PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a light heavyweight MMA rules bout between Kyle Leeper (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Nicolas Barcos (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). We have two fighters making their debuts here, so let's see who comes out of this one with their first professional victory.

Leeper
vs
Barcos

180 cm
22
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

200 cm
18
205 lbs
0 - 0 - 0

BJJ Blue Belt
Solid Muay Thai
Cuts easily

BJJ White Belt
Decent boxing
Solid chin

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 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Kyle Leeper!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 0 - 0 - 0, fighting out of St Petersburg, Nicolas Barcos!
The judges for this bout are Vladimir Khabensky, Ivan Kurochkin and Sergei Dronov.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Barcos misses with a series of wild punches.
Leeper is pinned up against the cage taking some big shots here. The referee is looking closely deciding whether he should stop the fight.
A head kick misses from Leeper.
Leeper slips a jab and a cross from Barcos.
Some wild striking there from Barcos.
Nice sprawl there from Barcos as Leeper shoots in.
Barcos smiles there as he lands a nice right hand right on the button.
A punch combination from Barcos misses.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Barcos uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Leeper.
Leeper looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Barcos is fending him off so far but Leeper persists. Nope, Barcos circles away and we're back to standing.
Sloppy strikes from Barcos. Those never looked like landing.
Barcos tries to bum rush Leeper with a series of wild strikes but Leeper uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Barcos tries to bum rush Leeper with a series of wild strikes but Leeper uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Barcos throws a right and a left that both miss.

That's one minute gone in the round.
A punch combination from Barcos misses.
Nicolas Barcos is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Leeper tries to clinch but Barcos is having none of it.
Leeper dodges the punch combination from Barcos.

Leeper forces Barcos back against the cage and clinches.
Leeper has Barcos pressed up against the cage and is working for takedown. Barcos manages to improve position though and keeps the fight standing.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kyle Leeper. That's going to take a lot out of him.

Leeper breaks from the clinch.
Leeper uses good footwork to avoid the strikes from Barcos.

Leeper moves into range and clinches up with Barcos.
A frustrated look appears on Barcos's face as he tries to break the clinch.
Barcos blocks a body shot from Leeper.

Leeper's corner calls for him to break the clinch, which he does.
Leeper fails with the takedown.
Leeper throws a combination but it was largely blocked by Barcos.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Nicolas Barcos seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Leeper closes this distance looking for a takedown but Barcos circles away.

Leeper moves into the clinch successfully.
Barcos jumps guard but Leeper stands there with Barcos around his waist. Barcos gives up and drops back to his feet. We remain in the clinch.
Leeper wants a takedown.
Barcos changes levels and goes for a takedown here. Leeper fights it off and pushes away nicely.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Barcos throws a two punch combo that lands nicely.
Barcos throws a lazy right hand but Leeper sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Barcos displays good takedown defense there as he swats away a double leg from Leeper.
Leeper is breathing heavily.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Nice shot by Barcos.
Leeper lands a leg kick and bounces back out of range.
Leeper moves forwards but Barcos connects with a nice, crisp jab.
Leeper goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Leeper misses with a takedown attempt - Barcos sprawls well and throws a nice strike on the way out which just misses.
Leeper misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Barcos lets the fists fly and connects with a left straight followed by a right hook.

It looks like Kyle Leeper has been cut.
Barcos has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Barcos connects with a crisp jab.
Leeper fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
Barcos lands a vicious shot with the stealth of a sniper and the strength of a viper. Are vipers that strong? I can think of lots of things that are stronger than a viper - not many rhyme with sniper though.
We've seen a great period of action over the last minute or so - credit to both fighters for going all out!
Barcos scores with a punch to the gut of his opponent.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Some wild striking there from Barcos.
Barcos misses with a double jab.
Barcos is using his reach advantage to land shots from outside his opponent's range.
Barcos misses with a series of wild punches.
Barcos will need to tighten up his combinations if he doesn't want to gas himself out, swinging at thin air.
Leeper is on the wrong end of a nice combination from Barcos.
Leeper changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Barcos tries to avoid it but Leeper manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Barcos to the ground. Barcos escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Barcos throws a right and a left that both miss.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barcos throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
No joy there for Barcos, who threw a few shots but didn't land.
The crowd cheers as Barcos lands an impressive looking overhand right. Leeper doesn't seem phased though.
This is turning into a torrid day at the office for Leeper. He's trying desperately to land a takedown but he's failing miserably and getting slapped silly on the feet to compound his misery.
Barcos scores with a jab to the jaw of his opponent.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nicolas Barcos dominated that round.
The cut man is working on Kyle Leeper's cut.
That's the end of the round. The referee orders the cornermen out of the cage so we can get back down to business.

Barcos moves into range and throws a combination. A nice jab followed by a hook to the body.
Barcos misses with a series of wild punches.
Leeper misses with a takedown attempt. He shot from a bit too far out.
Leeper looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Barcos swinging wildly here.
Barcos misses with a series of wild punches.
Nice sprawl there from Barcos as Leeper shoots in.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kyle Leeper. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Barcos shuffles to his left behind two crisp jabs. Leeper eats them both and turns towards Barcos to reposition himself and eats a stinging right hand-left hook combo.
Leeper shoots for a double leg takedown but Barcos sprawls well. He's pushed Leeper's face into the mat and manages to get back to his feet relatively easily.
Leeper shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Barcos swinging wildly here.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Nice straight punches there by Barcos. You know Roy Jones Jr respects the hands of Barcos.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Barcos, as that shot connected.
A punch combination from Barcos misses.
Barcos throws a combination but comes up with nothing but fresh air.
Barcos swings away but doesn't land with a series of punches.
Leeper looks for a takedown but Barcos sprawls well.
Barcos lands a jab, followed by a cross and another cross, as Leeper backs up against the cage.
Barcos bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Leeper shoots in for a double leg but Barcos sprawls well. That's going to sap some energy.
Leeper could do with losing a few pounds - he looks very soft around the mid section, to put it politely.
Barcos throws a nice looking combination but Leeper bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Leeper avoids a punch combination nicely.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Barcos, as that shot connected.
Barcos misses with a wild combination.
Barcos misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
A combination from Barcos does no damage.
Leeper fakes high and shoots in for a takedown but Barcos avoids it really well and circles away.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
A cross from Barcos lands.
Leeper shoots in but no luck this time.
Barcos tries to bum rush Leeper with a series of wild strikes but Leeper uses good footwork to avoid the assault.
Barcos jabs Leeper right on the nose. Leeper blinks but takes it well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barcos misses with a few strikes there.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Barcos connects with a jab.
Leeper fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Barcos scores with a jab to the body.
Barcos throws a right and a left that Leeper avoids nicely.
Some wild striking there from Barcos.
Leeper avoids a punch combination nicely.
Barcos might want to mix his strikes up a bit more. He's just going for head shots at the moment and that can become a bit predictable.
The fighters are going at a pretty good pace and they're both starting to sweat now.
Leeper shoots in but Barcos avoids the takedown attempt easily.
Leeper tries to clinch up but Barcos circles away and keeps his distance.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Leeper takes a punch right to his stomach. That took the wind out of him momentarily.
Barcos comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
A shot to the liver by Barcos. Beautiful body shot.
Barcos misses with a jab and misses with a cross straight after too.
Barcos fails to land with the punch combination there - jab, cross, hook, miss, miss, miss.
No joy there for Barcos, who threw a few shots but didn't land.

Leeper moves into range and clinches up with Barcos.
Leeper has a body lock and is looking for a takedown. Barcos is bouncing around trying to prevent the takedown and somehow he has indeed managed to stay on his feet.
Barcos drops to a knee looking for a takedown but Leeper gets the underhooks and prevents it.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Barcos tries to jump guard but he falls flat on his backside. Leeper smiles and moves away.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Nicolas Barcos showed his class in that round. I'd imagine he'll take it on all the scorecards.
The cut man is working on Kyle Leeper's cut.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. The crowd applaud as we get ready to start the final round!

Leeper shoots in for a takedown but doesn't get it.
Barcos throws a nice looking combination but Leeper bobs and weaves to avoid any damage.
Barcos slaps away a takedown attempt from Leeper, before circling back to the center of the mat.
Barcos misses with a two punch combination.
Leeper showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Barcos.
Barcos jabbing away but nothing is landing.
A telegraphed takedown attempt from Leeper is defended easily by Barcos.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kyle Leeper. That's going to take a lot out of him.
Barcos looks to score with a combo but nothing lands.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Leeper looks frustrated there after his takedown attempt is stuffed easily.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Barcos scores with a jab to the head.
Barcos keeps the fight on the outside.
Barcos throws a wild combination but nothing lands.
Leeper looks like he's developed a pretty tasty lump over his left eye. He'll need to avoid taking much more damage to that.
Leeper avoids a punch combination nicely.
Barcos misses with a double jab.
The fighters circling - Barcos throws out the jab but it was never going to land.
Leeper misses with a series of wild punches.
Barcos lands three nice shots there - that looked like it hurt!

Leeper moves into range and clinches up with Barcos.

Leeper pulls Barcos into guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Leeper is trying to keep Barcos in close.

Leeper is throwing his legs up, looking for submissions. Barcos is aware though and is defending well.
Barcos would like to get this fight back to the feet but can't get free from the closed guard.

Leeper is looking for a guillotine. You can't force these things though and Barcos defends well.
Leeper looking to control.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Barcos wanted to stand there but Leeper had control of the position.
Leeper controls Barcos momentarily but Barcos frees himself.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.
Leeper has a closed guard, preventing Barcos from standing up.
Barcos wants to stand and escape but instead Leeper has hit a sweep and he's now on top in guard.
Leeper wants to control from the top but Barcos keeps moving.

That's four minutes gone in the round.

Kyle Leeper has forced the referee to step in and bring the fight back to the feet.
Barcos swings wildly with a couple of big hooks

and Leeper counters into the clinch. Nicely done.
Leeper is looking to take this one to the mat.
Barcos jumps guard but his hands slip and he falls flat on his back. Well, he's made himself look a right mug there, as Leeper walks away with a smile on his face. Barcos gets slowly back to his feet and shakes his head.
Barcos jabs Leeper right on the nose. Leeper blinks but takes it well.
Barcos fails to land with a series of punches.
Leeper takes a shot to the body in his stride.
Barcos connects with a good right hand that stumbles Leeper. Leeper circles away out of range and recomposes himself.
The crowd applaud the fighters efforts here as the round comes to an end.
A looping hook to the body misses from Barcos. Leeper does a little dance to reset his feet.
Leeper changes levels and looks for a double leg takedown. Barcos tries to avoid it but Leeper manages to keep hold of a leg and drag Barcos to the ground. Barcos escapes though and pops straight back up to his feet.
Barcos throws a right and a left that both miss.
Kyle Leeper has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Nicolas Barcos is fighting for a decision - hopefully he's judged it right and he's actually winning the fight.
Barcos scores with a jab. Leeper acknowledges it with a nod of the head.

And that's the end of the fight!
I would just about give that final round to Nicolas Barcos.
I've got Barcos winning every round here. Surely the decision will go his way and he'll pick up a well deserved decision victory. 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 Vladimir Khabensky scores the fight 27:30
Judge Ivan Kurochkin scores the fight 27:30
Judge Sergei Dronov scores the fight 27:30

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Nicolas Barcos!
In his post fight interview, Nicolas Barcos started talking himself up. Luckily his charisma kept the crowd on side and gave him a good reception.