PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a middleweight MMA rules bout between Jose Lopez (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Zack Barch (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). 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?

Lopez
vs
Barch

186 cm
22
199 lbs
8 - 4 - 0

190 cm
25
192 lbs
4 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Excellent MT
Granite chin

BJJ Purple Belt
Counter fighter
Powerful

Fight Night Nutrition

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 8 - 4 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Jose Lopez!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 4 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Hilo, Zack Barch!
The judges for this bout are Jeff Smith, Colin Fray and Chris Saunders.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Lopez tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Barch counters with a nice uppercut.
Lopez doesn't manage to clinch there - Barch circles away.
Lopez misses with a head kick.
Lopez is looking to clinch.
Lopez tries to clinch
and Barch counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
Lopez tries to clinch up
and Barch counters with a crisp hook to the side of the head.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Barch misses with a body shot

and Lopez counters into the clinch. Nicely done.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barch misses with the head strike.
A right hand to the body from Lopez.
Lopez lands with a short shot to the head.
Lopez just leaning against Barch, taking a breather.
Barch lands with a short punch from the clinch.
Knees in the clinch landing for Lopez.
Lopez lands an elbow inside that Barch shrugs off.

It looks like Zack Barch has been cut.
Barch can't break the clinch.
Barch tries to work over Lopez's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Lopez throws a punch but it's blocked by Barch.
Lopez tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Lopez blocks an elbow strike from Barch.
Lopez misses with an elbow strike.
Lopez landing knees to the head.
Lopez misses with a hook from the clinch.
Barch swings wildly with an uppercut but Lopez uses good head movement to avoid it.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barch scores with a nice hook to the head.
Lopez lands a damaging elbow.
Lopez lands a nice knee to the body.
Nice elbow from Lopez.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Barch.
Lopez crunches a lovely knee into Barch's ribcage.
Lopez swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Barch throws a head punch that misses.
Barch throws a head punch that misses.
Lopez throws a knee to the head but misses.
Barch misses with a punch to the body.
A nice left hand lands by Lopez.
Lopez blocking some punches.
Barch is trying to break the clinch but Lopez has him pressed against the cage.
Lopez swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Barch gets through Lopez's defenses to land a nice punch to the side of the head.
Lopez tries to land a knee to the head but Barch blocks with his arms.
Lopez working Barch over with knees to the body.
A knee to the head by Lopez.
Knees in the clinch landing for Lopez.
Barch looks winded!
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Barch.
Barch scores with a nice hook to the head.
Lopez tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Lopez lands a nice elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barch swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Barch blocks an elbow strike from Lopez.
Lopez lands a right hand.
Lopez blocks an elbow strike from Barch.
Lopez misses with a punch on the inside.
Lopez connects with a nasty looking knee right to Barch's face.
Lopez lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Barch backwards.
A right hand to the body from Lopez.
A head punch on the inside from Barch fails to land.
Lopez is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
A head punch on the inside from Barch fails to land.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Lopez lands a nice shot to the body.
Lopez is working Barch over against the cage.
Barch struggles to land a body shot inside as Lopez controls his hands.
Lopez crunches a lovely knee into Barch's ribcage.
Lopez lands with a left to the head.
Lopez scores with a knee to the head.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Lopez creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Lopez scores with a shoulder strike.
Lopez with a knee to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lopez lands a knee to the head.
Lopez lands a nice elbow.
Lopez with a knee to the head.
Lopez with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Barch can't find room to land a body shot as Lopez controls the action.
Lopez scores with a knee to the head.
Barch tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Lopez avoids it.
Barch tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.
Lopez tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Barch tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Lopez's elbow.
Barch takes a knee to the side of the body.
Barch has a couple of punches blocked by Lopez.
A right hand to the body from Lopez.
Lopez lands a nice elbow.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Lopez using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Lopez digs a right hand into Barch's ribs. Those have got to be taking their toll on Barch's gas tank.
Lopez connects with a nasty looking knee right to Barch's face.
A right handed body shot lands from Lopez.
Lopez with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jose Lopez dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Zack Barch's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action!

Lopez closes the distance and clinches.
Lopez tries to land a knee to the head but Barch blocks with his arms.
Barch misses with some punches.
With the fighters up against the cage, Barch throws an elbow but misses.
Lopez prevents a body shot from Barch.
Barch can't find room to land a body shot as Lopez controls the action.
Lopez putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Barch in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Lopez tries a knee to the head but Barch blocks it.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Lopez.
Barch is trying to push Lopez away but Lopez has him pressed against the cage, so he's going nowhere.
A shot in the inside from Lopez.
Lopez looking to throw knees to the head but Barch is blocking nicely.
Lopez can't find room to land a body shot as Barch controls the action.
Lopez landing knees to the body. They look like they could hurt.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Good anti-grappling being displayed by Lopez as Barch tries to tie him up.
Lopez lands an elbow inside that Barch shrugs off.
Lopez scores with a shot to the side of Barch's head.
Barch is breathing heavily.
Lopez with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lopez using the Thai clinch to land knees to the body.
Lopez lands with a light punch inside.
Lopez blocks a punch to the side of the head.
Lopez scores with a knee to the head.
Lopez has Barch pressed against the cage, preventing Barch from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Barch is trying to break free.
Lopez scores a nice knee to the body.
The referee is keeping an eye on Lopez - much more stalling and he will separate the fighters.
Lopez scores with a hook to the body.
Lopez is stalling here.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Lopez throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Barchs head.
Lopez landing knees to the head.
Still in the clinch, Lopez scores with a nice short uppercut.
Lopez unloads a knee to the mid-section. Barch lets out a prehistoric sounding urrrrgh.
Lopez goes for a body shot but it's blocked.
Lopez with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.
Lopez lands an elbow inside that Barch shrugs off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Lopez tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Barch lands with a quick shot inside that doesn't really do much damage.
Lopez crunches a lovely knee into Barch's ribcage.
Barch blocking some punches.
Lopez throws an elbow but it misses.
Jose Lopez has scored more points in the clinch so far.
Barch fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
Lopez misses with a hook from the clinch.
Barch throws an elbow that misses.
Lopez is really dominating this fight. Is there anything that Barch can do to turn this around?
Barch misses with a short punch on the inside.
Barch tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Lopez avoids it.
Barch throws a blind hook that connects with the side of Lopezs head.
Barch on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Lopez scores a nice knee to the body.
A left hand lands to the body for Lopez.
Lopez utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Lopez comes over the top with an elbow. That landed flush.
Lopez lands a nice elbow.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Lopez lands an elbow just above Barch 's eye.
Lopez landing some nice looking knees to the body.
Lopez is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Barch letting Lopez take a breather here.
Lopez blocks a body shot from Barch.
Barch takes a knee to the side of the body.
Lopez connects with a knee to the head.
Lopez misses with a knee to the head.
Barch takes a knee right on the jaw!
A knee to the head by Lopez.
Barch misses with some punches.
Barch managing to block the knees to the body from Lopez.
Lopez throws a punch but it's blocked by Barch.
Barch throws an elbow that misses.
Lopez has Barch pressed against the cage, preventing Barch from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Lopez lands an elbow inside that Barch shrugs off.
Barch has a couple of punches blocked by Lopez.
Lopez stalling in the clinch but Barch improves position.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Lopez lands a knee to the body.
Lopez throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Barch blocks it with crossed arms.
Barch avoiding damage as Lopez throws knees to the body.
Lopez blocking some punches.
Lopez throws a punch but it's blocked by Barch.
Barch swings wildly with an uppercut but Lopez uses good head movement to avoid it.
Barch lands with a short head shot on the inside.
Lopez gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Lopez tried to land a shot to the body but connects with Barch's elbow.
Barch avoiding damage as Lopez throws knees to the body.
Barch misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Lopez.
Barch is trying to stall.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Lopez tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Lopez lands an elbow that stopped Barch in his tracks for a moment.
Barch lands a right hand that snaps the head of Lopez backwards.
Barch swings away with an uppercut that misses.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Jose Lopez dominated that second round.
The cut man is working on Zack Barch's cut.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Barch avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Lopez tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Barch manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Barch misses with a few strikes there.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Lopez lands an elbow just above Barch 's eye.
Lopez utilising his Muay Thai to score with a knee to the body.
Barch letting Lopez take a breather here.
Barch tries a body shot but Lopez blocks it.
Lopez putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Barch in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Lopez scores with an uppercut up the middle.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Lopez tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Lopez tries a knee to the head but Barch blocks it.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Lopez connects with a knee to the head.
Barch lands a hook to the body. It's hard to tell if that hurt Lopez or not.
Lopez stalls.
Lopez is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.
Lopez trying to land knees to the body.
Lopez lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Lopez.
Barch blocks an elbow strike.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Barch.
Barch misses with a short punch on the inside.
Barch misses with some punches.
Lopez blocks an uppercut.
Lopez avoids the elbow strike from Barch, against the cage.
Lopez blocks a punch to the side of the head.
With the two fighters working up against the cage, Lopez just misses with a elbow thrown towards Barch's brow.
Barch on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Zack Barch has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barch looking to throw knees to the head but Lopez is blocking nicely.
Lopez dodges an elbow strike from Barch.
A head punch on the inside from Barch fails to land.
Lopez landing knees to the body.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Lopez lands a nice knee to the body.
Lopez lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Lopez landing knees to the head.

Barch lands a takedown into guard.
We may be looking at a referee standup if the pace doesn't pick up soon.
Lopez pulls Barch in close to his closed guard and prevents Barch from doing any damage or advancing position.
Lopez is trying to control the position but Barch postures up.

Lopez working for a triangle but Barch defends it easily.
Barch pressing down on his opponent's thigh, looking to pass guard. Lopez is keeping the position for now.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barch 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.
Barch stands up over Lopez, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Lopez is pulling down on Barch's head. It's preventing any offense from Barch, at least for the moment.
Barch wants to pass the guard but Lopez is keeping the position.
Lopez working a defensive guard here.

Lopez is active off his back here, looking for submissions.
Barch wanted to stand there but Lopez had control of the position.
Barch trying to control the position from guard on top but Lopez is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.
Jose Lopez is fighting for a decision here - he's started to take the cautious approach.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Lopez looking to hit a scissor sweep but Barch is one step ahead there.
Barch slips nicely into half guard.
Barch thumps the canvas. Not on purpose obviously - he just missed Lopez's head.
Lopez tries to get to full guard but Barch has control of the leg.
Barch tries to stand but his hand is stuck under Lopez.
The fighters are battling for position here. Lopez manages to regain full guard. Nice work.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
A real slowdown in the pace of the fight for a moment, as Lopez holds on and takes a little breather.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
There's a bit of a scramble here and now Lopez is on top in guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
Jose Lopez showed his dominance in that final round.
Well I reckon that's a shut out for Lopez, winning every round. Will the judges agree? They are the ones who matter, even if they are often depressingly incompetent. 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 Jeff Smith scores the fight 30:27
Judge Colin Fray scores the fight 30:27
Judge Chris Saunders scores the fight 30:27

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Jose Lopez!
During a confident post fight interview, Jose Lopez thanked all his fans. He seemed very genuine when describing how motivated his fans keep him.