PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Kirill Malkov (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Karl Pilkington (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Over to our ring announcer for the fighter introductions!

Malkov
vs
Pilkington

178 cm
22
162 lbs
5 - 2 - 0

172 cm
31
160 lbs
6 - 3 - 1

Good wrestling
Excellent MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

Fury Nutrition Inc.

West Coast Apparel

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 2 - 0, fighting out of New York, Kirill Malkov!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 6 - 3 - 1, fighting out of New York, Karl Pilkington!
The judges for this bout are Columbo Gatti, Steve Montenegro and John Kavanagh.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Malkov pulls out of a head kick attempt.
The fight stays on the outside here - Malkov looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Malkov, right into the meat.
Pilkington shoots in for a takedown but Malkov shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.

Pilkington darts in and lands a nice takedown into half guard.

Pilkington is looking for a kimura but Malkov is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Pilkington to get the leverage.
Pilkington controlling the pace.
Malkov is holding on to half guard well.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Malkov trying to control but Pilkington postures up.
Malkov is positioning himself well to prevent Pilkington advancing to mount.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Malkov is looking to control Pilkington's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Malkov avoid being mounted?
Pilkington is keen to just control but Malkov is a slippery customer.
Malkov on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
Malkov gets back to full guard.
Malkov is trying to control the position from the bottom.
Pilkington trying to control the position from guard on top but Malkov is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Pilkington told us pre-fight that he has been working on his escapes in training. Let's see if he can call on some of his new skills to get back to his feet.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Malkov wants to control here, rather than go for any submissions from the bottom. At least for now.

The referee has stepped in and called for a break in the action. We'll restart on the feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Malkov throws out a leg kick but Pilkington moves out of range and Malkov only half commits.
Pilkington checks a low kick from Malkov.
Malkov throws a low kick, looking for Pilkington's leg but Pilkington calmly moves out of range.
Malkov tries to score with a low kick but Pilkington moves his leg out of the way.
Pilkington on the receiving end of a decent leg kick there by Malkov. Malkov obviously looking to wear him down.
Malkov finds nothing but air with that leg kick attempt.
Malkov throws a feint and then finishes with a kick to the body.
Malkov connects with a leg kick. Pilkington looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Pilkington throws a body kick that misses.
Malkov throws a leg kick

so Pilkington counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.
Pilkington slips nicely into half guard.
Pilkington is thwarting Malkov's attempts to control the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pilkington keeping composed on the top, looking to control the action.
Malkov keeping control of the position.
Pilkington throwing punches and elbows but they're not doing any damage.
Malkov has no desire to be mounted, so is trying to control. Pilkington is working away from the top position though.
Pilkington sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. Malkov defending well though.

Pilkington is working for a kimura but Malkov is defending it quite comfortably.
Malkov is trying to get back to full guard.
Malkov is not content to let Pilkington control the position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are hurling abuse towards the fighters... You can hardly blame them though because there isn't a lot going on in the fight.
Malkov looks like he's trying to stand up.
Malkov wants to control but Pilkington is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Malkov keeping control of the position.
Pilkington throwing shots but Malkov is blocking nicely.
Malkov manages to get to full guard.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Malkov controls Pilkington momentarily but Pilkington frees himself.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Karl Pilkington dominated that round.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

Malkov avoids the head kick by Pilkington.
Pilkington lands with a hook. Malkov tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
Malkov throws a front kick aimed at Pilkington's knee but Pilkington avoids it well.
Pilkington throws a head kick that misses.
Malkov lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Malkov throws a head kick that Pilkington semi-blocks.
Pilkington misses with a jab, cross combination.
Pilkington throws a right hand that Malkov ducks under and follows up with a left that Malkov also avoids with ease.
Pilkington jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Pilkington shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Malkov sprawls well. Malkov wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Pilkington gets slowly back to his feet.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Malkov.
Pilkington slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Malkov throws a front kick aimed at Pilkington's knee but Pilkington avoids it well.
Malkov misses with a kick to the body
and Pilkington counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A bone on bone clash there as Pilkington blocks the leg kick.
Malkov throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Pilkington's head.
Malkov tries to score with a low kick but Pilkington moves his leg out of the way.
Pilkington tries to bum rush Malkov with a series of wild strikes but Malkov uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
That's a knee to de groin and it's over and out! Pilkington crumples to the ground after an illegal strike from Malkov - the referee stops the clock and Pilkington gets 5 minutes to recover from that one. "I'm sorry" says Malkov. Pilkington manages to get back to his feet and the fight resumes.
Malkov connects with an inside leg kick.
Malkov misses with a low kick.
Kirill Malkov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Malkov scores with a head kick.
Malkov walks into a stiff left hand from Pilkington.
Malkov shakes his hands off, looking to compose himself, but takes a jab to the jaw whilst he does it.
Malkov tries to clinch up.
Malkov misses with a leg kick
and Pilkington connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Kirill Malkov is winning the standup battle so far.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Malkov misses with a leg kick
and Pilkington counters with a nice uppercut.
That kick from Malkov tenderised Pilkington's leg. Pilkington is trying to keep his angry face on.
Kirill Malkov is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Malkov forces Pilkington back against the cage and clinches.
Malkov swings wildly with an uppercut but Pilkington uses good head movement to avoid it.
Pilkington wants a takedown.
Pilkington can't get the takedown.
Kirill Malkov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Karl Pilkington.

Malkov pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Kirill Malkov seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Pilkington.
Pilkington tries to bum rush Malkov with a series of wild strikes but Malkov uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A bone on bone clash there as Pilkington blocks the leg kick.
Pilkington blocks a head kick by Malkov.
Pilkington misses the shot to the body.
Malkov lands a nice looking kick to the body. Pilkington takes a step back to recover.
Malkov misses with a leg kick
enabling Pilkington to counter with a crisp jab.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Pilkington blocks a leg kick.
Pilkington looks to land a body kick but Malkov moved away.
Malkov throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
Pilkington connects with a right hand. Malkov shakes it off.
Malkov tries a head kick but it misses.
Pilkington lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
An inside leg kick from Malkov misses.
Pilkington checks a low kick from Malkov.
Malkov wants to clinch up but Pilkington keeps it at a distance.
Malkov throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Pilkington.

It looks like Karl Pilkington has been cut.
Pilkington throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.

Pilkington manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Malkov on his heels. He'll look to pass Malkov's guard now, I'm sure.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Malkov looking to control.
Malkov looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Malkov's ground tactics aren't going to win him many fans. Let's hope he's got fireworks for us if he gets back to his feet because he's not doing much on the ground.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pilkington trying to move into half guard but instead Malkov has managed to sweep!

Pilkington utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Malkov trying to move into half guard but instead Pilkington has managed to sweep!

Karl Pilkington has got the better of the ground game so far.
Malkov looking to control the pace of the fight rather than finish it.
Malkov is trying to keep Pilkington in close.
Malkov looking to hit a scissor sweep but Pilkington is one step ahead there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Karl Pilkington will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Karl Pilkington's cut.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, 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.

Malkov tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Pilkington missing with a left hand there. Malkov was out of range so wasted energy throwing that one.
Pilkington misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Malkov.
Pilkington fails with a takedown attempt.
Malkov lands a nice leg kick that just misses Pilkington's sensitive parts.
Malkov chopping away at his opponent's legs.
A low kick from Malkov misses
and Pilkington cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Pilkington will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Malkov is looking to clinch but Pilkington is avoiding it.
Malkov misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Pilkington shoots in for a takedown. "Ole!" shouts Malkov as he jumps to the side.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Pilkington lands with a good body shot.
Malkov attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Pilkington misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Malkov.
Malkov is looking to clinch.
Pilkington throws a right and a left that Malkov avoids nicely.
Malkov attempts a leg kick but it's missed by a good margin.
Pilkington misses the shot to the body.
Malkov cracks the inside of Pilkington's front leg.
Malkov buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Malkov slips a jab from Pilkington.
Pilkington throws a low kick but Malkov avoids it.
Malkov walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Pilkington checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
Pilkington swings for the body but Malkov moves out of range.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Pilkington avoids the head kick by Malkov.
Malkov stuffs the takedown attempt from Pilkington. Pilkington gets slowly back to his feet.
Kirill Malkov has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Karl Pilkington.
Malkov throws a low kick but Pilkington avoids it.
Pilkington throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Pilkington throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Malkov does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.
Pilkington's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Malkov misses with a kick to the body.
Malkov tries to clinch there but Pilkington circles away.
Pilkington tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Malkov keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Malkov cracks the inside of Pilkington's front leg.
Pilkington looks to throw the jab but Malkov is out of range.
No joy there for Pilkington, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Malkov moves out of range of the strikes.
Malkov defending well as Pilkington loads up on a big left hand.
Pilkington keeps the fight on the outside.
Malkov wants to land a leg kick but Pilkington is out of range.
Malkov bobs and weaves well there to avoid the strikes.
Malkov will need to close the distance a bit before he attacks - that leg kick was thrown from too far away.
Malkov lands a nice looking body kick.
Pilkington keeps the fight on the outside.

Pilkington shoots in from a long way out. He's driving through with the takedown attempt and he eventually gets it, landing in Malkov's guard.
Pilkington throwing strikes from guard but Malkov blocks nicely.
Malkov seems keen to control rather than go for a submission, at least for now.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Malkov not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Pilkington stopping the sweep attempt from Malkov.
Malkov seems keen to control Pilkington's posture.
Pilkington throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Pilkington tries to free his leg and advance position but Malkov is retaining full guard.

The referee has decided to stand the fighters back up, so we'll restart on the feet.
Malkov tries to score with a low kick but Pilkington moves his leg out of the way.
A head kick misses from Malkov.
Malkov misses with a leg kick

and Pilkington counters with a driving takedown into guard. Nice work there by Pilkington.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Malkov keeping moving, preventing Pilkington from controlling successfully.
Pilkington won't allow Malkov to sweep him here.

And that's the end of the fight!
Karl Pilkington comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Pilkington winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Columbo Gatti scores the fight 27:30
Judge Steve Montenegro scores the fight 28:30
Judge John Kavanagh scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Karl Pilkington!