PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Rick Sampson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Gerry Costello (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Sampson comes to the cage accompanied by "Off the Chain" by Serg Salinas. Costello is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Bad boys. The fight MMA fans around the world have waited their entire lives for!

Sampson
vs
Costello

179 cm
25
252 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

200 cm
27
250 lbs
3 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Good kicks
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
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 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Rick Sampson!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 3 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Gerry Costello!
The judges for this bout are Don Winkell, and Frank Antenori.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Sampson closes the distance and pushes Costello back into the cage.
Sampson looks exhausted already! Oh dear, he should have come in in better shape than this!
Costello fails to pull guard.
Costello tries to pull guard but Sampson forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Costello tries for a takedown. No joy.
Rick Sampson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gerry Costello.
Sampson wants to break the clinch but can't.
Sampson tries to circle away but Costello has him pinned against the cage.

Costello pulls guard.
Costello is doing well to control the posture of his opponent and prevent any damage.
Costello really doesn't want to stay on the ground with Sampson. If he can't get it back to his feet, it's only a matter of time before he'll be tapping out.
Sampson won't allow Costello to sweep him here.

Costello wriggles free and stands up.
Sampson misses with a takedown

so Costello counters with a double leg into guard. Good agility.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Costello decides he's had enough of playing guard and decides to stand. Come on Sampson, up you get!

Costello drives through and clinches with Sampson against the cage.

Costello manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Costello pulls Sampson in close to prevent any damage.
Costello bucks up whilst keeping hold of a body lock, managing to reverse the position. Now he's in top in Sampson's guard.
Sampson has momentary wrist control but Costello slips an elbow through the middle.
Sampson might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Costello would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.
Costello wants to pass the guard but Sampson is keeping the position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Costello passes Sampson's left leg - he's now in half guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Costello controlling the action here.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Costello is looking for a kimura but Sampson is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Costello to get the leverage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Costello slows the pace down in half guard.

Costello is looking for a kimura. It's going to be difficult to finish that from half guard though and Sampson defends it well.
Costello tries to stand and escape but Sampson is controlling the position.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Costello content to control rather than advance.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Sampson trying to control here.

Costello decides to stand and escape the position.
Sampson takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Costello looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Some wild striking there from Sampson.

Costello instigates a clinch.
Costello tries to pull guard but Sampson holds him up against the cage and eventually Costello drops back down to his feet.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The pace slowing considerably in the clinch, as Costello takes a break from that fighting nonsense to think about the finer things in life.
Sampson prevents a takedown attempt there.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gerry Costello dominated that round.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action!

Costello looks to land a combination but Sampson avoids it well.
Sampson misses with a takedown
and Costello counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Sampson is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Sampson throws a right and a left that both miss.
Sampson tries to clinch but Costello moves away

and Costello counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Costello looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Costello seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
Costello content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
The referee is pacing around the two fighters - he looks like he's thinking about a standup.

Gerry Costello has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.

Costello forces Sampson back against the cage and clinches.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Costello using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Costello goes for a takedown in the clinch but Sampson prevents it.
Costello jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Sampson walks away with a smile on his face. Costello gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.

Costello shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Costello was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Costello content to control the pace. The referee will try and keep them active though.
Costello's corner are shouting for him to control the position and he seems happy to oblige.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sampson wants to control but Costello postures up.
Sampson tries to control but end up mounted... ooooh, that's bad.

Costello gets to his feet and calls his opponent to stand. Here come the fireworks!
Costello misses with a double jab.
Costello tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
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!

Costello closes the distance and pushes Sampson back into the cage.
Costello is trying to pull guard but being pressed up against the cage enables Sampson to keep the fight standing.
Rick Sampson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gerry Costello.
Costello tries to pull guard but Sampson forces him back to his feet, against the cage.
Sampson stops a takedown attempt from Costello.
Costello has been looking to improve his clinch game in recent weeks. So far he's outscoring his opponent in the clinch so it seems to have been worthwhile.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Costello misses with an elbow strike.
Costello lands an elbow just above Sampson 's eye.

Costello breaks from the clinch.
Costello tries to close the distance and clinch up but Sampson swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Costello looking to shoot here. He's gone for it and he's landed a takedown into side control! Oh, that's bad for Sampson!

Costello has had enough of the ground for now and decides to stand.
Costello lands an overhand right.
No joy there for Sampson, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Costello lands a head kick. Sampson smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Costello moves in looking to clinch but Sampson pushes him off.
Costello throws a head kick that half lands.

Costello drives through with a takedown into Sampson's guard. Let's see what he can do from the top position.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Sampson striking off his back but it's not causing Costello any problems.
Costello has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Costello looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Let's hope that Costello has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Gerry Costello showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business. This is the final round!

Costello clinches with his opponent.
Come on Costello - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
Sampson gets double underhooks to prevent a takedown attempt from Costello.
Costello is working for a takedown up against the cage. He can't get it on this occasion though.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Costello tries to take the fight to the ground by pulling guard but can't manage it.
Rick Sampson has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Gerry Costello.
Costello tries to pull guard but Sampson holds him up against the cage and eventually Costello drops back down to his feet.
Costello tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Sampson just stands there and leans against the cage.
Costello is trying to pull guard but Sampson turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Sampson can't break the clinch.
Costello tries to land a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Costello has dropped down and is looking to force the takedown but it's defended by Sampson after a bit of a struggle.

Costello is trying to trip Sampson. He has hold of a leg but Sampson is hopping around, keeping his balance for the moment. Costello persists though and gets the takedown into guard.
Costello slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
We've had a lack of effective grappling in the last minute or so, which could well see a referee standup.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Gerry Costello has forced the referee to step in and restart the fight on the feet.
Sampson will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Costello lands with a nice combination. Sampson backs away looking to recover.

Sampson gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
Costello must be cautious of submissions here, given that his opponent has the superior Jiu Jitsu.
Sampson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Costello controls the pace.

Costello stands up from guard. Let's bang!
Costello fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Sampson manages to avoid it.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Costello takes the fight into the clinch.
Costello is working on a leg, looking for a takedown but Sampson is defending well.
Rick Sampson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Gerry Costello seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Costello changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Sampson fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Gerry Costello is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Sampson looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Costello avoids a punch combination nicely.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Sampson tries for a takedown but Costello circles away easily
and Costello counters with 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!
Costello looks to land a combination but Sampson avoids it well.

And that's the end of the fight!
Gerry Costello comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Costello 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 Don Winkell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 27:30
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Gerry Costello!
A less than humble Gerry Costello misjudged his post fight interview somewhat and came across a little too arrogant whilst trying to hype up his own abilities.