Another huge UFC card is set for Saturday as Renan Barao and Urijah Faber will do battle in the main event of UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
While that fight is certainly appealing, Barao is a fairly significant favorite and most expect him to win. That is the case when it comes to several other tilts as well.
Upsets are commonplace in UFC and you truly never know what is going to happen, but there are some high-profile bouts that seem a tad one-sided as the event draws closer. That doesn’t mean that upsets are impossible, but I would feel pretty confident with money on the line.
Here are the three biggest locks to get their hands raised in victory at UFC 149.
Renan Barao
There is no doubt that Brazilian grappler Renan Barao is one of the fastest-rising stars in UFC. The 25-year-old bantamweight has left several capable competitors in his wake and has never lost a UFC bout.
In fact, Barao has a career mark of 28-1 with his only loss coming to Joao Paulo in his first professional fight back in 2005. Barao has won 28 consecutive fights since and he has done so largely thanks to his vast submission repertoire, particularly the rear-naked choke.
Barao won’t be able to fly past Faber, as the American star is a tough test, but Barao is the clear favorite. Faber has some impressive wins on his resume, but he has fallen short in some of his biggest tests against the likes of Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo and Mike Brown. Barao may be his toughest challenge yet, though, and I like the nearly-flawless Brazilian to win again,
Brian Ebersole
He is only 31 years old, but Brian Ebersole has already competed in 66 professional fights and has a fantastic record of 50-14-1 with a no-contest. That type of success ensures that guys are always going to try to knock him off his pedestal, and that will be the case at UFC 149 when James Head challenges him.
Head is a promising welterweight with a record of 8-2, but he has never faced anyone with a track record half as good as Ebersole’s.
Head may have every intention of shocking Ebersole, but he veteran is an overwhelming favorite and there is good reason for it. Ebersole is one of the most versatile fighters in UFC as his 50 wins are pretty evenly dispersed across knockouts, submissions and decisions.
Ebersole is also on an 11-fight winning streak and seems to be getting better with age, so it would be foolish to pick against him.
Hector Lombard
Michael Bisping was originally scheduled to take on Tim Boetsch in a middleweight contest at UFC 149, but with Bisping on the shelf due to injury, Hector Lombard has stepped in. The 34-year-old Lombard will be making his UFC debut, but his reputation precedes him.
Lombard was a dominant force in Bellator and holds a career mark of 31-2-1, including a 25-fight undefeated streak. As good as “Lightning” Lombard is, UFC is a different animal.
He will face a very game opponent in Boetsch who is 15-4 and known for stopping fights early. Boetsch also tends to leave himself susceptible as well, and since Lombard is the more talented fighter, I expect him to rock Boetsch.
As an added incentive, Anderson Silva is in search of his next opponent, and an impressive performance could put Lombard in the driver’s seat. I believe that will be enough to motivate the UFC newcomer.
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