PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a heavyweight MMA rules bout between Vincenzo Barker (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and William Pearson (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Pearson has a niggling injury. He would have liked to come in 100% fit but that's not always possible. William Pearson is the more experienced fighter, so let's see if that makes a difference tonight.

Barker
vs
Pearson

162 cm
25
279 lbs
0 - 1 - 0

193 cm
25
235 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Cuts easily

BJJ Blue Belt
Basic striking
Likes musicals

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 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Vincenzo Barker!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, William Pearson!
The judges for this bout are Daniel Cesar, Edson Gomes and Mauricio Rocha.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Pearson scores a trip takedown into side control. Nice.
Pearson looks winded!
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Barker can't do much from the bottom here.
Barker is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Barker might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Barker tries to buck Pearson off but Pearson is having none of it.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Barker is trying to control Pearson's posture but Pearson avoids it.
Barker tries to buck Pearson off but Pearson is having none of it.
Barker struggling a bit here.
The ground and pound from Pearson seems to be hitting the mat more than his opponent.
What's Barker going to do here then? He's in a bit of a pickle.
Barker is looking to reverse the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barker is working hard here to advance position.
Pearson looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Barker wants to control but Pearson postures up.
Barker sneaks back into half guard.
Barker is trying to maintain the position but Pearson is very close to passing his half guard.
Barker is going to have to think about doing something other than just controlling because Pearson is managing to avoid having the position dictated to him.
Barker gets back to full guard.
Barker wants to sweep here but Pearson controlling him for the moment.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barker is trying to hold Pearson in close to prevent damage but Pearson has managed to pass into half guard.

Barker pushes Pearson off and gets back to his feet.
Barker tries a head kick but it misses.
Barker really is a fat lump.
Barker tries to close the distance and clinch but Pearson swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Barker tries to clinch there but Pearson circles away.
Pearson tries to clinch
and Barker counters with a lovely shot to the body.
This has been an exciting period of action!

Barker darts in and clinches Pearson up against the cage.

Barker jumps into guard, dragging Pearson to the mat.
Pearson won't allow Barker to sweep him here.

Barker looking for a guillotine here but Pearson defends easily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barker trying to control the position.
Barker looking to hit a scissor sweep but Pearson is one step ahead there.
Pearson wants to control from the top but Barker keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.

We're going to have a standup here because Vincenzo Barker wasn't active enough for the referee's liking.
Pearson just misses with a punch to the body.
Barker lands a right hook to the body.
Barker fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Pearson.

Pearson fakes an overhand right and shoots for a takedown. Barker sprawls well initially but Pearson persists and gets the takedown into half guard.
Barker is trying to control but can't.
Barker is looking to improve his position.
Pearson trying to control the action but Barker is working from the bottom.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barker trying to control but Pearson postures up.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vincenzo Barker dominated that round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Barker has closed the distance and engaged Pearson in a clinch.

Pearson jumps guard.
Pearson tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Pearson can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Barker controls the pace.
Pearson avoiding any damage from the ground and pound.
Barker lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
Barker wants to control from the top but Pearson keeps moving.
Pearson is breathing heavily.
Barker 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.
The referee claps his hands together and tells the fighters to work.
Pearson preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barker gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
Good work by Pearson as he checks the leg kick.

Barker gets to the clinch - let's see what his plan is here.

Barker breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barker scores with a shot to the body.
Pearson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Barker throws a sloppy head kick and Pearson moves out of range easily.
Vincenzo Barker is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
A nice leg kick lands there from Barker.
Pearson takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Vincenzo Barker is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
The fight stays on the outside here - Barker looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Barker connects with a solid leg kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Barker closes the distance and clinches.
Barker jumps guard but Pearson turns him against the cage and keeps the fight standing.
Barker changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Pearson fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Barker connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Barker throws a head kick that misses
and he gets countered with a snapping leg kick.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barker fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Pearson drops down and drives through with a powerful takedown into guard.
Barker pulls Pearson in to control the position.
Pearson trying to stand up but can't free himself from Barker's guard.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barker has his hands on Pearson's head, controlling the position.
Barker'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.

The ref stands the fighters back up. Vincenzo Barker wasn't doing enough on the ground.
Pearson circles away from the clinch attempt.
Pearson lands with a two punch combination before moving back out of range.
Barker fails with an attempt to clinch.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barker misses with a few strikes there.
Barker tries to clinch but Pearson is having none of it.
Barker scores with a leg kick.
A good leg kick by Barker.

Pearson closes the distance and clinches up, looking for a takedown. He shifts his weight and gets a nice trip into half guard.
Barker flails away from the bottom but he's not doing any damage.
Pearson wants to lay and pray for a moment but Barker keeps working.
Barker makes his way to full guard. A much better position for Barker.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barker wants to sweep here but Pearson controlling him for the moment.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Barker looking to control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vincenzo Barker dominated that second round.
That's time! Barker's corner gives him a slap on the ass as he gets ready to fight. And we move into the final round!

Pearson misses with a series of wild punches.

Pearson gets a double leg takedown into Barker's guard.
Pearson won't allow Barker to sweep him here.
Barker has his hands on Pearson's head, controlling the position.
Barker lands a couple of shots from the bottom.
Barker trying to control the position.
Barker looking to sweep here. No luck so far.
Barker is adopting a defensive guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Pearson wants to control from the top but Barker keeps moving.

That's one minute gone in the round.

It looks like we're going to have a standup here. Neither fighter is doing enough on the ground.
Nice uppercut lands for Barker. That snapped Pearson's head back.
Pearson keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

Pearson shoots in and bounces Barker off the cage to secure the takedown into guard.
Barker is working from a closed guard but he's struggling to control his opponent.
Barker tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Barker looking to control.
Barker looking for a sweep. Not yet Barker, not yet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barker has Pearson pulled in close to control his posture.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Vincenzo Barker.

Barker has managed to clinch.

Barker manages to pull guard. Let's see whether he can land a sub off his back.
Pearson controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Pearson is looking to work some ground and pound but Barker has wrist control.
Barker trying to control the position here.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Pearson trying to control but Barker is working from the bottom.
Vincenzo Barker overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.

Barker escapes his hips to the side and looks to be working for an armbar. Pearson gives him a little smile and shakes his head. No chance.
Pearson is taking a break and basically stalling. The referee will not allow him to do that for long.

The ref stands the fighters back up. William Pearson was stalling too much, according to the referee.
Barker throws a sloppy head kick and Pearson moves out of range easily.
Pearson is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

Barker closes the distance and clinches.

Barker's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Barker has his head slapped from side to side by a 3 punch combination. That must have hurt him.
William Pearson seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Pearson closes the distance but Barker moves to the side

and Barker counters with a takedown into side control.
You can see the frustration on Pearson's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
Barker scoring with punches and elbows.
This has been an exciting period of action!
The strikes coming from Barker are missing the target in this wave of attacks.
Barker is maintaining the dominant position - no doubt Pearson will start to get frustrated soon if he's not already.

Barker decides to stand back up.
William Pearson has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Pearson bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Vincenzo Barker is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

Barker gets a clinch.

And that's the end of the fight!
Vincenzo Barker showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Barker 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 Daniel Cesar scores the fight 30:27
Judge Edson Gomes scores the fight 30:27
Judge Mauricio Rocha scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Vincenzo Barker!
William Pearson spoke after the fight, saying 'Just you wait.'.