PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Miguel Noel (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Pedro Barbosa (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Pedro Barbosa has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Miguel Noel's chin.

Noel
vs
Barbosa

181 cm
18
193 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

185 cm
18
175 lbs
1 - 2 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Counter fighter
Inexperienced

BJJ Blue Belt
Brawler
Granite chin

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the middleweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Miguel Noel!
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, Pedro Barbosa!
The judges for this bout are Leandro Rodrigues, Matheus Silva and Luis Engracia.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Noel lands a nice looking body kick.
Barbosa looks really tired already! That doesn't bode well for a good, competitive fight!
Noel swats away the attempt to clinch by Barbosa.
Noel misses with a head kick.
Noel thuds his shin into the meat of Barbosa's side.
Good shot there by Noel.

Noel moves into the clinch.
Noel tries to work over Barbosa's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Noel stalls.
Barbosa has had enough of the clinch but Noel keeps him there for the moment.
Barbosa working aggressively here.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Noel missing with knees to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Noel misses with a punch to the body.
Noel stalling here - the referee won't stand for too much of that.
Barbosa wants to push off and get back to the center of the mat but Noel has him pressed against the cage.
Noel misses with an elbow strike.
Noel using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Barbosa managing to block the knees to the body from Noel.
Barbosa tries to circle away but Noel has him pinned against the cage.

Barbosa pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
The fight stays on the outside here - Barbosa looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Noel throws a sloppy head kick and Barbosa moves out of range easily.
Noel circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Noel keeps the fight on the outside.

Noel forces Barbosa back against the cage and clinches.
Noel tries to pull guard but can't drag his opponent to the mat. Barbosa just stands there and leans against the cage.

Noel pushes off and circles away, back to the middle of the mat.
Noel feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Barbosa's calf.
Noel fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Barbosa tries to close the distance and clinch up against the cage but Noel paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Barbosa connects with a body shot that sends Noel's belly button to the back.
Noel tries to clinch but Barbosa moves out of range.
Barbosa is looking to clinch but Noel is avoiding it.
Noel is looking to take this fight into the clinch.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Barbosa gets taken down but at least he's managed to land in guard.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Barbosa being controlled here, momentarily.
Noel wants to stand but Barbosa is controlling his posture from full guard.
Noel throwing strikes but missing.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Noel controlling from the top position.

Noel gets to his feet - Barbosa follows without any prompting.
The fight stays on the outside here - Noel looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Noel is looking to clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Barbosa tries to close the distance and clinch but Noel swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Pedro Barbosa seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Noel fails in his attempt to clinch.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Miguel Noel dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Noel wants to clinch but Barbosa slips to the side
and Barbosa counters with a good low kick that Noel was not able to check.
Noel moves to clinch but Barbosa breaks away
and Barbosa counters with a right hand to the body.
Barbosa fails with an attempt to clinch.
Noel keeps the fight on the outside.
Noel looks to land a body kick but Barbosa moved away.

Noel has taken the fight to the clinch.
Noel keeps control of Barbosa as he tries to wriggle out of the double underhooks.
Noel leaning his opponent against the cage.
Barbosa tries to land knees in the clinch but Noel avoids the damage to the body.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barbosa breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barbosa is breathing heavily.
Noel looks for the body kick but Barbosa saw that one coming.
Barbosa misses with a hook
and Noel counters with a low kick, right behind Barbosa 's knee.
A low kick from Noel misses
and Barbosa cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Noel is looking to clinch.
Noel is looking to clinch.
Noel tries to clinch but Barbosa is having none of it.
Barbosa swats away the attempt to clinch by Noel.
Noel tries to clinch up but Barbosa circles away and keeps his distance.
Noel pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Noel tries to clinch up.
Noel is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Miguel Noel is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.
Barbosa fails with an attempt to clinch.
Noel looks for the body kick but Barbosa saw that one coming.
Noel scores with a push kick.
Noel uses good footwork to get in and out, landing a nice hook.
Noel avoids a kick to the body.
Noel pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Barbosa circles away from the clinch attempt.

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Noel pushes Barbosa up against the cage in a clinch.
The fighters are starting to get sweaty, which will make takedowns a bit more tricky.
Noel just leaning against Barbosa, taking a breather.
Barbosa misses with a hook to the ribs.
Noel is trying to maintain a safe position but Barbosa gets an underhook and turns Noel into the cage.
Barbosa letting Noel take a breather here.
Noel throws an elbow but it's blocked.
Barbosa tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Noel avoids it.
Noel pressing his opponent against the cage.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Barbosa.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Some stalling of biblical proportions here from Noel.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Miguel Noel.
Noel tries to clinch but Barbosa is having none of it.

Barbosa moves into the clinch successfully.
Noel taking a breather.
Noel with an attempt at a knee that misses.

Barbosa breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Noel keeps the fight on the outside.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Barbosa wants to break free. God knows he wants to breaaaak freeee.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Miguel Noel dominated that second round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action! And we move into the final round!

A bone on bone clash there as Barbosa blocks the leg kick.
Noel looks to land a body kick but Barbosa moved away.
Noel tries to land a front kick but Barbosa steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Barbosa doesn't manage to clinch there - Noel circles away.
Barbosa misses with a straight left.
Noel misses with a low kick.
Barbosa takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Barbosa closes this distance looking for a takedown but Noel circles away.
Noel fails with an attempt to clinch.

Noel clinches.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Barbosa takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Noel is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the cage.
Noel taking a breather.
Barbosa is trying to break the clinch but Noel has him pressed against the cage.
Noel with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Noel changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Barbosa fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Barbosa wants to clinch but Noel slips to the side
and Noel counters with a nice low kick that buckles Barbosa's knee momentarily.
Noel doesn't manage to clinch there - Barbosa circles away.
Noel fakes a jab and scores with a low kick.
Noel is looking to clinch.

Noel fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Barbosa, pushing him back against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Barbosa as Noel tries to tie him up.
Noel taking a breather.
Noel works for underhooks and lands a body shot in the process.
Noel stalling in the clinch but Barbosa improves position.
Noel pushes off an throws an elbow but Barbosa leans to the side and avoids it. We're back to clinching against the cage.
The fighters are pressed against the cage, as the pace of the fight slows.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Miguel Noel.
Barbosa looks to score with a jab to the body but Noel is just out of range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Noel lands a leg kick that knocks Barbosa off balance momentarily.

Noel fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Barbosa, pushing him back against the cage.
Noel is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Noel pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
Noel trying to control the position but instead, Barbosa has worked for underhooks and has pushed Noel into the cage.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Noel can't seem to implement his control oriented gameplan at the moment. That's no bad thing of course, for those of us who want to see a good fight.
The ref breaks the fighters up, due to lack of action by Miguel Noel.
Barbosa lands a jab-cross combination.
Noel swats away the attempt to clinch by Barbosa.
Noel throws a quick head kick that skims the top of Barbosa's head.

Noel has taken the fight to the clinch.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Noel misses with a knee strike.
Pedro Barbosa has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Miguel Noel is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.
Barbosa lands a nice uppercut.

And that's the end of the fight!
Miguel Noel showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Noel 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 Leandro Rodrigues scores the fight 30:27
Judge Matheus Silva scores the fight 30:27
Judge Luis Engracia scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Miguel Noel!