PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Keir Toal (ranked 1984 p4p, 2882 weight class) and Rocco Damato (ranked 168 p4p, 239 weight class). Toal's entrance music is Irish Pub Song. A fine choice. Damato has chosen Thunderstruck as his entrance music. Rocco Damato has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Toal
vs
Damato

167 cm
35
159
4 - 2 - 0

170 cm
29
150
12 - 28 - 0

Dangerous GnP
Good kicks
Very quick

Powerful takedowns
Excellent boxer
Granite chin

Un-Kaged Nutrition

Furnace Performance 🔥
Silverguard Outfitters 🛡

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of London, Keir Toal!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 28 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, Rocco Damato!
The judges for this bout are Nard Betker, Aafke Stam and Albert Achterberg.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Toal tries to move into range but Damato moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Damato throws an overhand right that lands on Toal's shoulder, as Toal tries to avoid the shot.
Damato fails with an attempt to clinch.
As Damato looks to move away, Toal throws a big counter combo but Damato just gets out of the way.
Damato throws a jab, cross combination which is slipped
and Toal counters with a nice body kick.
Damato feints a jab promting Toal to slip. Damato then demonstrates his capabilities by jabbing again. Toal slips again and ducks right into an uppercut.

Damato tries to keep at a distance but Toal has taken the fight into the clinch.
Toal lands a shot to the body.
Damato pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Toal presses Damato against the cage and delivers a mid-strength body shot.

Toal is working on a single leg takedown against the cage. Damato can't fight it off and eventually Toal manages to take the fight to the floor. Damato looks annoyed but at least he's managed to land in guard.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Damato tries to strike from the bottom.
Damato trying to control the position.

Damato throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toal trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
We've been hearing that Toal has been drilling a lot of ground and pound in training, so let's see if he get the finish.
Damato trying to control the position here.

Damato working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Toal doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Toal manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Damato is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Toal looking to control the position here, rather than advance.
Toal'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 two minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Toal has controlled the position for a good 20 seconds, which will no doubt be starting to frustrate his opponent.

Damato looking for subs off his back but Toal has passed one foot through into half guard.
Toal working the head and body with strikes.
Toal sitting and controlling from the half guard.
Damato is trying to stand.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toal performing his best blanket impression for a moment.
Damato is looking for a sweep. Toal is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.
Toal looks over to his corner - he wants some instructions but his corner are not responding.
Toal lands a big shot. The thud that echoes around the arena is like music to the fans' ears.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.

Toal looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
Damato moves into full guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Toal controlling from the top position.
Our spies down at at IMMA Gym of Elite ASS inform us that Damato has really been working on his submissions in the buildup to this fight. Will it pay off?

Toal avoids a guillotine attempt easily.

Damato has an active guard here but Toal has managed to pass into half guard.
Damato wants to improve his position but Toal is controlling well.
Boooooooooooooooooooo!!! God, this has been a terrible round. Come on you two, sort yourselves out!
The fighters are battling for position here. Damato manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

Damato is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Keir Toal dominated that round.
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.

Toal misses with a wild body shot.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Toal.
Damato's corner calls for a 1-2. Damato obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Damato moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Damato misses with a takedown attempt - Toal sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Damato slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Damato moves out of range of the body kick from Toal.
Toal misses with a straight right.
Damato feints the counter takedown.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.

Damato gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.

Damato is looking for a triangle but Toal pushes his legs off easily.

Damato throws his legs up looking to secure a triangle. Oh, that looks pretty tight, I gotta say! Toal escapes and throws Damato's legs to the side, diving into side control!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Toal working the head and body with strikes.
Toal is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Damato will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.
Damato wants to control but Toal postures up.
Toal takes a little break here. Damato wants to take advantage but he is being controlled well.
Damato tries to slip a leg under to move to half guard but Toal presses down on the leg and jumps into full mount!
Toal sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
BOOM! Toal connects with a massive shot to the dome!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Damato wants to control but Toal is having none of it.
Toal takes a little breather and maintains the position. The referee will be looking for him to stay active from such a dominant position though.
Damato is trying to escape the mount.
Toal sitting in mount, just looking to control for the moment.
Damato is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Damato working to try and regain half guard.
Damato wants to get back to his feet.
Toal is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Damato can do to turn this around?
Damato bucks up and manages to get a nice reversal! He's in guard on the top - nicely done!
Damato trying to control the position from guard on top but Toal is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Toal is adopting a defensive guard.

Damato has gone for a leg lock! Toal slips out almost immediately though and dives into Damato's guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Toal got a little sloppy there for a moment and Damato has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Toal has managed to get both his arms back between Damato's legs - danger averted.
Damato lands a beautiful sweep and he's now moved into his opponent's guard.

Damato trying to stand up but can't free himself from Toal's guard.
Keir Toal overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.
Damato tries to free his leg and advance position but Toal is retaining full guard.
Damato won't allow Toal to get back to his feet.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Toal is pulling down on Damato's head to control his posture.
Damato is looking to stand up but Toal won't let him.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Keir Toal 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!

Toal ducks under a wild hook from Damato.
Toal looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Damato is fending him off so far but Toal persists. Nope, Damato circles away and we're back to standing.
Damato tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Toal manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Toal dodges the punch combination from Damato.
Damato throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Damato throws a hook but Toal blocks it.
Toal swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Toal shoots for a takedown but Damato saw that one coming a mile off and avoided it easily.
Damato throws a good cross that connects.
Damato throws a good cross that connects.

Toal fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Damato, pushing him back against the cage.
Damato tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Toal smiles and moves away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Damato takes a shot right to the bread basket.
Damato fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
Toal lets loose with a powerful body kick. Damato will feel that in the morning.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A right-left combo lands from Damato.
Rocco Damato seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Toal moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Damato's jab looks to have found its range, popping Toal under the eye.
Damato takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Toal with a hook.
Sloppy strikes from Damato. Those never looked like landing.
Rocco Damato is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Damato looks to land a combination. Toal sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.
Toal misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Damato.
Damato misses with a double jab
and Toal counters with a series of strikes. Damato will be more careful next time no doubt.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Damato shoots for a double leg takedown but Toal sprawls well. He's pushed Damato's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Rocco Damato seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Damato avoids the body shot from Toal.
Damato throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Damato throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Damato throws a lazy right hand but Toal sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Toal drops down looking for a counter takedown but Damato sprawls and moves away.
Toal fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Damato on the side of the head.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Toal swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Damato rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Toal moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Damato tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Damato takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Some wild striking there from Damato.
Toal swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Toal on the wrong end of an overhand right that came out of nowhere.
Damato throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Toal sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Damato scores with a hook.
Toal misses with a body shot.
Damato is definitely looking for the counter takedowns here.
Damato misses with a series of wild punches.
Toal takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Toal throws a front kick that sends Damato stumbling back into the cage.
Damato connects with a right hand. Toal shakes it off.
Toal cracks Damato with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Keir Toal is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Toal fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Damato manages to avoid it.

Damato decides to change it up a bit and drives through with a nice takedown into half guard.
Toal is looking to improve his position.

Damato is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.

Damato is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Damato takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Toal gets full guard.
Damato trying to land body shots but he keeps hitting the mat.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
A big thud reverberates around the arena there as Damato accidentally thumps the mat. Hopefully he's not broken his hand.
Toal has Damato pulled in close to control his posture.
Toal has a closed guard, preventing Damato from standing up.
Toal controlling Damato's posture.
Damato wants to stand but Toal has a closed guard, so he can't escape.

The ref stands the fighters back up due to a lack of activity.
Rocco Damato has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Damato uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Toal lands a slapping body shot.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rocco Damato comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Toal 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 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Nard Betker scores the fight 29:28
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 29:28
Judge Albert Achterberg scores the fight 29:28

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