PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Vartan Mamikonyan (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Romulo Barral (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Mamikonyan comes into the arena with True Armenian Hero blaring out of the sound system. The key to victory for Vartan Mamikonyan has got to be keeping the fight on the feet.

Mamikonyan
vs
Barral

179 cm
22
193 lbs
4 - 2 - 0

190 cm
30
216 lbs
19 - 7 - 0

BJJ Brown Belt
Great elbows
Insanely flexible

Powerful takedowns
Decent boxing
Powerful

Russian Top Magazin

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 4 - 2 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Vartan Mamikonyan!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 19 - 7 - 0, fighting out of Amsterdam, Romulo Barral!
The judges for this bout are Patrick Alders, Paulsen Ambrosius and Daniel Blasius.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Barral misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Mamikonyan.

Mamikonyan moves into the clinch successfully.
Mamikonyan misses with a knee to the head.
Barral managing to block the knees to the body from Mamikonyan.
Barral managing to block the knees to the body from Mamikonyan.
Mamikonyan using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Barral has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mamikonyan fails to land with a short punch on the inside.
A knee to the head by Mamikonyan.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Mamikonyan using the Thai plumb to throw knees but Barral has his back arched nicely, preventing the strike.
Mamikonyan tries to stall but Barral uses the opportunity to gain a better position.
Mamikonyan pushes off and fires off an elbow that misses, before clinching up again, against the cage.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Mamikonyan.
Mamikonyan tries a knee to the head but he's missed.
A nice glancing elbow lands by Mamikonyan.
Mamikonyan stalling in the clinch but Barral improves position.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Maybe Mamikonyan would be better served going for some more strikes rather than trying to control so much.
Mamikonyan misses with a knee strike.
Mamikonyan trying to stall but Barral improves his position.
Mamikonyan looking to throw knees to the head but Barral is blocking nicely.
Mamikonyan misses with a knee to the head.
Barral takes a knee to the side of the body.
Mamikonyan lands a glancing elbow in the clinch.
Mamikonyan landing knees to the body.
Barral managing to block the knees to the body from Mamikonyan.

Barral breaks the clinch.
A telegraphed right hand from Mamikonyan misses the target.
Romulo Barral seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mamikonyan lands a high kick!
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Barral misses with a left hand
and Mamikonyan counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.
Barral misses with an uppercut.
Mamikonyan slips under a jab from Barral.
Barral misses with a wild body shot.
Mamikonyan throws a series of punches but Barral avoids them all with ease.
Barral throws a jab when Mamikonyan was well out of range.

Barral shoots in and gets a takedown into half guard. Barral showed some decent athleticism there.
If this pace continues, the referee will definitely step in and force a standup.
Mamikonyan trying to control from the bottom.
Barral looking to pass the half guard. Not this time.
Mamikonyan is looking to control Barral's leg but it's slowly edging free. Can Mamikonyan avoid being mounted?
Mamikonyan wants to improve his position but Barral is controlling well.
Barral trying to mount his opponent but Mamikonyan defends it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Mamikonyan wants to get back to full guard.
Barral is nestled in close to Mamikonyan, controlling him well. He's worked in a nice elbow to the side of the head as well, for good measure.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Mamikonyan is looking to improve his position.
Mamikonyan might be looking to lock onto one of his opponent's long limbs for a submission, whilst we're on the ground.
Barral trying to control from half guard but Mamikonyan is working away.

Barral looking for a kimura but he'll have to free his other leg if he wants to finish that. Perhaps he's just using it as a distraction technique.
The fighters are battling for position here. Mamikonyan manages to regain full guard. Nice work.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Mamikonyan working for a triangle but Barral defends it easily.
Mamikonyan working the defensive guard well to avoid strikes from Barral.

Mamikonyan is working actively off his back, looking to secure an arm or perhaps work for a triangle.
Barral throws a big elbow that misses.
Barral trying to pass the guard but can't manage it just yet.

Mamikonyan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Barral content to stall in guard here.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.

Barral got a little sloppy there for a moment and Mamikonyan has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Barral has managed to get both his arms back between Mamikonyan's legs - danger averted.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Vartan Mamikonyan 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.

Mamikonyan tries to clinch there but Barral circles away.
Mamikonyan takes a shot to the eye socket. That's gotta hurt.
Mamikonyan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Mamikonyan misses with a jab, cross combination.
Mamikonyan fakes a head punch and goes low to the body. Nicely done.
Mamikonyan throws a shot from downtown. Barral moves away and avoids it.
Barral cracks Mamikonyan with an open hand slap.
A big left from Barral misses.
Barral looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.
Good shot there by Mamikonyan.
Barral misses with a body punch
letting Mamikonyan counter with a right hand.
Mamikonyan moves out of range of the body kick from Barral.
Mamikonyan loads up on a big right hand but Barral slips the punch.
Barral throws a jab but it's blocked by Mamikonyan.
It really doesn't seem like the step up in weight is hurting Mamikonyan here at all. He's more than holding his own against the bigger man.
Barral just misses with a punch to the body.
Barral ducks down and throws a hook to the body but Mamikonyan moves away.
Mamikonyan avoids a low kick by using good footwork.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Mamikonyan slips a jab from Barral.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Barral shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Mamikonyan is trying to control the position but Barral postures up.

Mamikonyan looking for subs off his back but Barral has passed one foot through into half guard.
Barral content to sit in half guard and control for a moment.
Romulo Barral has got the better of the ground game so far.

Mamikonyan actively working from the bottom here.
Mamikonyan wants to control but Barral is keeping busy.
Mamikonyan wants to sweep but Barral has passed to side control!
Mamikonyan takes a big shot right to the temple there but he's taken it well.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barral working the ground and pound.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barral grinds an elbow into Mamikonyan's temple.
Mamikonyan trying his best to control but Barral has mounted him.
Barral looking to control but Mamikonyan is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Mamikonyan is wriggling around trying to escape.
Mamikonyan wants to control but Barral is having none of it.
Barral has his opponent pinned against the cage, landing some nasty ground and pound that is really making a bit of a mess out of Mamikonyan's face.
Mamikonyan tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Barral controlling from mount.
Barral prevents Mamikonyan from getting the reversal.
Barral putting on the heat here with some good ground and pound!

It looks like Vartan Mamikonyan has been cut.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barral unloading with bombs!
Mamikonyan taking shots to the head.
Barral unloading with bombs!
Barral raining down hammerfists from mount.
Barral landing strikes from the mount and Mamikonyan is in trouble!
Barral with shots to the head and body - Mamikonyan looks very uncomfortable down there.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!
Mamikonyan keeping his composure momentarily, calmly looking to get back to half guard.

Barral is thinking about an arm triangle here, looking to tighten it up before moving to side control. Mamikonyan can see it coming though and defends well with a couple of strikes to the head and some good arm positioning.
Mamikonyan sneaks a leg back under and regains half guard and is working straight away to try and get back to guard. He hasn't managed just yet though.
Mamikonyan moves his hips nicely and gets into full guard.
Barral works a leg free and moves into half guard.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Barral missing with the ground and pound from half guard.
Barral is trying to control. Mamikonyan wants to improve his position but can't escape this time.
Barral is looking to stall here but Mamikonyan recovers full guard.
Barral tries to free his leg and advance position but Mamikonyan is retaining full guard.
Mamikonyan keeping moving, preventing Barral from controlling successfully.

Mamikonyan working from the bottom, still in full guard. He's managed to get a loose triangle. Barral doesn't seem to be doing much to defend here, obviously he feels comfortable in the position. Barral manages to throw the legs off his shoulder and he's back into guard - no problem.
Barral stands up and looks to throw the legs aside to pass to side control. Mamikonyan swivels though and keeps the full guard.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!

Mamikonyan is looking for a triangle here but Barral uses the submission attempt to pass into side control.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Romulo Barral showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Vartan Mamikonyan's cut.
The minute break is over - no more time for sponges and pep talks - back to the action! This is the final round!

Mamikonyan comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
The crowd cheers as Barral lands an impressive looking overhand right. Mamikonyan doesn't seem phased though.
Barral throws a body kick that misses.
Mamikonyan smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
Mamikonyan throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Mamikonyan avoids a kick to the body.
Barral takes a swing at Mamikonyan's ribcage but misses.
A left and a right from Mamikonyan both land. Nice combination.
Mamikonyan on the wrong end of a vicious looking body shot.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Barral.
Barral pushing out the jab but it's not landing.
Barral avoids the head kick by Mamikonyan.
Barral fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Mamikonyan manages to avoid it.
Mamikonyan catches Barral with a nice straight right. He seems pissed - ooooh, it's on now! On like donkey kong!

Barral shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Let's see what he's got on the mat.

Mamikonyan has an active guard here but Barral has managed to pass into half guard.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mamikonyan taking some punishment here, with Barral in his half guard.
Mamikonyan wants to control but Barral is keeping busy and won't allow it.
Nice strikes from Barral there.
Mamikonyan gets back to full guard.
Barral controlling from the top position.
Mamikonyan wants to sweep here but Barral controlling him for the moment.

Mamikonyan looking for submissions from the bottom here. Moving his hips around, possibly looking for an armbar.
Barral throwing shots from guard but he's hitting more mat than opponent.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barral wants to pass the guard but Mamikonyan is keeping the position.
Barral stands up over Mamikonyan, holding his feet. He dives back in and lands a decent shot to the head.
Hammerfist, elbow! yells Barral's corner. There ya go! There ya go!
Barral lands a nice shot whilst sitting in his opponent's guard.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barral showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Mamikonyan keeping full guard, as Barral tries to pass.
Barral missing there with some ground and pound from the guard.
Barral wants to control from the top but Mamikonyan keeps moving.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barral engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

The ref calls for a clean break and stands the fighters back up. Romulo Barral wasn't active enough on the ground.
Barral lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Mamikonyan slips a jab and a cross from Barral.
Barral swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Mamikonyan counters with a kick to the head that grazes his opponent. Barral is lucky that one didn't land flush.
Mamikonyan dips to his left and cracks Barral with an uppercut!
Barral takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Barral misses with a shot to the body
and Mamikonyan counters with a good, hard body kick but Barral shrugs it off.
Vartan Mamikonyan is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Mamikonyan misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barral lands with a nice body kick.
Mamikonyan pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Barral moving in and out of range nicely, whilst landing the scoring shot.
Barral throws a hard body shot but it just misses.
Barral thows a left - swing and a miss!

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mamikonyan scores with a hook to the body. Barral takes a step back and tries to catch his breath.
Barral bobs and weaves and throws out a fast jab that snaps Mamikonyan's head backwards.
Mamikonyan throws a nice looking combination but Barral bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Barral sees a low kick coming and goes to check it, but it's actually a body kick and it thuds into his unprotected ribs.
Mamikonyan walks into a jab.
Mamikonyan defending well as Barral loads up on a big left hand.
Mamikonyan checks a low kick from Barral.
Barral looks for the body kick but Mamikonyan saw that one coming.
Mamikonyan wants to clinch up but Barral keeps it at a distance.
Barral turns his hip over beautifully as he lands a nice leg kick.
Barral takes a head kick and shrugs it off.
Barral fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.

Barral shoots in for a takedown and gets it.
The crowd are going absolutely nuts as the round comes to an end - what a fantastic round of action!
Barral is trying to control the action in half guard but Mamikonyan is working away on the bottom, looking perhaps to get back to full guard.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Romulo Barral.
I think Barral has won this one but let's see whether the judges agree with me. 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 Patrick Alders scores the fight 28:29
Judge Paulsen Ambrosius scores the fight 28:29
Judge Daniel Blasius scores the fight 28:29

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Romulo Barral!
A relieved looking Romulo Barral thanked the fans for their support and gave the usual line about them being amazing. They seemed to believe that he actually meant it.