PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Tyrese Mercado (ranked 2986 p4p, 3394 weight class) and Mason Barbosa (ranked 316 p4p, 339 weight class). Tyrese Mercado has the better chin. Will he look to stand and bang today?

Mercado
vs
Barbosa

194 cm
25
155
1 - 0 - 0

182 cm
25
163
1 - 0 - 0

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
KO power

BJJ White Belt
Excellent boxer
Very confident

Black Lab Clothing

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 5 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Tyrese Mercado!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 1 - 0 - 0, fighting out of London, Mason Barbosa!
The judges for this bout are Taro Takaoka, Sosuke Kotani and Shirou Masuda.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!

Mercado rushes Barbosa and pushes him back against the cage in a clinch.
Mercado misses with the head strike.
Barbosa tries a shoulder strike but it doesn't do any damage.

Mercado breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Barbosa throws a lazy uppercut
enabling Mercado to counter with a crisp jab.
Mercado tries to clinch but fails miserably
and Barbosa cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.

Mercado moves into range and clinches up with Barbosa.
Barbosa looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Barbosa looks more muscular than last time we saw him. He must have been on the weights.
Mercado prevents Barbosa from breaking the clinch.
Barbosa misses with a punch to the body.
Barbosa misses with a hook to the ribs.

Barbosa breaks from the clinch.
Mercado wants to clinch.
We've had a slow start to the round here - hopefully the action picks up.
Mercado digs a good body shot into Barbosa's ribs.
Barbosa takes a jab on the nose there. A little bit of blood seems to be coming out. Hopefully that won't affect his breathing.

Mercado gets a clinch.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Mercado lands with a light punch inside.
Barbosa blocks an uppercut.
A short right hand to the side of the head by Mercado.
Barbosa can't find room to land a body shot as Mercado controls the action.
Mercado lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Barbosa backwards.
Mercado lands a right hand that snaps the head of Barbosa backwards.
Barbosa doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Barbosa struggles to land a body shot inside as Mercado controls his hands.
Mercado really does look like a pencil wearing a pair of gloves. Let's hope he has a gameplan to suit that ridiculous body shape.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Mercado.
Barbosa tries to work over Mercado's body with a swooping hook but it only glances the target.
Barbosa is trying to force a seperation but Mercado has the dominant position.
Barbosa struggles to land a body shot inside as Mercado controls his hands.
A short left from Mercado.

Barbosa escapes the clinch and we're back to striking.
Barbosa takes a swing at Mercado's ribcage but misses.
A little feinted left hand from Mercado on the counter but he doesn't commit to it.
Mercado wants to clinch.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercado ducks under a wild hook from Barbosa.
Mercado avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Jab, jab by Mercado - just one landing.
The crowd are loving this. Great action here.
Barbosa throws a series of punches but Mercado avoids them all with ease.
Mercado throws a right and a left that Barbosa avoids nicely.
And an attempted straight right on the counter from Barbosa! But no joy.
A slow jab from Barbosa misses its intended target.
Decent striking displayed by Mercado there.
Mercado doesn't manage to clinch there - Barbosa circles away.
Barbosa keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Barbosa avoids the clinch attempt nicely.
Mercado throws a predictable looking body shot
and Barbosa connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Mercado misses with the combination.
Mercado fails in his attempt to clinch.
Barbosa throws a series of punches but Mercado avoids them all with ease.
Mercado feints a straight left to the body, then turns around with a flashy move and hits Barbosas jaw with a dramatic spinning back fist!
Mercado connects with a hook to the side of his opponent's head.

Barbosa is rocked!
Barbosa misses with a straight right.
Barbosa is still on wobbly legs! Can Mercado finish him?

That's three minutes gone in the round.

Mercado moves into the clinch.
Mercado misses with a hook from the clinch.
Mercado misses with some punches.
Barbosa seems to have recovered his senses.
Barbosa misses with a punch to the body.
A head punch blocked on the inside by Barbosa.
Mercado lands a right hand.
A right hand to the body from Barbosa.
Barbosa lands a body shot in the clinch.

Mercado's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Mercado doesn't manage to clinch there - Barbosa circles away.
Barbosa listening to his corner there, landing a nice uppercut.
Barbosa circles away from the clinch attempt
and Barbosa counters with a nice jab to the body that keeps Mercado thinking.
Mercado uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Barbosa.
Tyrese Mercado seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Mercado lands a nice shot that snaps Barbosa's head back.

Mercado fakes with an overhand right and moves in to clinch with Barbosa, pushing him back against the cage.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barbosa tries to circle away but Mercado has him pinned against the cage.
Mercado lands with a good tight uppercut to the head.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Mercado lands a left hand.
Mercado blocks a body shot from Barbosa.

Mercado breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.
Barbosa throws out a powerful jab.
Mercado tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in to close the distance. Barbosa manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.

Mercado moves into range and clinches up with Barbosa.
Mercado misses with a hook from the clinch.

Mercado manages to break the clinch.
Mercado just misses with a punch to the body.
Barbosa connects with a crisp jab.
Nice defenses there by Mercado.

Mercado moves into the clinch.
Mercado lands a right hand that snaps the head of Barbosa backwards.
The crowd applaud the fighters' efforts here as the round comes to an end.
With the fighters clinched against the cage, Mercado creates a bit of distance for himself and scores with a nice uppercut.
Barbosa tries for a takedown but Mercado manages to get underhooks.
Barbosa misses with a hook from the clinch.
A hook to the body from Barbosa.
And that is the end of the round. The fighters go back to their corners.

Tyrese Mercado dominated that round.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Barbosa throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Mercado is looking light on his feet compared to last time was saw him fight.
Mercado swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Barbosa cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Barbosa walks straight into an uppercut. Luckily it didn't land flush.
Barbosa cracks a nice hook into Mercado's ribs.
Barbosa throws an off balance right hand
and Mercado counters with a shot to the ribs. That looked like it hurt.
Mercado misses with a hook to the body
and Barbosa counters with a good right hand that lands right on the jaw.

Mercado drives through and clinches with Barbosa against the cage.
A right hand to the body from Barbosa.
A head punch on the inside from Mercado fails to land.
Barbosa looks like he'd prefer to be striking at range right now.
Mercado working on landing some head shots here - that one got through nicely.
Tyrese Mercado has scored more points in the clinch so far.
An uppercut on the inside fails to land for Mercado.
Barbosa misses with a punch on the inside.
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!
Mercado has a couple of punches blocked by Barbosa.
Mercado lands a right uppercut that snaps the head of Barbosa backwards.
A short uppercut from Mercado.
Mercado swings away with an uppercut that misses.
Barbosa struggles to land a body shot inside as Mercado controls his hands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barbosa misses with a shot to the kidneys.
Mercado scores with a nice hook to the head.
Barbosa has had enough of the clinch but Mercado keeps him there for the moment.

Mercado's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Barbosa throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Mercado punishes Barbosa's body with a nice straight punch.
Mercado lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Mercado.
Barbosa misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.

Mercado forces Barbosa back against the cage and clinches.

Mercado's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.

Mercado moves into the clinch successfully.
Barbosa doesn't land with the attempted body shot.
Mercado has a couple of punches blocked by Barbosa.
Mercado lands an uppercut.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A frustrated look appears on Barbosa's face as he tries to break the clinch.

Mercado breaks the clinch and we're back to striking at distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Mercado scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.
Tyrese Mercado is winning the standup battle so far.
Mercado throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Barbosa connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Mercado fails with an attempt to clinch.
Barbosa circles away from the clinch attempt.
It seemed like Barbosa was going to counter with the hook but didn't fully commit to it.
Barbosa misses with a body shot. Nice footwork from Mercado.
Mercado lands a body shot.
Mercado tries to grapple but his opponent circles
and Barbosa cracks him with a counter punch right on the button.
Barbosa swings wildly with a couple of big hooks
and Mercado connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Mercado swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Mercado tries to clinch there but Barbosa circles away.
Tyrese Mercado is looking to throw some combinations by the looks of things.

Mercado has taken the fight to the clinch.
Mercado lands a big right hand that drops Barbosa! The killer instinct kicks in and Mercado finishes his opponent with a series of strikes from mount. A dominating finish by Mercado!

Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:57 of round 2, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Tyrese Mercado!