PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Sala Barbo (ranked 230 p4p, 34 weight class) and Katu Partio (ranked 335 p4p, 51 weight class). Barbo comes to the cage accompanied by Nissim. Partio has chosen Sininen sunnuntai as his entrance music. Both these guys have really solid chins. Will we see a standup war or will they both decide that a knockout is unlikely and try to win the fight elsewhere?

Barbo
vs
Partio

172 cm
27
155 lbs
10 - 3 - 1

185 cm
30
160 lbs
15 - 9 - 0

Good wrestling
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Excellent grappler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Aspire Clothing
Bullet Proof System

KOMBAT KLOTHING

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 10 - 3 - 1, fighting out of London, Sala Barbo!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 15 - 9 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Katu Partio!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Timothy Bukovac and .

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Partio connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Barbo is the aggressor but that punch slipped nicely by Partio.
Partio has been working on his striking defense in training and it's paying off as Barbo is landing a low percentage of strikes.
Partio misses with an uppercut.
A good leg kick by Partio.
Barbo throws a push kick but Partio slaps the foot to one side.
Partio tries to land a leg kick but Barbo saw it coming and moves away.
Barbo throwing a counter right hand but Partio manages to avoid it.
Partio feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Barbo's calf.
Barbo takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Partio wants to slow Barbo down by chopping away at his legs.
Partio lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Barbo circles away quickly and effectively.
Partio buckles his opponent's knee momentarily with a nice leg kick.
Partio throws a low kick but his opponent is out of range.
Partio stuns Barbo with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Partio throws a leg kick
and Barbo counters with a good low kick that Partio was not able to check.
Partio misses with a body shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barbo on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Partio staying out of range there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Partio takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Partio tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Nice shot by Partio.
Partio misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Barbo fires out a quick counter leg kick but Partio just manages to avoid it.
Partio connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.
Barbo tries to work over Partio's front leg with a kick but Partio checks it.
Katu Partio seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Partio thows a left - swing and a miss!
Partio has his takedown stuffed
and Barbo connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Partio throws a low kick but it's checked well by Barbo.
Barbo moves out of range of the body kick from Partio.
Partio misses with a looping left.
Good leg kick by Partio there. It's the ones that make that thud noise that hurt and that was an almighty thud.
Partio moves out of range as Barbo throws a body kick.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Partio misses with a leg kick
and Barbo counters with a straight right hand.
Barbo steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Partio.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Barbo throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Barbo gets cracked with a nice right hand there by Partio.
Barbo ducks under an overhand right and circles away with a smile on his face.
Barbo scores with a hook to the body. Partio takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Barbo tries to land a front kick but Partio steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Partio is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
Jab by Partio.
Partio misses with a looping left.
Barbo throws a quick counter kick to the body but Partio avoids it.
Partio with a hook.
A low kick from Partio is predictable there
and Barbo counters with an outside leg kick.
Partio scores with a nice head shot.
Barbo is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Partio throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Partio takes a counter punch right on the button for his troubles.
Barbo looks to score with a jab to the body but Partio is just out of range.
Partio is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Partio, as that shot connected.
Partio misses with a kick to the body.
Barbo takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
A nice combination there by Partio.
Partio chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Barbo stuns Partio with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
Partio misses with a hook.
Barbo was looking to counter that move with a punch but didn't quite pull the trigger.
Partio with a hook.
Partio steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Barbo.
Partio is landing a lot of head punches in this opening round! Barbo had better start moving his head a bit unless he wants his face to turn into pâté.
Partio feints and then cracks Barbo's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Barbo down.
Partio rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Barbo counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Partio throws a right hand that misses
and Barbo counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.

It looks like Katu Partio has been cut.
Partio punishes Barbo's body with a nice straight punch.
Partio tries a head kick but it misses.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Partio lands a jab followed by a nice looking cross.
Partio throws a jab but it's blocked by Barbo.
Barbo takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
Barbo throws a sloppy body shot
and Partio connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Partio connects with a looping right hand.
Partio throws a sloppy head kick and Barbo moves out of range easily.
Barbo lands a jab to Partio's midsection.
Barbo takes one on the button.
Barbo misses with a straight left.
Partio jabs. That one connects to the head of his opponent.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Partio lands a front kick.
Barbo takes a shot to the nose. Hopefully that hasn't broken it.
Partio listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Partio misses with a right hand
and Barbo counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Partio thinking.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Katu Partio dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Katu Partio's cut.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A solid leg kick lands there for Barbo.
Partio throws a hook but Barbo blocks it.
Partio throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Partio thows a left - swing and a miss!
Barbo lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Barbo takes one to the side of the head.
Barbo looks to land a body kick but Partio moved away.
Partio throws a leg kick
and Barbo counters with a body kick that stops Partio in his tracks momentarily.
Partio throws a front kick aimed at Barbo's knee but Barbo avoids it well.
Barbo appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Barbo ducks low and lands a nice hook to the body of his opponent.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Partio defending well as Barbo loads up on a big left hand.
Partio uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Barbo.
Barbo throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
A clash of legs there as Barbo blocks the low kick.
Partio stooping low to avoid any incoming strikes and then lunges in with an uppercut come cross that lands flush.
Partio has been the more effective fighter overall so far.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barbo slips a straight right by Partio.
A looping hook to the body misses from Partio. Barbo does a little dance to reset his feet.
Partio misses with a leg kick
and Barbo counters with a solid body kick.
Nice defenses there by Barbo.
Katu Partio seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Partio fakes a couple of low kicks, before throwing one on the third attempt. It connects and Barbo has to reset his feet before getting ready to engage.
Barbo tests Partio's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Barbo throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Partio tries a low kick but Barbo avoids it.
Partio misses with a looping left.
Partio misses with an uppercut. Barbo saw that one coming.
Partio chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Partio throws a nice head kick!
Partio throws a hook but Barbo blocks it.
Barbo connects with a leg kick. Partio looked like he was expecting something else and didn't defend it.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Partio stuns Barbo with a nice body shot, before stepping back out of range.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barbo throws out a leg kick but Partio moves out of range and Barbo only half commits.
Partio misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Barbo.
Partio pushes Barbo away with a front kick.
Barbo cracks the inside of Partio's front leg.
Partio throws a leg kick but Barbo moved away.
An attempted straight right counter from Barbo misses the target.
Partio feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Barbos jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Barbo misses with a kick to the body.
Barbo chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Partio can pounce on him.
Partio misses with an attempted mid kick.
Barbo feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Nice takedown defense from Barbo. No joy for Partio on that attempt.
Partio scores with a decent looking hook.
Partio throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
Partio throws a head kick that misses

and Barbo counters into the clinch. Nicely done.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Partio wants to take the fight to the mat but Barbo manages to get underhooks and keep the fight in the clinch.
Barbo lands with a short shot to the head.
Partio blocks a body shot from Barbo.
Partio drops down looking for an ankle pick but Barbo pulls his leg out and moves away.
Sala Barbo has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Katu Partio.
Partio throws a right hand that misses
and Barbo counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Partio thows a left - swing and a miss!
Partio misses with a low kick.
A quick step to the side and Barbo tries to counter with a shot to the body but it doesn't connect.
Partio avoids the body shot from Barbo.
Barbo looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Partio lands a leg kick. The shin dug right into the meat of the thigh.
Barbo moves away from the strike by Partio.
A slapping leg kick lands for Barbo.
Barbo's corner calls for a 1-2. Barbo obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range.
Barbo checks a leg kick nicely.
Partio looks to score with a jab to the body but Barbo is just out of range.
An attempted straight right counter from Barbo misses the target.
Barbo keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barbo 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.
A looping hook to the body misses from Barbo. Partio does a little dance to reset his feet.
Barbo takes a jab right on the nose. That must have hurt but he shrugs his shoulders and looks to return the favor.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Barbo avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Barbo is looking to counter punch.
Partio throws a lazy body kick
letting Barbo counter with a right hand.
Barbo lands a kick to the ribs of his opponent. Nice work there - in and out in a flash.
The sound of bone on bone echoes around the arena as Barbo checks a leg kick.
Barbo swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Partio misses with a hook. Barbo ducked under it nicely.
Barbo listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Partio connects with an inside leg kick.
Barbo swings for the body but Partio moves out of range.
Partio is looking for the big counter here.
Partio darts in and out, connecting with a jab.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Katu Partio will probably get the nod - 10:9.
The cut man is working on Katu Partio's cut.
The referee calls time. The cornermen exit stage left and we're back to business. This is the final round!

Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Partio, as that shot connected.
Partio misses with a low kick.
Barbo misses with a hook. Partio ducked under it nicely.
Barbo moves out of range of the leg kick from Partio.
Barbo appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Partio keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Barbo.
Partio goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Partio throws out a loose jab but Barbo uses good head movement to avoid it.
Barbo swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.
Barbo swings for the body but Partio moves out of range.
Partio throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Barbo counters with a stiff right hand.
Partio uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Barbo has time to react.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barbo uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Partio.
Barbo throws the left hand but Partio avoids the punch easily.
Barbo throws a shot from downtown. Partio moves away and avoids it.
Partio scores with a head kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barbo misses with a body shot.
Partio scores with a push kick.
Jab from Barbo.
An inside leg kick from Partio misses.
Partio throws a nice looking combination but Barbo bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Barbo takes a nasty kick to the mid section... That should keep him thinking. Does he try and block and risk a head kick landing?
Partio misses with a body kick.
Partio misses with a hook. Barbo ducked under it nicely.
Barbo keeping at a good range here, avoiding a leg kick.
Partio is looking to score with low kicks.
Barbo is hobbling a little on that front leg after taking quite a few leg kicks so far in this fight.
Partio wants to land a leg kick but Barbo is out of range.
Left hook, right uppercut from Partio.
Barbo uses decent footwork to sidestep a right hand from Partio.
Barbo is looking to counter punch.
Partio jabs at Barbo's body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barbo misses with a body kick.
Partio throws a low kick but Barbo avoids it.
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!
Partio shoots in looking for a takedown. Barbo tries to sprawl out of it but Partio keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Barbo manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Barbo is looking to counter punch.
Sala Barbo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Partio rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
enabling Barbo to counter with a crisp jab.
Partio uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Barbo.
Partio throws a quick inside leg kick.
Barbo uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Partio.
Barbo appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Partio throws a hook but Barbo blocks it.
Sala Barbo is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Barbo slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
Barbo will be looking to protect his midsection after taking some solid kicks to the body.
Barbo showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Partio.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Partio takes a body punch that cleary hurt but he's trying not to show any weakness.
Partio works over Barbo's head and body with a nice combination.
Partio uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Barbo.
Barbo scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Partio clobbers Barbo with an overhand right that has the crowd gasping. That made a horrendous noise.
Partio takes an uppercut right on the jaw but it doesn't phase him.
Nice straight punches there by Partio. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Partio.
Partio throws a quick inside leg kick.
Partio swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Barbo misses with a wild combination.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Partio bobbing and weaving, closes the distance and lands a hook to the side of Barbo's head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barbo scores with a leg kick.
Partio scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one.
Partio throws a looping overhand right but Barbo ducks down to avoid it.
Partio lands a leg kick that knocks Barbo off balance momentarily.
Partio throws a lazy uppercut
and Barbo counters with a right hand to the body.
Partio misses with a right hand
and Barbo counters with a lovely straight right hand!
Barbo swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Partio drops down looking to force a counter takedown but Barbo defends it well.
Barbo lands a leg kick that knocks Partio off balance momentarily.
Partio tried to score with a low kick but Barbo checks it.
Partio scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Partio throws a nice inside leg kick.
Partio misses with a hook.
Barbo feinted there with a counter leg kick.
Partio misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Barbo.
Barbo swung with a counter right hand that didn't connect.

And that's the end of the fight!
Katu Partio comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I've got Partio 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 Jack Bonds scores the fight 28:29
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 27:30
Judge Percy O'Donnell scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Katu Partio!
Katu Partio decided to go for the less than humble approach in his post fight interview, telling everyone how he is going to conquer the world. The crowd seemed to like it when really that sort of approach could have gone either way.