PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between John Barnes (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and James Penn Jr (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). James Penn Jr has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with John Barnes's chin.

Barnes
vs
Penn Jr

194 cm
23
208 lbs
6 - 2 - 0

195 cm
23
213 lbs
12 - 4 - 1

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
Good kicks
Fast

STEEL PENN'S - STEEL TERROR: Video Proven 160Q

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 6 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, John Barnes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 12 - 4 - 1, fighting out of Hilo, James Penn Jr!
The judges for this bout are Ryoma Takatsuka, Jeff Smith and Paul Gruel.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Barnes wants to clinch up but Penn Jr keeps it at a distance.

Barnes gets a clinch.
Barnes working aggressively here.
Barnes throws a knee to the head but misses.
Penn Jr wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Barnes has him pressed against the cage.
Penn Jr wants to break free but Barnes has control.
Barnes tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
A right handed body shot lands from Barnes.
Barnes with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Penn Jr has had enough of the clinch but Barnes keeps him there for the moment.

Penn Jr breaks from the clinch.
Penn Jr pivots, looking for a leg kick but Barnes is out of range and Penn Jr settles back down.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Barnes.
Penn Jr walks forward, straight into a front kick from Barnes.
Penn Jr pulls out of a head kick attempt.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barnes connects with a high kick.
James Penn Jr seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Barnes checks a leg kick.
Barnes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Penn Jr was well out of range. Poor timing from Barnes.
A clash of legs there as Penn Jr blocks the low kick.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but Barnes sees it coming and moves out of range.
Penn Jr wants to land a leg kick but Barnes is out of range.
Barnes misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Penn Jr.
Penn Jr throws out a leg kick but Barnes moves out of range and Penn Jr only half commits.
Barnes pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick
and Barnes counters with a nice leg kick.
Barnes tries to close the distance and clinch but Penn Jr swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Barnes throws a wild body kick that Penn Jr sees coming a mile off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barnes throws a head kick but Penn Jr moves out of range.
Barnes checks a leg kick.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Penn Jr pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Penn Jr throws a sloppy head kick and Barnes moves out of range easily.
Barnes tried to score with a low kick but Penn Jr checks it.
Barnes misses with a body kick.
Penn Jr showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Barnes.
Barnes tries to close the distance and clinch but Penn Jr swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Penn Jr tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Penn Jr does a little shimmy and throws a leg kick. The leg kick missed by a considerable margin though, making him look a little bit silly for doing the shimmy.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Penn Jr throws a low kick, looking for Barnes's leg but Barnes calmly moves out of range.
Penn Jr connects with a leg kick. Barnes looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.
Penn Jr misses with a body kick.
A good leg kick by Barnes.
Penn Jr thumps Barnes with a low kick.
Barnes wants to clinch up but Penn Jr keeps it at a distance.
Barnes clobbers Penn Jr with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Penn Jr stumbles momentarily as he takes a strong leg kick from Barnes.
A good leg kick by Barnes.
Penn Jr is looking to chop away at Barnes's legs.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but Barnes checks it.
Barnes misses with a straight right.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnes throws the kick towards the body but Penn Jr avoids it.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but he was too far away and it doesn't land.
Barnes looks to land a body kick but Penn Jr moved away.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick
and Barnes counters with a flying knee. Nice.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Barnes tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
Barnes lands a leg kick that knocks Penn Jr off balance momentarily.
Penn Jr motions for Barnes to come forward. Penn Jr throws a leg kick but it misses it's target.
Penn Jr checks a leg kick nicely.
Penn Jr misses the body punch
and Barnes makes him pay by landing a nice hook to the body before moving out of range.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Penn Jr staying out of range there.
Penn Jr misses with a leg kick
and Barnes counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Barnes throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Penn Jr.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Barnes dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Barnes tries to score with a low kick but Penn Jr moves his leg out of the way.
A good leg kick by Barnes.
Barnes misses with a kick to the body.
Penn Jr on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Penn Jr chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Penn Jr fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Barnes has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Penn Jr avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Penn Jr throws a nice inside leg kick.
Barnes connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Penn Jr checks a low kick from Barnes.
A low kick from Penn Jr is predictable there
and Barnes counters with a good low kick that Penn Jr was not able to check.
Penn Jr misses with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
An inside leg kick from Penn Jr misses.
Barnes tries to clinch but Penn Jr is having none of it.
John Barnes is winning the standup battle so far.
Barnes throws a sloppy head kick and Penn Jr moves out of range easily.
Barnes tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Penn Jr was well out of range. Poor timing from Barnes.
Penn Jr misses with a body kick.
Barnes lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
No joy there for Barnes, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Penn Jr turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Penn Jr fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Penn Jr thows a leg kick but Barnes checks it
and Barnes counters with a nice low kick that buckles Penn Jr's knee momentarily.
Penn Jr throws a chopping leg kick but Barnes manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Barnes throws a nice inside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A good leg kick by Barnes.
Barnes lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Barnes is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Penn Jr throws a hook but Barnes blocks it.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barnes tries to close the distance and clinch up but Penn Jr swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Penn Jr attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Barnes moves out of range of the leg kick from Penn Jr.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Penn Jr.
Barnes throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Penn Jr.
Penn Jr fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnes connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but Barnes checks it.
Penn Jr pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Barnes has closed the distance and engaged Penn Jr in a clinch.
Penn Jr blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Barnes trying to land knees to the body.
Penn Jr blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Barnes throws a punch but it's blocked by Penn Jr.
Barnes misses with a knee strike.
Penn Jr managing to block the knees to the body from Barnes.
Penn Jr is trying to push Barnes away but Barnes has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
Barnes throws a nice elbow but it doesn't land.
Barnes tries to land knees in the clinch but Penn Jr avoids the damage to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnes trying to land knees to the body.
Barnes throws an elbow but it misses.
Barnes keeps control of Penn Jr as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Penn Jr's leg has a nasty welt from taking a succession of leg kicks. That must be slowing him down.
Barnes utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Penn Jr blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.

Penn Jr breaks the clinch.
Some bone on bone action there as Penn Jr checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
Barnes feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Penn Jr's calf.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Penn Jr takes a thudding leg kick, right into the meat of the thigh.
Barnes pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Barnes, right into the meat.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

John Barnes dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! This is the final round!

Penn Jr connects with an inside leg kick.
Barnes checks a leg kick nicely.
Penn Jr misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Penn Jr throws a leg kick but Barnes sees it coming and checks it nicely.
Penn Jr throws a sloppy head kick and Barnes moves out of range easily.
Barnes wants to clinch up but Penn Jr keeps it at a distance.
Penn Jr misses with a leg kick.
Penn Jr throws a chopping leg kick but Barnes manages to avoid taking any serious damage.
Barnes connects with a solid leg kick.
Barnes avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
Penn Jr throws a low kick but Barnes avoids it.
Penn Jr is looking to score with low kicks.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barnes wants to clinch.
Penn Jr plants his feet and lands a nice head kick!
Ouch! a nice leg kick from Barnes, right into the meat.
Barnes is looking to clinch but Penn Jr is avoiding it.
Barnes looks to land a body kick but Penn Jr moved away.
Barnes lands a head shot.
Barnes throws a hook to the side of Penn Jr's head but Penn Jr sees it coming and ducks under it beautifully.
Penn Jr throws a head kick that half lands.
Penn Jr tries to land a leg kick but Barnes saw it coming and moves away.
Barnes connects with a leg kick. Penn Jr looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Barnes tries to land knees in the clinch but Penn Jr avoids the damage to the body.
Penn Jr has had enough of the clinch but Barnes keeps him there for the moment.
Barnes is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Penn Jr is defending well for now.
Barnes tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Penn Jr avoiding damage as Barnes throws knees to the body.
Barnes looking to throw knees to the head but Penn Jr is blocking nicely.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barnes misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Penn Jr on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Barnes misses with some punches.
Barnes lands on the inside with an uppercut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnes has a couple of punches blocked by Penn Jr.
A right handed body shot lands from Barnes.
Barnes throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Penn Jr blocks it with crossed arms.
Barnes lands with a light punch inside.
Penn Jr looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Penn Jr wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Barnes has him pressed against the cage.
James Penn Jr has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Penn Jr wants to break the clinch but can't.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Barnes just misses with a elbow thrown towards Penn Jr's brow.
Penn Jr blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Barnes pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Barnes looking to throw knees to the head but Penn Jr is blocking nicely.
Barnes misses with a knee strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnes is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Penn Jr is defending well for now.
Barnes throws a knee to the head but misses.
Barnes tries to land a knee to the head but Penn Jr blocks with his arms.
Barnes lands a body punch - he's looking to wear down Penn Jr.
Barnes lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Penn Jr tries to break the clinch but Barnes is controlling the position.
Penn Jr avoiding damage as Barnes throws knees to the body.

Penn Jr pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Some bone on bone action there as Barnes checks a low kick. Luckily it wasn't a particularly hard one.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Penn Jr blocks a low kick nicely.
Barnes tries to close the distance and clinch but Penn Jr swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Barnes throws a nice outside leg kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
John Barnes showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Barnes has outscored his opponent in every aspect of the fight today. Only a scarily incompetent judge or two will keep him from a well deserved win... 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 Ryoma Takatsuka scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jeff Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Paul Gruel scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... John Barnes!
John Barnes managed to slip a mention for his sponsors, Untouchable Fight Nutrition, into his post fight interview.