PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a welterweight MMA rules bout between Alex Garcia (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Giovanni Bernard (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). The key to victory for Alex Garcia has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Garcia
vs
Bernard

180 cm
24
170 lbs
3 - 5 - 0

183 cm
22
181 lbs
2 - 3 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Granite chin

BJJ White Belt
Brawler
Determined

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the welterweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 3 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Alex Garcia!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 2 - 3 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Giovanni Bernard!
The judges for this bout are Paul Aken, Aafke Stam and Nard Betker.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Garcia throws a sloppy head kick and Bernard moves out of range easily.

Garcia takes the fight into the clinch.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the body but he is off balance and Garcia avoids it.
Garcia takes an elbow to the temple.
Bernard misses with an elbow over the top.
Garcia working hard to break the clinch.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
A knee to the head by Bernard.
Garcia with the Thai clinch, lands a knee to the head.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.
Garcia shoots in with a takedown attempt and he has Bernard pinned against the ropes. Bernard gets the underhooks and manages to circle away.
Bernard takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Garcia throws a head kick that half lands.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Bernard is looking to clinch but Garcia is avoiding it.
Garcia shoots in but no luck this time.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Garcia misses with a series of wild punches.
Garcia lands a head kick. Bernard smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Garcia tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Garcia tries to clinch but Bernard is having none of it.
Bernard tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.
We've been informed that Bernard has been sparring a lot of Muay Thai in the buildup to this fight so let's see if that has an impact on the result.
Garcia avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Bernard tries to close the distance and clinch up but Garcia swats him away and circles back towards the center.
Garcia fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Bernard avoids it really well and circles away.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alex Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bernard rushes Garcia and presses him up against the ropes.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.

Garcia manages to break the clinch.
Bernard blocks a head kick by Garcia.
The fight stays on the outside here - Bernard looks like he's thinking about clinching though.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia circles away from the clinch attempt.
Garcia lands a lovely overhand right.
Garcia throws a head kick that Bernard semi-blocks.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Garcia shoots in looking for a double leg takedown. Bernard defends it nicely.

Bernard drives through and clinches with Garcia against the ropes.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.
Bernard lands a knee to the head there! That was nasty!
Bernard on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Bernard using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Garcia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.
Garcia is stalling here.
Bernard throws a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard looks winded!

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.
Bernard on the defensive, avoiding the knees to the body.
Garcia lands with a left to the head.
Garcia lands punches inside but they're not really causing much damage.
Bernard misses with a knee strike.
Garcia tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Garcia controlling the action here for a moment.
With the two fighters working up against the ropes, Bernard just misses with a elbow thrown towards Garcia's brow.
Garcia tries to circle away but Bernard has him pinned against the ropes.
Nice elbow from Garcia.
Garcia looking to stall.
Garcia blocks the elbow strike.
Bernard dodges an elbow strike from Garcia.
Bernard landing knees to the body.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.

Garcia breaks the clinch.

Bernard instigates a clinch.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Both guys are working to get underhooks.
Bernard lands a nice elbow from the clinch.
Garcia takes an elbow to the temple.
Garcia's corner are urging him to control the action in the clinch for a moment, rather than mount any serious offense. I'm sure the crowd appreciate those instructions... not.
Garcia wants to break free but Bernard has control.
Garcia doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Garcia stalling in the clinch but Bernard improves position.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Bernard misses with a knee strike.
Bernard with an attempt at a knee that misses.
Garcia connects with a knee to the head.
Bernard misses the knee to the body. Nice hip positioning from Garcia.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

That was a close round but I would say that Alex Garcia will probably get the nod.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Bernard stuffs a takedown. It's all about dictating where the fight takes place and Bernard wants it to stay on the feet.
Garcia is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Garcia is defended easily by Bernard.
Garcia tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Bernard paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bernard is looking to take this fight into the clinch.
Garcia shoots in for a takedown. "I don't think so" says Bernard as he avoids it easily.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alex Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Bernard clinches.
Bernard tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
The fighters are starting to perspire pretty heavily.
Garcia lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Bernard backwards.
Knees in the clinch landing for Bernard.
Giovanni Bernard seems to be working more effectively in the clinch in the fight so far.
Bernard with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
Garcia working Bernard over with knees to the body.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Garcia misses with a body punch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bernard trying to land knees to the body.
Garcia missing with knees to the body.
Garcia tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Garcia working hard to break the clinch.
Garcia takes a knee to the side of the body.
Garcia is trying to work out of this bad position, with his back against the ropes.
Bernard working Garcia over with knees to the body.
Bernard missing with knees to the body.
Bernard gets an overhook and lands an elbow to the side of the head.
Bernard throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Garcia blocks it with crossed arms.
Garcia missing with knees to the body.
Bernard putting his Muay Thai to good use. He has Garcia in a tight clinch and is doing some damage with knees to the body.
Garcia is trying to slow down the pace in the clinch, to catch his breath.
Bernard is trying to wear down his opponent with knees to the body.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Bernard looking to throw knees to the head but Garcia is blocking nicely.
Bernard throws a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Bernard tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but Garcia blocks with his arms.

Garcia breaks the clinch.
Bernard tries to clinch there but Garcia circles away.
Garcia bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Bernard's head backwards.
Garcia looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Bernard fails in his attempt to clinch.
Garcia circles away from the clinch attempt.
Garcia circles away from the clinch attempt.
Garcia pulls out of a head kick attempt.

Bernard gets caught napping as Garcia dives in and scores a takedown. Bernard manages to retain guard.
The referee wants the fighters to be more active or he's going to reset them on the feet.
Garcia trying to control the position from guard on top but Bernard is wriggling around, looking for whatever he can.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia postures up in Bernard's guard and throws a big left but Bernard blocks it.
Garcia throwing elbows and punches but not connecting, as Bernard works some decent striking defense from the bottom.
Garcia trying to control but Bernard is working from the bottom.
The fighters are tangled up in the ropes here. We might need a restart if the fighters can't break free themselves.
Garcia has decided he wants to stand but the closed guard of Bernard is proving hard to escape from.
Bernard wants to stand but Garcia is controlling the position.
Garcia working some ground and pound from guard but it's not doing any damage.
Garcia wants to control from the top but Bernard keeps moving.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Alex Garcia.
Garcia avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Giovanni Bernard seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia throws a head kick that looked like it stung.
Bernard misses with a looping left.

The fight moves into the clinch position.
Bernard tries a knee to the head but Garcia blocks it.
Bernard looking to throw knees to the head but Garcia is blocking nicely.
Garcia looking to slow down the pace here.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Garcia tries to throw a body punch but Bernard avoids it by throwing Garcia back against the ropes.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Garcia blocks a knee to the body. He'll have a nicely bruised forearm in the morning.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Garcia scores with a nice hook to the head.
Garcia throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Bernard blocks it with crossed arms.

Garcia breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close second round but Giovanni Bernard will probably get the nod - 10:9.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action. And we move into the final round!

Bernard looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
Garcia tries a switch kick but it misses it's target.
Garcia fails with a takedown attempt.
Garcia tries to clinch but Bernard is having none of it.
Garcia lands a head kick. Bernard smiles back at him and beckons him forward.

Bernard is rocked!
Garcia tries to close the distance and clinch but Bernard swats him to one side with an open hand palm strike and circles away.
Bernard is still on wobbly legs! Can Garcia finish him?
The fight stays on the outside here - Garcia looks like he's thinking about clinching though.
Bernard seems to have recovered his senses.
Bernard moves in looking to clinch but Garcia pushes him off.
Garcia will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Garcia tries to clinch up but Bernard circles away and keeps his distance.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Garcia swats away the attempt to clinch by Bernard.

Bernard darts in and clinches Garcia up against the ropes.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Bernard landing knees to the head.
Bernard throws a knee to the head but misses.
Bernard tries to land a knee to the head but misses.
Garcia using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Bernard has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Bernard is looking to score with knees to the body. Maybe he'll change it up and go body then head. Garcia is defending well for now.
Bernard using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Garcia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Garcia trying to stall but Bernard improves his position.
Bernard throws a vicious knee straight up the middle but Garcia blocks it with crossed arms.
Bernard misses with a knee to the head.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.

Garcia moves into the clinch.
Bernard pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the ropes.
Bernard keeps the fight in the clinch, despite Garcia's efforts to push away.
Bernard throws a knee to the head but misses.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Garcia is looking to break free of the clinch but Bernard has double underhooks.

Garcia breaks the clinch.
A left lands for Garcia.
Garcia shoots in looking for a takedown but Bernard manages to keep the fight standing, pushing Garcia's face into the canvas for good measure before circling away.
This has been an exciting period of action!
Garcia goes for a double leg but Bernard avoids the attempt and the two fighters end up clinched against the ropes as Bernard continues to drive forward.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Alex Garcia. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Bernard using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Garcia has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Bernard tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
Bernard with the Thai clinch. He's looking to land a big knee but he's not managed it this time.
A short right from Garcia on the inside.
A quick uppercut on the inside from Garcia.
Bernard has Garcia pressed against the ropes, preventing Garcia from circling away and getting back to striking at range.
Garcia wants to strike at distance but he can't break free of the clinch.
Bernard trying to land knees to the body.
Bernard throws a knee to the head but misses.
A battle for position here, against the ropes.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Garcia landing knees to the body.
Garcia trying to stall but Bernard improves his position.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.
Bernard doesn't manage to clinch there - Garcia circles away.
Garcia misses with a head kick.
Garcia tries to close the distance and clinch up against the ropes but Bernard paws at him with a jab and circles away.
Bernard tries to clinch but Garcia is having none of it.
Bernard takes one on the button.
Bernard is looking to clinch.

Bernard closes the distance and presses his opponent up against the ropes.
Bernard prevents Garcia from breaking the clinch.
Bernard misses with an elbow over the top.
A bit of stalling here from Garcia.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Garcia tries to break the clinch but Bernard is controlling the position.
Garcia takes a knee right on the jaw!
Garcia wants to stall.
Garcia dodges an elbow strike from Bernard.
Garcia takes a knee right on the jaw!
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!
Bernard tries a knee to the head but Garcia blocks it.
Garcia stalling.

Garcia breaks from the clinch.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Bernard wants to clinch.
Bernard wants to clinch up but Garcia keeps it at a distance.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Alex Garcia.
I think Garcia has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. 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 Paul Aken scores the fight 30:28
Judge Aafke Stam scores the fight 29:28
Judge Nard Betker scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Alex Garcia!
Alex Garcia thanked the fans post fight for their support.