PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Austin Barnett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Wagner dos Santos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Austin Barnett looks tired to me. Hopefully he has got enough gas left in the tank to put in a good performance.

Barnett
vs
dos Santos

171 cm
20
150 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

173 cm
22
154 lbs
2 - 2 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Counter striker
Good chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Good kicks
Solid chin

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 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Austin Barnett!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Wagner dos Santos!
The judges for this bout are Mauricio Rocha, Daniel Cesar and Edson Gomes.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Barnett closes the distance and clinches.
dos Santos jumps guard but Barnett stands there with dos Santos around his waist. dos Santos gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.

Barnett manages to break the clinch.
dos Santos slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Barnett looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Barnett misses with the combination.
dos Santos fails to land with a series of punches.
dos Santos closes the distance but Barnett moves to the side

and Barnett counters with a nice double leg into side control. dos Santos won't be happy with that.
Barnett throwing strikes but missing, from side control.
Barnett is breathing heavily.
Barnett has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Barnett looking to control but dos Santos is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barnett looking to take dos Santos's back but dos Santos rolls and after a scramble, dos Santos ends up on top in guard. Nice escape there from dos Santos to escape a tricky position.

Barnett looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
dos Santos trying to control the position from guard on top but Barnett is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Barnett working a defensive guard here.
Barnett wants to control but instead he gets his guard passed and dos Santos is now in half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A few boos can be heard. I'm sure they will multiply if the fighters don't pick up the pace.
dos Santos seems to have lost interest with the ground game and is thinking about standing back up.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Barnett wants to control the action here but instead dos Santos manages to pass to full mount!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
dos Santos is trying to stand up but he's being controlled by his opponent.
Barnett tries to reverse the position but dos Santos maintains control.

dos Santos is standing up, even though he is in mount.
dos Santos darts in trying to clinch
and Barnett cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
dos Santos tries to bum rush Barnett with a series of wild strikes but Barnett uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Jab, cross, leg kick. Nice combination by Barnett!
dos Santos swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Barnett counters with a takedown into side control.
Barnett trying to control the action but dos Santos is working from the bottom.

Barnett tries for an arm triangle. That looks pretty tight to me. Is this one over!?! Possibly, maybe, no Barnett has let go of the choke. Obviously it wasn't as tight as we thought!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnett fails to land a wild elbow strike.

Barnett looking for an arm triangle but it's way too loose to do anything.

Barnett swings around for an armbar but dos Santos sees it coming a mile off and turns beautifully into Barnett's guard.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Austin Barnett 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.

dos Santos tries a head kick but it misses.
Barnett throws a combination but it was largely blocked by dos Santos.

Barnett drives through with a takedown into guard.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
dos Santos keeping full guard, as Barnett tries to pass.
Barnett throws a strike but dos Santos rolls with it and manages to sweep. Now he's in guard on top.
Barnett is trying to control the position but dos Santos postures up.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.

Barnett looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
Barnett is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barnett isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. dos Santos stacks Barnett on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by dos Santos!
dos Santos wants to lay and pray for a moment but Barnett keeps working.
Barnett is looking to reverse the position.
Barnett trying to control but dos Santos flips him over like a cheap hooker and has his back!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Barnett can't escape the position.
Barnett trying to control the hands but dos Santos breaks the grip.
Barnett tries to escape the position - he's now mounted. Is that better or worse? Hard to tell!
dos Santos trying to control but Barnett is having none of it.
Barnett is looking to get to half guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
dos Santos tries to stand up but he's trapped just for the moment.
Barnett keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

dos Santos stands up from the dominant position. He obviously fancies his chances standing.
dos Santos lands a head kick!
Barnett avoids the head kick by dos Santos.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnett blocks a head kick by dos Santos.
dos Santos throws a head kick that half lands.
Wagner dos Santos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
dos Santos throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.
Barnett is on the wrong end of a nice combination from dos Santos.
dos Santos throws a right hand that Barnett ducks under and follows up with a left that Barnett also avoids with ease.
dos Santos tries a head kick but it misses.
dos Santos lands with a cross to side of his opponent's head.
dos Santos throws a sloppy head kick

and Barnett counters with a shoot takedown into half guard.
Barnett trying to control from dos Santos's half guard. dos Santos has other ideas though and has regained full guard.
dos Santos keeping full guard, as Barnett tries to pass.
Barnett is working hard here to advance position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close second round but I would say that Austin Barnett will probably get the nod.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final round!

Barnett is on the wrong end of a nice combination from dos Santos.
A combination from dos Santos does no damage.
dos Santos lands the left hand.
Barnett keeps the fight on the outside.
dos Santos tries to clinch up but Barnett circles away and keeps his distance.
dos Santos throws a head kick that misses.
dos Santos lands a head kick. Barnett smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
dos Santos throws a sloppy head kick and Barnett moves out of range easily.
Barnett dodges the punch combination from dos Santos.
dos Santos lands a head kick. Barnett smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

Barnett is rocked!
dos Santos tries to clinch up

and Barnett counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Barnett.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
dos Santos is working for takedown but Barnett is calmly controlling the position for now.
Barnett is looking to break free of the clinch but dos Santos has double underhooks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
dos Santos fails to pull guard.
dos Santos tries for a takedown. No joy.
Austin Barnett has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Wagner dos Santos.

Barnett escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
dos Santos throws a head kick that connects with a bit of head and a bit of hand.
dos Santos moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.

Barnett has managed to clinch.
Barnett looking to stall.
dos Santos drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Barnett gets the underhooks and prevents it.
Barnett is trying to break the clinch but dos Santos has him pressed against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Barnett breaks the clinch.
dos Santos shoots and misses

and Barnett counters with a takedown into side control.

Barnett thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Barnett tries to cartwheel into mount but he doesn't manage it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnett throws a knee to the body but it doesn't do much damage.

Barnett thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
dos Santos is sneaking out the side here. He's bucked Barnett off and has taken his back!
Barnett is really stuck here.

That's four 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.
A lull in the action here.
Barnett breaks dos Santos's hooks off and manages to turn into his guard.
Barnett seems content to control from guard here. He's going to have to remain active though if he doesn't want to get stood back up.
Barnett looking to pass the guard.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
dos Santos keeping moving, preventing Barnett from controlling successfully.

And that's the end of the fight!
Wagner dos Santos comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Barnett 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 Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Cesar scores the fight 29:28
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 29:29

The fight is ruled a draw!