PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Aharon Sarkisyan (ranked 339 p4p, 44 weight class) and Sala Barbo (ranked 425 p4p, 54 weight class). Sarkisyan's entrance music is Ara Gevorgyan - Artsakh. A fine choice. Barbo has chosen Nissim as his entrance music. Sala Barbo has the power to score a knockout today if he connects clean with Aharon Sarkisyan's chin.

Sarkisyan
vs
Barbo

173 cm
28
163 lbs
19 - 9 - 1

172 cm
27
155 lbs
10 - 4 - 1

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Cardio machine

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Aspire Clothing
IniTech Nutrition

Aspire Clothing
Bullet Proof System

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 19 - 9 - 1, fighting out of Amsterdam, Aharon Sarkisyan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 10 - 4 - 1, fighting out of London, Sala Barbo!
The judges for this bout are Frank Antenori, Timothy Bukovac and Jack Bonds.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Nice jab there from Sarkisyan.
Barbo keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Sarkisyan wants to land a leg kick but Barbo is out of range.
Barbo throws an overhand right that lands on Sarkisyan's shoulder, as Sarkisyan tries to avoid the shot.
Sarkisyan appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Sarkisyan lands a nice looking kick to the body. Barbo takes a step back to recover.
Barbo has been spending a lot of time sparring his boxing in the run up to the fight, trying to sharpen up those hands and look for a knockout.
Sarkisyan lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Barbo is looking to land body kicks.
Sarkisyan throws a leg kick
and Barbo counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Barbo walks straight into a jab right on the nose. That one stung - he's blinking and trying to clear his head.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barbo throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Jab from Sarkisyan.
Barbo throws a poor cross that misses
and Sarkisyan counters with a thumping low kick.
Barbo throws a jab to the body, straight down the pipe. Boom. That sent Sarkisyan stumbling backwards but he manages to regain his composure quickly.
Sarkisyan looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barbo checks the leg kick nicely there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sarkisyan looks to score with a jab to the body but Barbo is just out of range.
It seemed like Barbo was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Barbo swings and misses with a hook to the body.
Sarkisyan tries to counter by moving into the clinch but Barbo manages to circle out of the way.
Barbo jabbing away but nothing is landing.
Sarkisyan misses the shot to the body.
Sarkisyan uses good head movement to avoid the hook from Barbo.
Barbo misses with a hook.
Sarkisyan moves into range and lands a nice leg kick.
Sarkisyan lands a nice shot to the body.
Barbo scores with a jab to the head.
Barbo feints and then cracks Sarkisyan's leading leg with a nice low kick. He's obviously looking to slow Sarkisyan down.
A nice combination there by Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan walks forward and throws out a flicking leg kick. Barbo checks it nicely though, as he moves to the side.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sarkisyan displays some good footwork, moving neatly out of range as Barbo throws out the jab.
Barbo misses with a body kick.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Sarkisyan scores with a jab to the body.
Aharon Sarkisyan seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Sarkisyan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Barbo was well out of range. Poor timing from Sarkisyan.
Barbo tries to land a front kick but Sarkisyan steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Sarkisyan cracks a nice hook into Barbo's ribs.
Sarkisyan ducks down and throws a hook to the body.
A looping hook to the body misses from Barbo. Sarkisyan does a little dance to reset his feet.
Sarkisyan looks to land a body kick but Barbo moved away.
Barbo throws a hook but Sarkisyan blocks it.
Sarkisyan slips in close and lands a nice hook before moving back out of range.
A decent looking body kick lands there for Barbo.
Sarkisyan throws a big shot that misses.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
A lazy body kick from Barbo

and Sarkisyan counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Barbo struggles to land a body shot inside as Sarkisyan controls his hands.
A right handed body shot lands from Sarkisyan.
Barbo misses with a short punch on the inside.
Sarkisyan lands a body shot.
Sarkisyan misses with a punch to the body.
Barbo lands a shoulder strike that jolts his opponent's head backwards.
Barbo goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Sarkisyan lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
A short uppercut from Sarkisyan.
A nice left hand lands by Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan takes a shot to the head.
Barbo scores with a shoulder strike.
Sarkisyan lands with a short shot to the head.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.

Barbo breaks the clinch.
Sarkisyan lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Sarkisyan throws a shot from downtown. Barbo moves away and avoids it.
Barbo is trying to counter with his kicks.
A low kick from Sarkisyan is predictable there
and Barbo counters nicely by changing levels and landing a hook to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sarkisyan misses with a low kick.
Sarkisyan throws a low kick but Barbo moves out of range easily.
Barbo looked like he wanted to counter with a punch but didn't throw it.
Sarkisyan throws a lazy right hand but Barbo sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Barbo scores with a hook.
Sarkisyan paws at his opponent with the jab and then lunges in with a straight, right on the button.
Sarkisyan misses with an attempted mid kick.
A countering left hand to the body from Barbo misses.
Barbo is looking to land body kicks.
Sarkisyan appeared to be looking to counter that last move with a leg kick.
Jab, jab by Barbo - just one landing.
Sarkisyan throws a leg kick that is checked
and Barbo counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Sarkisyan looks to land a body kick but Barbo moved away.
Sarkisyan slips under a jab from Barbo.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
Barbo scores with a punch to the head.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aharon Sarkisyan dominated that round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Good exchange - Barbo coming out on top.
Sarkisyan jabs Barbo to the body, keeping him at a distance.
Barbo takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Sarkisyan backing away here, and Barbo unleashes a leg kick that just misses.
Barbo checks a low kick from Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan shapes like he's going to throw a leg kick but settles back down.
Sarkisyan rushes forward with a series of wild hooks but Barbo moves out of range and avoids them all easily.
Barbo throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Barbo tries to land a front kick but Sarkisyan steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
Barbo uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Sarkisyan.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Barbo! But no joy.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barbo takes a solid shot to the body. That one hurt him but he's trying not to show it.
Sarkisyan connects with a leg kick. He turned his hip over nicely there.
Sarkisyan slips under a jab.
Barbo checks a leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sarkisyan chopping away at his opponent's legs.
Sarkisyan cracks Barbo with a good shot that sees him stumbling back into the cage.
Barbo avoids the body shot from Sarkisyan.
Barbo misses with a body kick.
Barbo is looking to land body kicks.
Barbo showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Barbo was well out of range. Poor timing from Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Barbo takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Sarkisyan scores with a jab to the jaw.
Barbo bobs and weaves and then throws a good body kick.
Aharon Sarkisyan is winning the standup battle so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Sarkisyan lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
Barbo takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Barbo only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Sarkisyan lands with a shot to the body.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barbo misses with a hook.
Barbo tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Sarkisyan was well out of range. Poor timing from Barbo.
Sarkisyan throws a body punch but Barbo moves out of range.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Barbo! But no joy.
Barbo blocks a head kick by Sarkisyan.
A low kick from Sarkisyan misses
and Barbo counters with a stiff right hand.
Sarkisyan attempts a low kick but it misses it's target.
Barbo misses with a lunging right hand

and Sarkisyan counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Barbo misses with a hook to the ribs.
Barbo misses with a short punch on the inside.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barbo blocks an uppercut.
An uppercut to the body lands inside from Barbo.
Sarkisyan blocking some punches.

Sarkisyan breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Barbo scoring well with a low kick there.
Sarkisyan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Barbo moves away.
Barbo looks to land a right hand but Sarkisyan moved out of range.
Sarkisyan tries to land with a swinging hook to the body but Barbo was well out of range. Poor timing from Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan throws a hook to the body but it doesn't connect.
Barbo swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Sarkisyan wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Barbo throws a low kick but it's checked well by Sarkisyan.
As Barbo looks to move away, Sarkisyan throws a big counter combo but Barbo just gets out of the way.
Barbo ducks under a wild hook from Sarkisyan.
Barbo flicks out a counter leg kick but Sarkisyan steps away.
Sarkisyan is looking to land body kicks.
And Barbo responds with a good body kick, but Sarkisyan manages to step out the way in time.
Barbo looks to land a body kick but Sarkisyan moved away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barbo misses with an uppercut. Sarkisyan saw that one coming.
Barbo takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.
Barbo lands a powerful looking uppercut that connected with his opponent's jaw.
This fight brought to you by 5M nutrition - it's mmmmm tasty. Nice jab by Sarkisyan.
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!
Sarkisyan moves out of range of the body kick from Barbo.
Sarkisyan checks a low kick from Barbo.
Sarkisyan throws a right high kick that is partially blocked by Barbo.
A slapping body kick lands there for Sarkisyan.
Barbo throws a monster uppercut resembling something out of street fighter but it doesn't land.
A good leg kick by Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan checks a low kick. Bone on bone - not my idea of a good time.
Sarkisyan misses the body punch
and Barbo counters with a lovely straight right hand!
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Aharon Sarkisyan dominated that second round.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action. This is the final round!

Sarkisyan lands the left hand.
Barbo goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Sarkisyan appears to be looking for a counter punch to the body.
Sarkisyan pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Barbo takes a body punch but keeps moving.
Sarkisyan scores with a slapping inside leg kick.
Barbo needs to keep his hands up - Sarkisyan had a free shot at his head there.
Barbo moves forwards but Sarkisyan connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Sarkisyan steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Barbo. That one must have hurt.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
A low kick from Sarkisyan misses
enabling Barbo to counter with a crisp jab.
Sarkisyan misses with a body shot.
Barbo connects with a solid leg kick.
Barbo throws a nice outside leg kick.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Sarkisyan throws a hook but Barbo avoids it easily.
Barbo scores with a leg kick.
Sarkisyan misses with a wild body shot.
Barbo swings away with a counter right hand but no contact made.
Sarkisyan just misses with a punch to the body.
Barbo steps in looking to counter with the mid kick but it doesn't connect.
Sarkisyan checks the leg kick nicely there.
Sarkisyan dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
Sarkisyan misses with an uppercut.
Sarkisyan throws a low kick, looking for Barbo's leg but Barbo calmly moves out of range.
Barbo throws a nice outside leg kick.
Barbo throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
A low kick from Sarkisyan misses
and Barbo counters with a left to the body.
Sarkisyan throws a hard body shot but it just misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A low kick from Sarkisyan misses
and Barbo counters with a thumping low kick.
Barbo uses some good footwork to avoid the body shot by Sarkisyan.
It seemed like Barbo was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Sala Barbo has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Jab by Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan lands a pitter patter jab to the forehead of his opponent.
Barbo takes one to the chin there.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Sarkisyan takes a swing at Barbo's ribcage but misses.
Barbo misses with a straight right.
Sarkisyan pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Barbo replies with a solid counter kick to the body but Sarkisyan blocks it well.
That kick from Barbo tenderised Sarkisyan's leg. Sarkisyan is trying to keep his angry face on.
Sarkisyan looks to throw the jab but Barbo is out of range.
Sarkisyan tests Barbo's chin there with a solid looking shot.
Aharon Sarkisyan is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barbo rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Sarkisyan counters with a body kick.
Sarkisyan throws an uppercut from half a mile away. Barbo sees it coming and avoids it easily.
Nice jab there from Sarkisyan.
Sarkisyan delivers a nice body kick.
Barbo has a pretty nasty looking mouse under his right eye.
Sarkisyan just misses with a punch to the body.
Sarkisyan jabs Barbo right on the nose. Barbo blinks but takes it well.
The fighters circling - Sarkisyan throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Sarkisyan avoids the head kick by Barbo.
Barbo chopped to the floor by a nice leg kick but he springs right back up before Sarkisyan can pounce on him.
The fighters circling - Barbo throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Barbo keeping his hands up high there, blocking the jab from Sarkisyan.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Sarkisyan ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Barbo moves away.
Sarkisyan throws a body kick but he wasn't in range.
Sarkisyan connects with a looping right hand.
Sarkisyan misses the shot to the body.
Barbo only half commits to the counter leg kick.
Sarkisyan keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Barbo waving his hands out in front of him, looking to distract Sarkisyan.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Sarkisyan lands with a head kick! That's gotta hurt.
Barbo tries to check a leg kick but that clearly hurt him.
Sarkisyan scores with a sloppy right hand. Barbo should have avoided that one.
Sarkisyan wings a very wild body shot but it does the job and lands to the midsection.
Barbo bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Sarkisyan's head backwards.

It looks like Aharon Sarkisyan has been cut.
Sarkisyan throws a head kick that misses and slips in the process. He scrambles back to his feet and the fighters circle.

And that's the end of the fight!
Aharon Sarkisyan showed his dominance in that final round.
Well Sarkisyan 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 Frank Antenori 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... Aharon Sarkisyan!
Aharon Sarkisyan seemed lost for words in his post fight interview but he remembered to thank his fans and directed everyone to his website.