PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Shay O Donnelly (ranked 1470 p4p, 173 weight class) and Abusupyan Khalilov (ranked 2075 p4p, 238 weight class). The key to victory for Shay O Donnelly has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

O Donnelly
vs
Khalilov

179 cm
25
162 lbs
5 - 1 - 0

178 cm
25
158 lbs
5 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Good wrestler
Brawler
Powerful

Urban Fighter

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, for the lightweight championship of the world!
Introducing the champion to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 5 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Tokyo, Shay O Donnelly!
And introducing the challenger to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 5 - 0 - 0, fighting out of New York, Abusupyan Khalilov!
The judges for this bout are Yasuomi Hirokawa, Kenichi Hosakawa and Shigeki Sano.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Khalilov shoots in but O Donnelly avoids the takedown attempt easily.

Khalilov shoots in with a lovely double leg takedown. O Donnelly manages to land in full guard to minimise the damage.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
O Donnelly utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Khalilov scoring with some ground and pound.
Khalilov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Khalilov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Khalilov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
O Donnelly can't keep his opponent in guard - Khalilov advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Khalilov throws a strike but O Donnelly avoids it easily and moves to full guard.
O Donnelly working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Khalilov.
Khalilov throwing strikes but missing.
Khalilov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Khalilov throws a big elbow that misses.
Khalilov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
O Donnelly on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if O Donnelly tries to get out of the position.
Khalilov working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of O Donnelly's head.
Khalilov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Khalilov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as O Donnelly works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Khalilov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Khalilov throwing strikes from guard but O Donnelly blocks nicely.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Khalilov throws a big elbow that misses.
Khalilov working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Khalilov throwing strikes from guard but O Donnelly blocks nicely.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
O Donnelly pulls Khalilov in to control the position.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
Khalilov working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of O Donnelly's head.
O Donnelly is trying to keep Khalilov in close.
O Donnelly looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Khalilov is looking to work some ground and pound but O Donnelly has wrist control.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Khalilov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Khalilov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Khalilov chips away with some ground and pound.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
Khalilov scoring with some ground and pound.
Khalilov lands a couple of decent looking shots.
O Donnelly is breathing heavily.
Khalilov working from the guard for now, landing some ground and pound.
Khalilov throwing strikes from guard but O Donnelly blocks nicely.
Khalilov chips away with some ground and pound.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Khalilov.
Khalilov throwing strikes but missing.
Khalilov makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Khalilov is working O Donnelly over from the guard. He should look to pass the guard and do a little more damage with these strikes.
Khalilov throwing strikes but missing.
Khalilov postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Khalilov postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Khalilov throwing strikes but missing.
O Donnelly working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Khalilov.
Khalilov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Khalilov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Khalilov postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
O Donnelly avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
O Donnelly preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Khalilov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Khalilov stands up over O Donnelly, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Khalilov with a couple of shots to the head there. Not particularly brutal.
Khalilov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
O Donnelly knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Khalilov on the ground.
Khalilov distracts O Donnelly with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Khalilov advances to half guard.
O Donnelly keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Khalilov sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. O Donnelly defending well though.
O Donnelly on the receiving end of some nice ground and pound.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Khalilov not landing any meaningful shots this time.
Khalilov thows a huge punch but O Donnelly dodges it nicely.
Khalilov takes advantage of the dominant position to land a couple of big hammer fists.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

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

Khalilov scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Khalilov in side control, trying to ground and pound but not landing this time.
O Donnelly parries the strikes from Khalilov easily there. Khalilov is wary of posturing up too much because it might enable O Donnelly to escape.
O Donnelly avoids any damage from the ground and pound of Khalilov.
Khalilov lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Khalilov is putting a hurting on O Donnelly here, landing some big shots from side control.
O Donnelly defending against the ground and pound.
Khalilov working the ground and pound but he's contacting the mat, not the fighter.
O Donnelly can't do much from the bottom here.
Khalilov working away diligently from side control. Landing strikes effectively there - that will score him some points on the judges scorecards.
O Donnelly taking punishment in the form of punches.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
O Donnelly is not in a great position here, taking some shots.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Khalilov landing strikes.
Khalilov throws an elbow but O Donnelly slips to the side and avoids it well.

That's one minute gone in the round.

O Donnelly bucks up and manages to escape back to his feet!
A big right from O Donnelly misses.
O Donnelly is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Khalilov.
Khalilov tries to drive through with a takedown attempt but O Donnelly defends well and Khalilov ends up having to push O Donnelly into the cage where they will battle it out in the clinch.
Khalilov looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? O Donnelly is fending him off so far but Khalilov persists. Nope, O Donnelly circles away and we're back to standing.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Khalilov walks into a left hand.
Khalilov looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? O Donnelly is fending him off so far but Khalilov persists. Nope, O Donnelly circles away and we're back to standing.
Shay O Donnelly has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Abusupyan Khalilov.
O Donnelly scores with a body shot.
O Donnelly scores with a jab. Khalilov acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Khalilov is on the wrong end of a nice combination from O Donnelly.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
O Donnelly leaves Khalilov with his face pressed against the mat as he sprawls beautifully, defending against a solid takedown attempt.
Khalilov takes a jab right on the kisser.
Khalilov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
No luck for Khalilov with that takedown attempt.
Nice uppercut lands for O Donnelly. That snapped Khalilov's head back.
Khalilov has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly slaps away a takedown attempt from Khalilov, before circling back to the center of the mat.
O Donnelly closes the distance and lands a one-two.
Khalilov needs to keep his hands up - O Donnelly had a free shot at his head there.

O Donnelly tries to sprawl but Khalilov drives through with a takedown into half guard.
Khalilov is thwarting O Donnelly's attempts to control the position.
Khalilov landing with strikes to the body and head, softening up his opponent.
Khalilov lands strikes from half guard.
O Donnelly keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Khalilov working O Donnelly over with strikes.
O Donnelly keeping his head moving to avoid the ground and pound.
Khalilov with the ground and pound but O Donnelly uses the opportunity to regain guard.
Khalilov has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Khalilov with a nice head shot there.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
O Donnelly preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Khalilov accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Khalilov stands up over O Donnelly, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Khalilov working some strikes from top position.
Khalilov scoring with punches to the head and body.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
Khalilov lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Khalilov working some strikes from top position.
Khalilov postures up in O Donnelly's guard and throws a big left but O Donnelly blocks it.
Khalilov throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Khalilov scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Khalilov working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of O Donnelly's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov scores with a decent looking elbow strike.
Khalilov preventing the sweep.
Khalilov lands a couple of decent looking shots.
Khalilov makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
Khalilov landing some decent shots from guard.
O Donnelly not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Khalilov is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Khalilov lands a couple of digs.
Khalilov content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Khalilov throws a big elbow that misses.
Khalilov is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Abusupyan Khalilov will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Khalilov shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as O Donnelly sprawls well. O Donnelly wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Khalilov gets slowly back to his feet.
Abusupyan Khalilov is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
O Donnelly stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
O Donnelly connects with a looping right hand.
The crowd cheers as O Donnelly lands an impressive looking overhand right. Khalilov doesn't seem phased though.
Nice takedown defense from O Donnelly. No joy for Khalilov on that attempt.
O Donnelly defends well against a solid takedown attempt from Khalilov.
Shay O Donnelly has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Abusupyan Khalilov.
Khalilov takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
O Donnelly stuffs the takedown attempt from Khalilov. Khalilov gets slowly back to his feet.
Khalilov gets cracked with a nice right hand there by O Donnelly.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
O Donnelly works the jab nicely.
Khalilov takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
O Donnelly scores with a jab to the head.
Jab, jab by O Donnelly - just one landing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
O Donnelly connects with a body shot that sends Khalilov's belly button to the back.
O Donnelly scores with a nice right hand.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A left and a right from O Donnelly both land. Nice combination.
O Donnelly connects with a right hand. Khalilov shakes it off.
Khalilov shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. O Donnelly defends it nicely.
O Donnelly swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
O Donnelly lands with a straight right. Khalilov didn't see that one coming.
O Donnelly tests Khalilov's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Shay O Donnelly is winning the standup battle so far.
O Donnelly slaps away a takedown attempt from Khalilov, before circling back to the center of the mat.
O Donnelly scores with the left hand. Khalilov knows he should have avoided that one.
O Donnelly smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
O Donnelly scores with a sloppy punch to the body. Not much technique there but it did the business.
O Donnelly lands with a cross.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Nice shot lands for O Donnelly.
Khalilov darts in looking for a takedown but O Donnelly gets double underhooks and turns Khalilov into the cage.
O Donnelly jabs Khalilov right on the nose. Khalilov blinks but takes it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly lands with a nice body punch.
O Donnelly stalks Khalilov and leaps in with a furious combination of punches. Uppercuts and crosses smash into Khalilov's face. Khalilov staggers backwards, shaken.
Khalilov shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says O Donnelly as he avoids it easily.
O Donnelly lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Khalilov backs up against the cage.
O Donnelly lands a glancing blow to the side of Khalilov's head.
Khalilov fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
O Donnelly bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
O Donnelly is really head hunting here, hardly looking to strike to the body at all.
O Donnelly takes a step towards his opponent and connects with a left hand, before circling away.
Khalilov fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
O Donnelly lands an overhand right.
Nice uppercut there from O Donnelly.
O Donnelly lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Khalilov shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as O Donnelly sprawls well. O Donnelly wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Khalilov gets slowly back to his feet.
O Donnelly ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with O Donnelly but O Donnelly pushes him off and we're back to square one.
O Donnelly moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Khalilov tries to shoot in for a takedown. He's got hold of a leg but O Donnelly swivels and escapes.
O Donnelly lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
O Donnelly thuds his right hand into Khalilov's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Khalilov walks into a straight right hand from O Donnelly.
O Donnelly lands a jab to the nose.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts O Donnelly, as that shot connected.
O Donnelly connects nicely with a jab. Noted by the judges no doubt.
Khalilov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
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!
O Donnelly scores with a reasonable looking shot to the body. Khalilov doesn't seem bothered though.
O Donnelly scores with a nice head shot.
The fighters circle momentarily. O Donnelly darts into range and connects with a nice straight punch.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Khalilov is defended easily by O Donnelly.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Khalilov.
Khalilov has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Khalilov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
O Donnelly lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Khalilov backs up against the cage.
O Donnelly lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
O Donnelly scores with a jab.
Khalilov on the wrong end of a decent looking cross there.
Nice uppercut there from O Donnelly.
O Donnelly looks to land a left hand but Khalilov moved out of range nicely.
Khalilov fails with the takedown.
O Donnelly fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Nice uppercut lands for O Donnelly. That snapped Khalilov's head back.
Khalilov closes this distance looking for a takedown but O Donnelly circles away.
O Donnelly throwing a counter right hand but Khalilov manages to avoid it.
Danga de danga de dang - O Donnelly scores with a four punch combination!
O Donnelly goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Shay O Donnelly clearly takes that round.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business.

O Donnelly lands a jab to the nose.
O Donnelly connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Khalilov is trying hard to land a takedown here. O Donnelly sprawls well and keeps this one on the feet.
O Donnelly connects with a body shot that sends Khalilov's belly button to the back.
O Donnelly lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Khalilov.
O Donnelly goes to the watering hole and comes back with a big thumbs up from the judges as he scores a three punch combo.
Khalilov looks for a takedown but O Donnelly sprawls well.
Shay O Donnelly has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Abusupyan Khalilov.
O Donnelly paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
O Donnelly lands with a right hand.
O Donnelly lands with a hook. Khalilov tried to avoid it but it clipped the top of his head.
It's got to the stage where if one of these guys blows hard enough, the other might fall over.
Decent striking displayed by O Donnelly there.
O Donnelly scores with a jab to the jaw.
O Donnelly lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by O Donnelly.

Khalilov is rocked!
O Donnelly throws out a powerful jab.
Khalilov is still on wobbly legs! Can O Donnelly finish him?

That's one minute gone in the round.
O Donnelly misses with a double jab.
And Khalilov tries to counter it with a takedown but O Donnelly pushes his down on his head and steps out.

Khalilov manages to get an easy takedown there - catching O Donnelly on his heels. He'll look to pass O Donnelly's guard now, I'm sure.
Khalilov seems to have recovered his senses.
Khalilov makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.
Khalilov with a nice head shot there.
Khalilov trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
O Donnelly working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Khalilov.
Khalilov postures up in O Donnelly's guard and throws a big left but O Donnelly blocks it.
O Donnelly has momentary wrist control but Khalilov slips an elbow through the middle.
Khalilov postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Khalilov with a nice head shot there.
Khalilov chips away with some ground and pound.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
O Donnelly tries to land a sweep but no joy.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov connects with a couple of short punches.
Khalilov lands a couple of elbows.
Khalilov postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
Khalilov with a flurry of punches that miss.
Khalilov landing with the ground and pound.
O Donnelly avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Khalilov trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Khalilov in full guard, throwing the ground and pound. No damage this time.
Khalilov is looking to work some ground and pound but O Donnelly has wrist control.
Khalilov loading up with the ground and pound but he's missing more than he's landing in this flurry.
Khalilov chips away with some ground and pound.
Khalilov scores with a decent looking elbow strike.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Khalilov is in close to O Donnelly's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Khalilov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as O Donnelly works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Khalilov landing some decent shots from guard.
Khalilov throwing strikes from guard but O Donnelly blocks nicely.
Khalilov chips away with some ground and pound.
O Donnelly tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Khalilov lands a couple of digs.
Khalilov scoring with punches to the head and body.
Khalilov scoring with some ground and pound.
O Donnelly avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Khalilov is sitting in guard, working some ground and pound.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov postures up in O Donnelly's guard and throws a big left but O Donnelly blocks it.
Khalilov postures up in O Donnelly's guard and throws a big left but O Donnelly blocks it.
Khalilov keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of O Donnelly's head.
O Donnelly preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Khalilov stops O Donnelly from standing up.
Khalilov cracks O Donnelly with a solid left hand.
Khalilov lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Khalilov scoring with some ground and pound.
Khalilov landing some decent shots from guard.
Khalilov with a nice head shot there.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Khalilov stands up over O Donnelly, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
O Donnelly utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close fourth round but I would say that Shay O Donnelly will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Khalilov shoots in looking for a takedown. O Donnelly tries to sprawl out of it but Khalilov keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. O Donnelly manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Khalilov shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has O Donnelly pinned against the cage. O Donnelly gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Khalilov closes the distance and clinches up with O Donnelly, looking for a takedown. Khalilov pushes O Donnelly against the cage but O Donnelly circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Shay O Donnelly has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Abusupyan Khalilov.
Khalilov shoots in looking for a takedown but O Donnelly manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Khalilov's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
O Donnelly swung with a counter punch to the body but it didn't connect.
O Donnelly lands a really nice looking cross but Khalilov seems unphased.
O Donnelly scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
O Donnelly scores with a jab to the body.
O Donnelly changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
O Donnelly lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

It looks like Abusupyan Khalilov has been cut.
O Donnelly lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
Both of our modern day gladiators look out of it here - a gruelling 5 rounds of action taking it's toll on them, no doubt.
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!
Khalilov takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
O Donnelly lands with an uppercut that bounces Khalilov off the cage and back into range.
Jab by O Donnelly.
Khalilov is on the wrong end of a nice combination from O Donnelly.
O Donnelly wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Khalilov slips a jab and a cross from O Donnelly.

That's one minute gone in the round.
O Donnelly stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and O Donnelly wants it to stay on the feet.
O Donnelly was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
O Donnelly lunges at Khalilov with a hook that half lands and is half blocked by Khalilov's hand.
O Donnelly scores with a three punch combo!
No luck for Khalilov with that takedown attempt.
Khalilov fails with a takedown attempt.
O Donnelly dips to his left and cracks Khalilov with an uppercut!
O Donnelly scores with a hook to the body. Khalilov takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Khalilov looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Khalilov darts in looking for a takedown but O Donnelly gets double underhooks and turns Khalilov into the cage.
Khalilov tries to move into range but O Donnelly moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Khalilov takes one on the button.
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!
Khalilov fails to land the takedown.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov needs to keep his hands up - O Donnelly had a free shot at his head there.
Donk. O Donnelly catches Khalilov right on the button with a cross.
Khalilov fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
O Donnelly with a nice cross.
O Donnelly scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
O Donnelly scores with a nice right hand.
Khalilov goes for a double leg but O Donnelly avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the cage as O Donnelly continues to drive forward.
O Donnelly scores to the head and body with a nice combination!
O Donnelly moves into range and connects with a jab.
O Donnelly cracks Khalilov with a good jab.
Khalilov tries to move into range but O Donnelly moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
O Donnelly changes levels and scores with a jab to the body.
O Donnelly fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
O Donnelly is moving around nicely and scores here with a single head shot.
Shay O Donnelly is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Khalilov walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
O Donnelly thuds his right hand into Khalilov's forehead from close range. That could be painful for both fighters.
Khalilov is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Khalilov shoots for a double leg takedown but O Donnelly sprawls well. He's pushed Khalilov's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
O Donnelly throws out a powerful jab.
Khalilov shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as O Donnelly sprawls well. O Donnelly wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Khalilov gets slowly back to his feet.
O Donnelly scores with a hook to the body. Khalilov takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Khalilov takes an uppercut right on the button but keeps his composure.
O Donnelly throws a one two combo.

O Donnelly gets caught napping as Khalilov dives in and scores a takedown. O Donnelly manages to retain guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Khalilov throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as O Donnelly works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Khalilov postures up in O Donnelly's guard and throws a big left but O Donnelly blocks it.
Khalilov content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
Khalilov throwing strikes from guard but O Donnelly blocks nicely.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Khalilov lands a couple of elbows.
Khalilov throws a big right hand that misses.
Khalilov passes O Donnelly's left leg - he's now in half guard.
Khalilov lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Khalilov working the head and body with strikes.
Khalilov scores with a couple of good hammerfists.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Khalilov sitting in half guard, looking to land shots. O Donnelly defending well though.
O Donnelly pushes Khalilov off looking to stand but Khalilov dives back in and keeps control.
Khalilov prevents O Donnelly from improving his position.

And that's the end of the fight!
Shay O Donnelly showed his dominance in that final round.
I think O Donnelly has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Yasuomi Hirokawa scores the fight 47:46
Judge Kenichi Hosakawa scores the fight 47:46
Judge Shigeki Sano scores the fight 47:47

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Shay O Donnelly!
Shay O Donnelly is the new lightweight champion!
Shay O Donnelly decided to call for a title shot in his post fight interview, which was very strange given the fact this fight was for a title and he's already the champion. I guess that's what getting punched in the head does for you.