The UFC 149 fight card may not provide a ton of depth after the unbelievable amount of injuries that have popped up recently, but at least one of the main events is still worth watching.
Urijah Faber will be fighting Renan “Barao” Pegado with the bantamweight interim title on the line.
Last time we saw Faber he was forcing Brian Bowles into submission back in November at UFC 139. But at the age of 33, the Team Alpha Male founder only has so many fights left in the tank.
His record stands at 26-5, but he has lost two of his last five bouts overall. “The California Kid” needs a victory here to work his way back up the ladder one last time. Can he win and secure another chance against champion Dominick Cruz?
He’ll be relying on his supreme cardio conditioning that has been his strongest trait for years. He pushes the pace early and it typically leads to takedowns. Based on his pre-fight interview with UFC.com, it sounds like that will be the plan once again: “Barao is a guy that starts hard and looks for the finish right away but seems to fade a little bit as the fight goes on.”
That sounds great on paper, but I have a hard time believing he can do that against Barao.
At the ripe age of 25, the Brazilian native has a sparkling 28-1 record, with 19 finishes. He mauls opponents with some incredible power punches and kicks that inflict serious pain.
While his fighting skills standing up are impressive enough, opponents are in deep trouble if the fight goes to the ground.
There is no question that Barao’s jiu-jitsu skills are incredibly advanced, and his submission game is top notch. If he gets Faber on the ground for an extended period of time, this fight will be called before the final round.
It appears as if Barao is going to be the next big thing in the UFC, and pummeling a talented but aging Faber is the natural progression to bigger and better things.
Faber is going to use his aggressive style early, and as long as Barao doesn’t drain all of his energy fending it off, this is going to be a fight that’s called before the finish.
Prediction: Barao wins via TKO in Round 3
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com