PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Dom Strach (ranked 5589 p4p, 0 weight class) and Jermaine Barksdale (ranked 3714 p4p, 0 weight class). Jermaine Barksdale will no doubt be looking to use his reach advantage to good effect.

Strach
vs
Barksdale

179 cm
26
210 lbs
1 - 0 - 0

190 cm
48
211 lbs
31 - 12 - 1

Decent wrestler
Counter fighter
Good chin

Good wrestler
Excellent MT
Heavy handed

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the light heavyweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Dom Strach!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 31 - 12 - 1, fighting out of St Petersburg, Jermaine Barksdale!
The judges for this bout are Aleksei Zolotukhin, Valeri Chadov and Ivan Kurochkin.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Barksdale clinches.

Barksdale gets the body lock takedown. After a quick scramble, Strach regains guard.
Barksdale slows down the pace of the fight for a moment. He'll need to remain active if he doesn't want to see the fight stood back up.
Strach on his back here. We all know that wrestlers don't like being on their back so let's see if Strach tries to get out of the position.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barksdale would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strach not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.
Barksdale content to stall in guard here.
The referee must be thinking about standing these guys back up.
Strach utilising some decent striking defenses from the guard, preventing the ground and pound.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up.

Barksdale moves into the clinch.

Barksdale breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barksdale pushes Strach away with a front kick.
Strach keeps the fight standing with a nice sprawl.
Jermaine Barksdale seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A solid leg kick lands there for Barksdale.
Barksdale shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Strach but Strach pushes him off and we're back to square one.
Strach half commits to a counter takedown before pushing away, out of range.
Barksdale fakes with a right hand and throws a good leg kick, right into the thigh. That had to hurt Strach.
Strach stuffs the takedown.
Dom Strach has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jermaine Barksdale.
Barksdale throws a head kick that looked like it stung.

It looks like Dom Strach has been cut.
Strach throws a right hand that Barksdale ducks under and follows up with a left that Barksdale also avoids with ease.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Strach throws a predictable looking body shot
and Barksdale counters with a series of strikes. Strach will be more careful next time no doubt.
Barksdale fails with a takedown attempt.
A combination from Barksdale does no damage.
Barksdale fakes and then throws a beautiful body shot. Strach looks a bit winded and takes a step backwards to take a breath.

Barksdale manages to get an easy takedown there - catching Strach on his heels. He'll look to pass Strach's guard now, I'm sure.
Barksdale stays in close to Strach's body and controls the position.
Let's hope that Barksdale has the urge to step up the pace any second now because for the last 15 or 20 seconds he's just been holding on tight.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barksdale pushing down on Strach's thigh, trying to pass to half guard. He's managed it... Nice work.
Barksdale content to control rather than advance.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Barksdale escapes and gets back to his feet.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jermaine Barksdale dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Dom Strach's cut.
The corners get their ten second warning. Both fighters stand from their stools and stare eachother down, ready to get back to the action.

Barksdale drives through and clinches with Strach against the cage.

Barksdale has managed to pull guard. Let's see whether he can work an aggressive guard. It will also be interesting to see what tactics Strach uses from the top position.
Barksdale has control of Strach's left arm, preventing Strach from doing any damage.

Barksdale working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Strach doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Strach manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Strach looks to be in better condition than last time we saw him fight. Obviously he's been working hard on his cardio.
Barksdale manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Strach manages to get himself to full guard.

We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Barksdale's corner is telling him to maintain position.
Strach wants to sweep but no luck.
Strach working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Barksdale.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barksdale gets to his feet - Strach follows without any prompting.
Barksdale tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Barksdale.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Barksdale.
Dom Strach is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Strach gets caught flat footed, as Barksdale shoots in with a quick takedown into guard.
Barksdale controls from within his opponent's guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Strach is pulling down on Barksdale's head. It's preventing any offense from Barksdale, at least for the moment.
Strach has momentary wrist control but Barksdale slips an elbow through the middle.

Barksdale stands and steps away. Strach gets to his feet too and we're back to the striking game.
Barksdale will have to do better than that with his takedown attempts.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice uppercut lands for Barksdale. That snapped Strach's head back.
Jermaine Barksdale seems to be getting the better of the standup.
Strach takes a kick to the side of the head.
Barksdale looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Strach changes levels looking for a counter takedown but doesn't commit.
Dom Strach has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jermaine Barksdale.
Barksdale shoots in but Strach avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Barksdale shoots in for a takedown - he's clinched up with Strach but Strach pushes him off and we're back to square one.
A jab from Strach misses.

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

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Strach is fighting off a takedown attempt but Barksdale is just too persistent for him and manages to trip Strach to the mat. Strach regains guard as soon as the fighters hit the mat.
Barksdale has been the more effective fighter overall so far.
Barksdale is working the ground and pound from guard. He might want to try advancing position though to get more of an impact.
Strach preventing the ground and pound from doing any damage.
Strach tries to land a sweep but no joy.
Strach knows he needs to get back to his feet asap. He's simply no match for Barksdale on the ground.
Strach can't do much from the bottom at the moment, as Barksdale controls the pace.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

Barksdale gets to his feet and steps away from his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jermaine Barksdale showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Dom Strach's cut.
That's time! Back to the action! This is the final round!

Barksdale clinches with his opponent.
Strach tries to score a body lock takedown but Barksdale shows good agility there to stay on his feet.
Strach stops a takedown attempt from Barksdale.
Strach has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Barksdale is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.

Barksdale breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barksdale tries for a takedown but Strach sees it coming a mile off and avoids it easily.
Barksdale shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Dom Strach has stuffed three takedown attempts in the round now. That's going to take a lot out of Jermaine Barksdale.
Barksdale shoots in for a takedown but Strach shows good takedown defense.
Strach drops down looking for a counter takedown but Barksdale sprawls and moves away.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Strach takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Barksdale is looking to clinch but Strach is avoiding it.

Barksdale instigates a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Strach throws a punch but it's blocked by Barksdale.
Strach goes for a body shot but it's blocked.

Barksdale breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Strach tries to close the distance and clinch up but Barksdale swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Barksdale shoots in looking for a takedown. Strach tries to sprawl out of it but Barksdale keeps driving through. The fighters are pinned against the cage. Strach manages to get underhooks and after a bit of a struggle, circles away and we're back to standing.
Strach misses with a hook to the body
and Barksdale counters with a straight punch to the midsection.
Barksdale shoots in for a takedown but Strach shows good takedown defense.
Barksdale lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Strach backs up against the cage.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barksdale misses with a takedown attempt - Strach sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Strach ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Barksdale moves away.
Barksdale darts in looking for a takedown but Strach gets double underhooks and turns Barksdale into the cage.
Barksdale fails with a takedown attempt.
Barksdale takes a big intake of breath there - he's definitely tired.
Barksdale fails with a rather predictable takedown attempt.
Dom Strach has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Barksdale rushes Strach and presses him up against the cage.

Strach has picked Barksdale up - he's going for a ride! Strach dumps his opponent to the mat with a thud and settles into half guard.
The fighters are battling for position here. Barksdale manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
Strach showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Strach working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Barksdale seems keen to control Strach's posture.
Strach throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Barksdale works some decent striking defense from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Strach got a little sloppy there for a moment and Barksdale has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Strach has managed to get both his arms back between Barksdale's legs - danger averted.

Barksdale looking for submissions off his back, moving his hips, looking for an opening.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Barksdale throwing strikes off his back to little effect.
Barksdale is trying to stand up but he's not managed so far.
Barksdale controls Strach momentarily but Strach frees himself.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.

The fighters are working up against the cage. Barksdale manages to wriggle his way back to his feet, so the fighters are now clinched against the cage.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jermaine Barksdale comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
Well Barksdale has outworked and out performed his opponent in all aspects of the game today. He was simply too good and the decision should be no more than a formality. 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 Aleksei Zolotukhin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Valeri Chadov scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jermaine Barksdale!