Tag: Renan Barao

When UFC 149 was first announced, fans immediately cited it as one of the summer’s most anticipated fight cards. With UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch as the headliner, who could’ve blamed them?

Names like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Thiago Alves, and others only helped to further fill out a spectacular fight card that made many fans so glad that the UFC finally decided to put on a show in Calgary.

But then, something happened.

Specifically, injuries happened—and along with a potential barnburner between Akiyama and Alves—the injury bug cost the card its headliner, as Aldo was forced out with an injury early last month. From there, injuries plagued the card further, claiming Claude “The Prince” Patrick as its latest victim and leaving an opening for Brian Ebersole to face James Head.

The casualty count for this card reads something like a who’s who, but the losses to the card have drawn away from something that MMA fans have forgotten completely: which is that this card still has all the potential to product an exemplary evening of top-notch mixed martial arts action despite the tremendous amount of injuries dealt to this event.

Is it a bit of a bummer that Calgary has to lose out on the long-awaited Aldo vs. Koch bout? It absolutely is, but the fact of the matter is that good fights are good fights, and every fight on this card has something for everybody to enjoy.

Of course, Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao for the UFC interim bantamweight championship is not the title fight many expected to see on this card, but who is to say that it cannot deliver the same electric masterpiece that many hoped to see out of Aldo vs. Koch?

Who says Hector Lombard and Tim Boetsch cannot bring out a scintillating middleweight showdown, or that Shawn Jordan cannot expect to last long with the likes of Cheick Kongo in a bout at least worth mentioning?

What about underrated fights like Matt Riddle vs. Chris Clements or even the FX-only bout featuring TUF 11 alumni Nick Ring and Court McGee? Do fights like these count for anything in terms of bouts that promise to make UFC 149 a memorable and potentially successful debut in Calgary?

 

Nobody’s saying that we should all act as though UFC 149 has gone off without any complications, because even yours truly can recall a true “Card of The Year” contender existing in what the UFC had planned at UFC 149—before all of these injuries occurred. However, let’s be fair to this card and cut it a little bit of slack, because after all, it is the first show in Calgary and fans will eventually call for more shows in the city, regardless of how this one turns out.

That’s just it, though—we don’t know how this card will turn out because it hasn’t happened yet. If the adage of 2011 holds any merit in a 2012 plagued with injuries, then no fan should subject this card to the “failure” label before it goes down tonight. It may not provide the action many thought they’d get to see, but they’re still going to get to see the sport in which they confide and believe in right in their own backyard.

Besides, isn’t it true that the fight cards that never look all that great are more-often-than-not the fight cards that we rank among the greatest ever? If so, then let UFC 149 come and deliver in the ways in which the MMA world believes it will flop.

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Despite many injuries plaguing UFC 149, the UFC has still brought us a championship fight between two of the top fighters in MMA today.

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber will take on Renan Barao for the interim UFC Bantamweight title.

While many fans may have hoped for Faber vs. Dominick Cruz III, this is still an exciting fight that you should not miss.

Here are some things fans should be looking for in this fight.

 

Faber’s Experience vs. Barao’s Confidence

Although both of these fighters are seasoned vets, Faber has more experience in big fights.

Faber was the long-time WEC featherweight champion, and he has been in the cage with names like Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver.

Although he has not fought the same names as Faber, Barao has had an impressive run of his own.

Barao has not been defeated since his first MMA fight back in 2005.

That’s an impressive 29 fights without being stopped.

Barao know’s what it takes to win and will come into this bout very confident.

If I had to chose though, I would take Faber’s championship experience any day of the week.

 

It could be a ground war

The key to winning this fight could be who wins the ground war.

Faber may have a wrestling and strength advantage, but Barao is a black belt in jiu-jitsu and has 13 wins by submission.

Faber is no slouch in the jiu-jitsu game either, and has 14 submission victories.

I would give a slight edge to Barao on the ground, but he will have a hard time trying to submit Faber, who has never tapped out.

 

Who wins the stand up game?

Both guys come into this fight pretty even with the amount of KO victories they have. Faber has seven while Barao has six.

Barao will be the more diverse striker, though.

If he learned anything from training partner Jose Aldo, he will attack the legs of Faber.

Look for Barao to be the quicker and more technical striker.

 

Who Will Win?

This fight could really be a toss up.

On the one hand, you’ve got Faber, who has been waiting for UFC gold and another chance at arch rival Dominick Cruz.

His desire for another fight with Cruz could be the deciding factor.

But on the other hand, there is Barao—A guy who has not lost in 29 fights.

You don’t win that many fights by only beating low-class fighters.

While he may not have fought champions like Faber, Barao has still faced some tough competition.

It will be a close fight that could go either way, but I believe Faber will win a split decision. 

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Injuries may have crippled some of the buzz for UFC 149, but there is still a wildly entertaining card for fans to sink their teeth into.

The headliner was supposed to be Jose “Scarface” Aldo against Erik Koch, but Scarface was forced to withdraw due to injury and the fight list had to be altered. Now it’s Urijah Faber vs. Renan “Barao” Pegado under the spotlight.

Both fighters have a ton at stake from a legacy perspective, which should make for a thrilling match. But that’s far from the only intriguing bout on the slate. Here is all the information needed to ensure you don’t miss a second of tonight’s action.

(Info coutesy of UFC.com)

 

Where: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Canada

 

Prelims on Facebook at 7 p.m. ET

Featherweight: Antonio Carvalho vs. Daniel Pineda

Lightweight: Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen

 

Prelims on FX at 8 p.m. ET

Bantamweight: Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera

Bantamweight: Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon

Middleweight: Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

Light Heavyweight: Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh

 

Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET

Price: $44.99

Stream: Official UFC website

Bantamweight: Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao

Middleweight: Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch

Heavyweight: Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan

Welterweight: Brian Ebersole vs. James Head

Welterweight: Chris Clements vs. Matt Riddle

 

Injury News

(via Yahoo! Sports)

It’s hard to overcome the thought of what could have been if it wasn’t for so many injuries.

In addition to the main event getting postponed, former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was pulled off the card once his opponent Thiago Silva had to bow out due to injury. 

And Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira still isn’t over his arm injury. He withdrew from his announced bout against Cheick Kongo.

Michael Bisping and Thiago Alves were taken off the card due to injuries.

So, while the depth of the card isn’t up to par with what fight fans expect, there is one fight that could more than make up for it.

 

Faber vs. Barao Prediction

Faber, aka “The California Kid,” may be 33 years old, but few fighters have the determination and focus that Faber has. Faber also possesses a versatile and technically-sound repertoire that has stymied opponents for almost a decade.

The problem is, he’s facing an opponent in Barao who holds a 28-1 record and hasn’t lost since his very first fight. If he wants to be considered an option to fight Anderson Silva, a dominating performance will be required.

The 25-year-old is on the fast track to being one of the major superstars in the sport with his unreal jiu-jitsu and submission skills.

It’s going to be an intense and bloody battle that will come down to who can deliver the stronger kicks to knock their opponent down and turn it into a wrestling match.

I’m going with Barao.

 

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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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