PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a bantamweight MMA rules bout between Jenean Garafallo (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Alex Cowell (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). On his way into the cage it seems that Jenean Garafallo has been attacked by a crazed fan! It looks like it might have been the just bleed guy! Luckily Jenean Garafallo seems to be OK! I thought that lunatic was in prison!?

Garafallo
vs
Cowell

152 cm
28
141 lbs
6 - 6 - 0

150 cm
22
135 lbs
4 - 8 - 0

Decent wrestler
Basic striking
Good chin

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the bantamweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 6 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Jenean Garafallo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 8 - 0, fighting out of Sydney, Alex Cowell!
The judges for this bout are Topper Green, Francis DeMontford and Steve Erwin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Cowell has Garafallo up against the cage in a clinch.
Cowell is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Garafallo is defending well for now.
Cowell working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
A short right from Cowell on the inside.
Cowell pressing his opponent against the cage.
Cowell tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Garafallo avoids it.
Cowell scores with a hook to the body.
Cowell throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Garafallos head.
Garafallo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Cowell unloads a knee to the mid-section.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Garafallo effectively controlling the action here.
Cowell landing knees to the body.
Garafallo working hard to break the clinch.
Garafallo avoiding damage as Cowell throws knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garafallo misses with a hook from the clinch.
A shot in the inside from Cowell.

Cowell breaks from the clinch.
Garafallo slaps away a takedown attempt from Cowell, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Cowell tries to clinch but Garafallo moves out of range.
The fight stays on the outside here - Cowell looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Garafallo has been working on his boxing with his coaches at Kangaroo's MMA in the buildup to the fight.
Garafallo moves in looking to clinch but Cowell pushes him off.
Cowell appears to be waiting to throw a counter punch to the body.
Cowell fails with a takedown attempt.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garafallo paws at him with a jab and circles away.

Cowell moves into the clinch.

Cowell has hold of one of Garafallo's legs. Garafallo is fighting the takedown attempt but Cowell gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.

Garafallo has his feet on Cowell's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Garafallo shoots in looking for a takedown. Cowell tries to sprawl out of it but Garafallo keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Cowell manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garafallo circles away from the clinch attempt.

Cowell moves into the clinch.
Garafallo jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Cowell walks away with a smile on his face. Garafallo gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Cowell wants to clinch up but Garafallo keeps it at a distance.
Garafallo misses with a body shot.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Cowell! But no joy.
Garafallo lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Cowell circles away quickly and effectively.
Cowell tries to clinch up but Garafallo circles away and keeps his distance.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up but Garafallo swats him away and circles back towards the center.

Cowell gets a clinch.
Come on Cowell - let's have some action - none of this stalling nonsense.
A nice left hand lands by Garafallo.
Garafallo wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Cowell has him pressed against the cage.
Cowell misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garafallo.
Garafallo blocks an uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cowell lands a body shot in the clinch.
Cowell tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Garafallo's elbow.
Cowell tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Garafallo changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Cowell fights it off and pushes away nicely.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jenean Garafallo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cowell moves in looking to clinch but Garafallo pushes him off.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch but Garafallo swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Cowell dodges the punch combination from Garafallo.

Cowell moves into the clinch.
Cowell taking a breather.
Garafallo lands a good knee to the midsection. Cowell won't want to take too many of those.

Cowell breaks the clinch.
Cowell is looking to clinch but Garafallo is avoiding it.
Cowell has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Garafallo is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Cowell tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Garafallo manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Garafallo is looking to land body kicks.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cowell tries to clinch but Garafallo moves out of range.
Cowell fails with an attempt to clinch.
Garafallo throws a head kick but Cowell moves out of range.
Cowell is looking to clinch but Garafallo is avoiding it.
Garafallo was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Garafallo shoots in for a takedown. He's persisting with it as Cowell sprawls well. Cowell wins this battle and keeps the fight standing. Garafallo gets slowly back to his feet.

Garafallo closes the distance and clinches.
Cowell is trying to break free.

Garafallo manages to break the clinch.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garafallo paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Cowell tries to clinch up.
Garafallo tries to counter with a takedown but Cowell is quick to defend against it.

Cowell gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Garafallo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Garafallo fakes a strike and closes the distance, dragging Cowell to the ground. Garafallo is now in Cowell's guard.
Garafallo has to be careful here, sitting in the guard of a superior BJJ player.
Cowell wants to sweep here but Garafallo controlling him for the moment.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Alex Cowell will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Cowell has closed the distance and engaged Garafallo in a clinch.
Cowell lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Alex Cowell seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Cowell landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Cowell misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garafallo.

Garafallo breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garafallo paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Garafallo moves in looking to clinch but Cowell pushes him off.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up but Garafallo swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Garafallo tries to score a power double leg takedown but Cowell sees that one coming and sprawls well. That will dishearten Garafallo somewhat.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Garafallo throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Cowell is looking to clinch.
It looked like Garafallo was looking amped, ready to throw a big counter but didn't commit.

Cowell clinches up against the cage.
Cowell tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Garafallo's elbow.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Cowell putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Garafallo in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Cowell tries a body shot but Garafallo blocks it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garafallo avoiding damage as Cowell throws knees to the body.
Garafallo wants to break free but Cowell has control.
Cowell doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Cowell lands a body punch.
Cowell using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Cowell has had enough of the clinch and is looking to separate.
Garafallo managing to block the knees to the body from Cowell.
A shot in the inside from Cowell.

Garafallo gets double underhooks and manages to take the fight to the ground.

Garafallo postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Cowell is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Garafallo, into his guard.

Garafallo utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Cowell connects with a couple of short punches.
Garafallo pulls Cowell in close to his closed guard and prevents Cowell from doing any damage or advancing position.
Cowell with a flurry of punches that miss.
Cowell trying to control the position from guard on top but Garafallo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Jenean Garafallo overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Garafallo wants to control but Cowell passes easily into half guard.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Cowell is keen to just control but Garafallo is a slippery customer.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cowell misses with a head shot. Garafallo uses the momentum to regain guard.
Cowell trying to control the position from guard on top but Garafallo is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Garafallo utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.
Garafallo avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Cowell has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Cowell content to strike from guard, landing some decent shots.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Cowell chips away with some ground and pound.
Garafallo working a defensive guard here.
Cowell throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Garafallo works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Cowell working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Garafallo's head.
Cowell is in close to Garafallo's body, working some short punches and elbows.
Cowell throws an elbow that misses. Garafallo uses the momentum to reverse the position. He's now in Cowell's guard. Nice move by Garafallo!

Garafallo is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Garafallo wants to control from the top but Cowell keeps moving.
Cowell trying to control the position.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Cowell is on top in guard.

Cowell postures up to throw the ground and pound strikes but they don't connect.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Alex Cowell showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
That's time! Garafallo's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. This is the final round!

Cowell tries to clinch but Garafallo is having none of it.
Wow, both these guys are really going for it!
Garafallo swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Cowell! But no joy.
Garafallo pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Cowell gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.
Cowell lands a nice looking hook to the body, against the cage.
Garafallo on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Garafallo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Cowell lands a body shot in the clinch.
A short right from Cowell.
Cowell looking to stall.
Cowell prevents Garafallo from breaking the clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Cowell misses with the head strike.
Cowell has a couple of punches blocked by Garafallo.

Garafallo escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Cowell fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garafallo throws a head kick but Cowell moves out of range.
Garafallo fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Cowell is looking to clinch but Garafallo is avoiding it.
Cowell is looking to clinch.
Jenean Garafallo is winning the standup battle so far.
Cowell tries to clinch up but Garafallo circles away and keeps his distance.

Cowell has Garafallo up against the cage in a clinch.
Stalling in the clinch from Cowell.
Knees in the clinch landing for Cowell.
Garafallo managing to block the knees to the body from Cowell.

Cowell escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Garafallo walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Cowell checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Garafallo is defended easily by Cowell.
Cowell wants to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Cowell forces Garafallo back against the cage and clinches.
Cowell misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garafallo.
Garafallo tries to circle away but Cowell has him pinned against the cage.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Cowell.
Cowell putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Garafallo in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.

Garafallo's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Garafallo is stalling here. The referee will be looking to step in if he doesn't pick up the pace.
Cowell crunches a lovely knee into Garafallo's ribcage.
Cowell throws a head punch that misses.
Cowell throws an elbow but it misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Cowell lands a nice knee to the body.
A short body shot lands from Cowell as the two fighters clinch.
Cowell is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Garafallo is defending well for now.
A short right from Cowell.
Cowell tries to land knees in the clinch but Garafallo avoids the damage to the body.
Cowell prevents the takedown attempt.
Garafallo is trying to drag Cowell to the mat but Cowell just about manages to keep his footing. He used the cage to his advantage there.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Jenean Garafallo. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Cowell blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Garafallo blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Garafallo goes for a takedown attempt but Cowell pushes him away and we're back to fighting at a distance.
Garafallo circles away from the clinch attempt.

Cowell gets a clinch.

Garafallo manages to break the clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garafallo throws a left and a right that both miss
letting Cowell counter with a right hand.
Cowell fails in his attempt to clinch.
Garafallo misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Cowell.
Cowell fails in his attempt to clinch.
Garafallo misses with a takedown
enabling Cowell to counter with a crisp jab.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Cowell tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Garafallo paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Garafallo throws a big counter combination but Cowell scrambles out of danger and avoids any damage.
Cowell tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
A quick step to the side and Garafallo tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.

Cowell drives through and clinches with Garafallo against the cage.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Garafallo takes a knee to the side of the body.
Garafallo avoiding damage as Cowell throws knees to the body.
Garafallo wants to get back to striking at distance but Cowell won't allow it.
A short uppercut from Cowell.
Cowell tries to work over Garafallo's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Jenean Garafallo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Alex Cowell is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Cowell misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Garafallo swings wildly with an uppercut but Cowell uses good head movement to avoid it.

And that's the end of the fight!
Alex Cowell comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Cowell 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 Topper Green scores the fight 27:30
Judge Francis DeMontford scores the fight 27:30
Judge Steve Erwin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alex Cowell!
Alex Cowell decided to thank the fans in attendance for making a great atmosphere. It seemed to go down pretty well.