top but Gayle keeps moving.
Kildahl has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Gayle is proving hard to escape from.
Gayle is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kildahl is trying is best to control the position here.
Kildahl is pressing down on Gayle's left leg trying to get back to full guard. He's managed it.
Kildahl is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.

Despite being in the dominant position, Sam Kildahl just isn't active enough and the referee decides to stand the fighters back up.
Kildahl misses with a head kick.
Gayle rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Kildahl moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Gayle keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Autry Gayle has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Sam Kildahl.
Kildahl wants to clinch.
Kildahl closes the distance looking to clinch
and Kildahl takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Gayle shoots in for a double leg but Kildahl sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Kildahl fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Gayle.
Gayle has a takedown stuffed.

Kildahl fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Gayle sprawls well initially but Kildahl persists and gets the takedown into half guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Sam Kildahl comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Kildahl has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Steve Montenegro scores the fight 28:30
Judge Reed Andrews scores the fight 28:29
Judge Jorge Garcia scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Sam Kildahl!