PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Leon Barnett (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Johnny Castanon (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). These two fighters really are very evenly matched on the feet - it will be fascinating to see who can assert themselves in that aspect of the fight.

Barnett
vs
Castanon

191 cm
20
240 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

200 cm
18
270 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Intelligent

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Solid chin

Cripplers Corner

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Leon Barnett!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Los Angeles, Johnny Castanon!
The judges for this bout are , Timothy Bukovac and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castanon tries to bum rush Barnett with a series of wild strikes but Barnett uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
A jab from Castanon misses.
Castanon tries to bum rush Barnett with a series of wild strikes but Barnett uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Barnett keeps the fight on the outside.
Castanon misses with a jab, cross combination.
Barnett stuffs the takedown attempt from Castanon. Castanon gets slowly back to his feet.
Barnett circles away from the clinch attempt.

Castanon gets caught napping as Barnett dives in and scores a takedown. Castanon manages to retain guard.

Barnett decides to stand up and beckons his opponent to follow.
No luck with that takedown attempt from Barnett.
Castanon is looking to clinch but Barnett is avoiding it.

Barnett moves into the clinch successfully.

Barnett decides to pull guard.
Castanon is looking to stand up but Barnett won't let him.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Castanon postures up as if he's going to throw some strikes but drops back for an ankle! Barnett is in big trouble! He looks ready to tap! But no, he's escaped and dives on top of Castanon, into his guard.
Castanon can't keep his opponent in guard - Barnett advances to half guard, no doubt looking to mount.

Barnett is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.

Barnett is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Castanon sees it coming and defends easily.

Barnett seems to be working for a kimura but Castanon defends the submission attempt.
Barnett trying to control from half guard but Castanon is working away.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Barnett is thinking about going for an arm triangle but he can't free his leg.
Barnett is breathing heavily.
Castanon wants to get back to full guard.

Barnett is looking for a kimura but Castanon is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Barnett to get the leverage.
Castanon is looking to escape.
Castanon works his way to full guard. Good work.

Castanon is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Castanon wants to sweep here but Barnett controlling him for the moment.
Barnett working in close now, lands a nice elbow to the side of Castanon's head.

Castanon is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Barnett defends well.
Barnett makes a bit of distance and scores with some ground and pound, still in guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barnett wants to pass the guard but Castanon is keeping the position.
Barnett keeps in close for a moment and lands a decent shot to the side of Castanon's head.
Barnett is pushing down on Castanon's leg trying to pass to half guard. Castanon is fighting to maintain full guard but Barnett has managed to sneak the leg through.
Barnett is keen to just control but Castanon is a slippery customer.

Barnett is trying a forearm choke… I don't think that's going to do much at this level of the game.
Castanon manages to get to full guard.
Barnett distracts Castanon with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Barnett distracts Castanon with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Castanon throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.

Barnett drops back looking for a leg! Castanon is in trouble here! The fighters roll with the hold and Castanon manages to kick Barnett off! Barnett jumps back into Castanon's guard.

Castanon looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barnett trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.
Barnett stopping the sweep attempt from Castanon.

Castanon throwing his legs up looking for a triangle.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barnett trying to control but Castanon is working from the bottom.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Leon Barnett will probably get the nod.
Well, the break between rounds is over. Let's get back to the scrappin!

Castanon tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Barnett makes him pay by landing a thudding low kick.
Barnett closes the distance and clinches up with Castanon, looking for a takedown. Barnett pushes Castanon against the ropes but Castanon circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Castanon lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Barnett circles away quickly and effectively.
Castanon shoots in for a takedown but Barnett shows good takedown defense.
Barnett showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Castanon.
Barnett shoots in for a takedown but Castanon shows good takedown defense there and keeps this one on the feet.
Barnett throws a head kick that half lands.
The fight stays on the outside here - Castanon looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Castanon fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
A punch combination from Castanon misses.
Castanon is breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barnett misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Leon Barnett. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Castanon clinches.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Barnett as Castanon tries to tie him up.
Barnett is trying to pull guard but Castanon has him pressed against the ropes.

Barnett pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Johnny Castanon seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Castanon throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Barnett.

Barnett gets a clinch.
Castanon is trying to slow down the pace of the fight but Barnett is keeping busy.

Barnett has hold of one of Castanon's legs. Castanon is fighting the takedown attempt but Barnett gets the trip and lands the takedown into guard.
Barnett distracts Castanon with his right hand and drops a big elbow with his other arm.
Castanon is working the butterfly guard. He manages to land a nice scissor sweep and is now in half guard on the top. Nice move.

Castanon is looking for an arm triangle, whilst trying to pass to side control. Barnett doesn't seem that keen to cooperate though. No luck this time Castanon.
The fighters are trapped in the ropes so we're going to have a reposition here. The ref calls for a break and repositions the fighters in the center of the ring.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Barnett is looking to sinch up a guillotine here but Castanon pulls his head out easily.

Castanon is sneakily working for an arm triangle but Barnett sees it coming and defends easily.
Barnett is looking for a sweep. Castanon is wise to his cunning plan and keeps the top position.

Castanon is looking for a kimura but Barnett is holding onto that half guard position, so it's hard for Castanon to get the leverage.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Barnett makes some distance and scrambles quickly back to his feet. Nice work!

Barnett clinches with his opponent.

Barnett has clasped his hands together around Castanon's back... aaand, he's got a takedown into side control. Nicely done.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Barnett here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Barnett wants to control but Castanon is keeping him busy.
Barnett has knee on belly and now moves to full mount! Trouble for Castanon!
Castanon is squirming around, avoiding Barnett's attempts to control the action.

Barnett stands up from the dominant position, so we're back on the feet.
No joy there for Castanon, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
Castanon looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

Barnett shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Barnett showed some decent athleticism there.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barnett is trying to control. Castanon wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Castanon moves into full guard.
Barnett works over Castanon with some ground and pound from guard.
Castanon is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.

Castanon is working an open guard so Barnett takes the opportunity to get back to his feet.
The fight stays on the outside here - Castanon looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

Barnett throws the overhand right but ducks down into a quick takedown attempt. Castanon was covering up waiting for the punch and Barnett finishes the takedown easily into guard.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Castanon wants to get back to his feet but Barnett is in a dominant position and won't allow it.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Leon Barnett dominated that second round.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Castanon fails with a takedown attempt.
Barnett shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Castanon defends it nicely.
Barnett closes the distance and clinches up with Castanon, looking for a takedown. Barnett pushes Castanon against the ropes but Castanon circles to the side and manages to break the clinch.
Castanon moves in looking to clinch but Barnett pushes him off.
Castanon misses with a lunging right hand
and Barnett counters with a head kick.
The fight stays on the outside here - Castanon looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Castanon displaying good standup as he scores with a three punch combination.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

Barnett changes levels and drives through with a really nice takedown into side control. Castanon looks really pissed at himself for not defending that better.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barnett is trying to land an Americana. He has the arm isolated but Castanon is keeping cool and he's avoided the danger for now.
Castanon is looking for a sweep.

Barnett thinks about going for a far side armbar but bails out and retains the dominant position instead.
Castanon is trying to get back to half guard.
Castanon stops Barnett from passing to mount.
Barnett lands a knee to the body and a forearm to the face.
Leon Barnett overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

Barnett wants to work for a kimura but he's foiled early by Castanon, who protects the arm well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Castanon gets one leg under and gets the fight to half guard.

Barnett seems to be looking for submissions.
Castanon works his way to full guard. Good work.
Castanon looking to hit a scissor sweep but Barnett is one step ahead there.

Barnett gets to his feet - Castanon follows without any prompting.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Castanon doesn't manage to clinch there - Barnett circles away.
Castanon misses with a double jab
and Barnett counters with a two punch combo.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Castanon closes the distance and after a bit of a stuggle, scores a takedown into Barnett's guard.
Castanon won't allow Barnett to get back to his feet.

Barnett drops back for a leg! It's a sloppy attempt though and Barnett jumps back into guard quickly, to retain the dominant position.
Castanon looking to hit a scissor sweep but Barnett is one step ahead there.

Castanon had isolated an arm as going for a kimura. Barnett defends it easily.
Castanon keeping moving, preventing Barnett from controlling successfully.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barnett postures up and lands some nice ground and pound.
Castanon tries to land a sweep but no joy.

Castanon kicks Barnett off and gets to his feet.
Castanon falls off balance throwing a combination
and Barnett counters with a nice body kick.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Barnett manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Castanon on his heels. He'll look to pass Castanon's guard now, I'm sure.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Castanon wants to hit a switch here but Barnett passes into full mount! Oh no, disaster for Castanon there!

Barnett looks like he's working for a submission but he's not found anything just yet.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Leon Barnett.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Barnett, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 30:27
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 30:27
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Leon Barnett!
Leon Barnett seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.