Renan Barao Pegado is unbeaten in his last 29 fights, and he will continue his streak against Urijah Faber.
The two fighters are evenly matched, but Pegado is brimming with confidence right now, and his quickness will be the decisive factor against Faber.
The 25-year-old Brazilian is 28-1 in his professional fighting career with one fight ending in a no contest, while the 33-year-old Faber is 26-5.
According to Sherdog, Faber is the second-ranked bantamweight fighter while Pegado checks in at No. 3.
The top fighter in the their weight class, Dominick Cruz, is currently out of commission with a knee injury. Cruz defeated Faber by unanimous decision in February 2011, but his only loss came to the “California Kid” in 2007.
A third fight between the fighters was expected to take place, but Cruz’s injury nixed those plans. Now, the winner of this bout will likely get a shot at Cruz when he is healthy.
Unfortunately for Faber, his chance at a grudge match will not arrive immediately, as Pegado will be too fast for him at UFC 149.
As noted by Sherdog’s Reed Kuhn, Pegado is aggressive with his striking attempts, and has unleashed 50 percent more than his bantamweight opponents.
Kuhn also notes that Faber is a more powerful fighter, but prefers to wait for the right moment to strike.
But Pegado is furiously active and these moments will not come often enough for Faber. The Brazilian’s constant jabbing will keep Faber from setting up a knockout blow.
The two fighters are extremely evenly matched in the ground game. Both are experienced in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 14 of Faber’s 26 wins have come by submission, while 13 of Pegado’s 28 wins were won this way.
With the matchup on the mat so close, and Pegado’s quickness limiting Faber’s power, this fight has an excellent chance to be determined by a decision.
If this is the case, the Brazilian’s ability to strike more often and keep Faber from landing many serious shots will earn him yet another win.
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