PBP Commentary

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

Barnes
vs
Garcia

194 cm
26
208 lbs
11 - 4 - 0

192 cm
21
220 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

Decent wrestler
Excellent MT
Insanely flexible

BJJ Brown Belt
Excellent boxer
Good gas tank

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 11 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Helsinki, John Barnes!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of New York, Rickson Garcia!
The judges for this bout are Andrew Berry, Paul Tew and Donald Grub.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Garcia throws a half hearted mid kick.
Garcia falls off balance throwing a combination

and Barnes holds on and brings the fighters into a clinch.
Barnes scores with an uppercut up the middle.
Barnes looking to throw knees to the head but Garcia is blocking nicely.
Barnes is trying to stall.
Barnes tries to throw a body punch but Garcia avoids it by throwing Barnes back against the cage.
Garcia has Barnes pushed against the cage.
Garcia lands a short shot on the inside that snaps the head of Barnes backwards.
Barnes misses with an elbow over the top.
Garcia works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Nice body punch from Garcia.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.
Garcia shoots in and drives through. Barnes sprawls well.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Garcia scores with a jab. Barnes acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Garcia throws a shot to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Nice straight punches there by Garcia. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Garcia.
Garcia is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
John Barnes is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Barnes avoids the body shot from Garcia.
Garcia dives in and grabs Barnes's left leg, looking for a takedown. Barnes pushes down on Garcia's head and hops out.
Barnes moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Garcia's jab looks to have found its range, popping Barnes under the eye.

It looks like John Barnes has been cut.
Barnes has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Garcia finds it's way round the side to connect with Barnes's head.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Garcia tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Barnes was well out of range. Poor timing from Garcia.
Garcia lands with a right hand.

Barnes is rocked!
Barnes feints and then cracks Garcia's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Garcia down.
Oh Barnes is still all over the place! His legs are completely gone! Will he be able to recover?!!
Barnes moves out of range of the body kick.
Barnes seems to have got his legs back now.
Garcia connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Barnes throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Garcia.
Barnes throws a nice outside leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia misses with a right hand

and Barnes counters by clinching up.

Garcia has Barnes pressed up against the cage. He's trying to work for a single leg takedown. Garcia pulls back from the cage and twists to the side, sending Barnes tumbling to the mat - Garcia dives into Barnes's guard.
The referee is asking the fighters to pick up the pace.
Barnes wants to improve his position but instead Garcia has moved into half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Barnes manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Barnes wants to sweep but no luck.
Garcia throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.
Garcia won't allow Barnes to get back to his feet.
Garcia stopping the sweep attempt from Barnes.
Garcia tries to free his leg and advance position but Barnes is retaining full guard.
Garcia has the superior BJJ but he's also working some ground strikes into his gameplan.
Garcia throws a big elbow that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia trying to control but Barnes is working from the bottom.
Barnes looking for a sweep. Not yet Barnes, not yet.
Garcia engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

Neither fighter is doing enough for the referee's liking and he's decided to stand them back up.
Garcia throws a lazy uppercut

and Barnes counters by moving into the clinch.
Garcia looking for a takedown.
John Barnes has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Rickson Garcia.
Garcia throws a punch but it's blocked by Barnes.
Barnes throws a knee to the head but misses.
Barnes using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Garcia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Garcia softening up his opponent with strikes, against the cage.
Garcia blocks an elbow strike.
Garcia displaying some good clinch control by pressing Barnes up against the cage.
Barnes tries to throw a body punch but Garcia avoids it by throwing Barnes back against the cage.
Barnes pushes off an throws an elbow but Garcia leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnes can't find room to land a body shot as Garcia controls the action.
Barnes unloads a knee to the mid-section.
Garcia takes a knee right on the jaw!
Barnes blocks a couple of punches on the inside.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barnes misses with a punch to the body.
Garcia is trying to pull guard but Barnes turns him against the cage and we stay in the clinch.
Barnes misses with a punch on the inside.
Garcia throws a hook to the body. More of an arm punch but it's all scoring with the judges.
Barnes with an attempt at a knee that misses.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Barnes.
The two fighters are working to gain dominance in the clinch.
Nice body punch from Barnes.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Garcia wants a takedown but no success here.
Garcia on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Garcia fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Garcia lands a left hand.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Rickson Garcia dominated that round.
The cut man is working on John Barnes's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Garcia throws a lazy right hand but Barnes sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
A decent looking cross lands there for Garcia.
Garcia swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Barnes fakes a jab and throws a low kick but Garcia checks it well.
A low kick from Barnes is predictable there

and Garcia counters by moving into the clinch. Good anticipation by Garcia.
Still in the clinch, Barnes scores with a nice short uppercut.
Barnes misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garcia.
Barnes tries to break free but Garcia pushes him back against the cage.
The referee calls for Garcia to work.
Barnes landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Garcia working aggressively here.
Garcia avoids a wild elbow strike from Barnes.
Garcia lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.
Garcia cracks a nice hook into Barnes's ribs.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia misses with the combination.
Barnes looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Garcia shoots for a double leg takedown but Barnes sprawls well. He's pushed Garcia's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Garcia moves out of range as Barnes throws a body kick.
Barnes getting the better of the striking in that exchange.
Garcia throws a body kick despite being completely out of range

and Barnes counters by moving into the clinch.
Garcia can't find room to land a body shot as Barnes controls the action.
Garcia tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Barnes stays in close to his opponent and throws a right hand to the body.
Barnes gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.

It looks like Rickson Garcia has been cut.
Barnes trying to land knees to the body.
A nice left hand lands by Garcia.
John Barnes has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Garcia lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia misses with a punch on the inside.

Garcia has hold of one of Barnes's legs. Barnes is fighting the takedown attempt but Garcia gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.
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!
Garcia trying to control but Barnes is working from the bottom.
Garcia won't allow Barnes to sweep him here.

Barnes has his feet on Garcia's hips. He pushes off and gets to his feet. Nice work.
A big left from Garcia misses.
Garcia throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A jab lands there for Garcia.
Barnes cracks the inside of Garcia's front leg.
Rickson Garcia seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Garcia throws a lazy head kick

and Barnes moves into the clinch.
Barnes throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Garcia blocks it with crossed arms.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Garcia as Barnes tries to tie him up.
Garcia misses with a body punch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnes blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Garcia blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
Garcia misses with a punch on the inside.
Garcia is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Barnes is keeping busy.
A left hand lands to the body for Garcia.
Garcia swings wildly with an uppercut but Barnes uses good head movement to avoid it.
Barnes misses with an elbow over the top.
Barnes blocking some punches.
Barnes tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Garcia avoids it.
Garcia goes for a takedown in the clinch but Barnes prevents it.
Barnes using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Garcia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia scores with a shoulder strike.
Barnes throws a punch but it's blocked by Garcia.
Barnes doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Barnes tries to work over Garcia's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Barnes.
Barnes lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Barnes misses with a body punch.
Barnes misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garcia.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Barnes.
Garcia leaning his opponent against the cage.
Barnes has a couple of punches blocked by Garcia.
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!
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Garcia lands with a light punch inside.
Barnes lands a knee to the body.

Garcia's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Rickson Garcia will probably get the nod - 10:9.
Both fighters have cut men working on them during the interval.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Garcia on the wrong end of a nice low kick. He's acting like it's no big deal but he doesn't want to take many more of those.
Rickson Garcia seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Garcia misses the shot to the body.
A telegraphed right hand from Barnes misses the target.

Garcia bobs and weaves into range and then changes levels and scores with a nice takedown into side control.
Barnes tries to strike from the bottom but misses.
Garcia scores with a couple of short elbows.
Barnes struggling a bit here.

Garcia thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Garcia working away.
Garcia scores with a couple of nice shots to the head there. The referee takes a look at Barnes to see if he's OK.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Garcia is putting a hurting on Barnes here, landing some big shots from side control.

Garcia is trying to get an arm triangle but Barnes is defending well.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barnes tries to bench press Garcia off him but Garcia keeps the position.
You can see the frustration on Barnes's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.

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

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

Garcia is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Barnes has escaped the position, nice work there.
Barnes sneaks back into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia lands with an elbow from half guard - that looked like it hurt.
Garcia passes the half guard and he's now in mount! Big trouble for Barnes!

Garcia with some aggressive grappling here. He's looking for submissions here, rather than waiting for the opportunity to counter.
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!
Barnes is trying desperately to improve position.
Garcia can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Barnes is looking to escape.

Garcia working to secure an arm triangle but it's not happening for him just yet.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnes sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Garcia wants to control but Barnes is keeping him busy.
Barnes makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Barnes.
Garcia tries to free his leg and advance position but Barnes is retaining full guard.
Barnes pulls Garcia in to control the position.
Garcia is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Barnes wants to stand up but Garcia is controlling him.
Garcia controls from within his opponent's guard.
John Barnes has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Barnes knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Garcia on the ground.
Barnes has Garcia pulled in close to control his posture.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee looks like he's ready to step in and stand the fighters back up.
Garcia 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.

The ref stands the fighters back up. John Barnes wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Barnes tries a low kick but Garcia avoids it.
Garcia looks to land a combination but Barnes avoids it well.
Garcia tries to land a front kick but Barnes steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Garcia lands an overhand right.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Garcia steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Barnes.
Barnes lands with an uppercut that bounces Garcia off the cage and back into range.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Garcia lands the left hand.
Garcia throws a shot from downtown. Barnes moves away and avoids it.
A swing and a miss from Barnes.
Garcia chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Barnes can pounce on him.

And that's the end of the fight!
Rickson Garcia comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Garcia 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 Andrew Berry scores the fight 27:30
Judge Paul Tew scores the fight 27:30
Judge Donald Grub scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Rickson Garcia!