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UFC 149 Predictions: Renan Barao Pegado to Continue Win Streak vs. Urijah Faber

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 Fab…

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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UFC 149 Prelims: How to Catch Saturday’s Action on Facebook and TV

You don’t have to miss all of UFC 149 just because you can’t watch on pay-per-view. You might miss the more exciting bouts, but you have to take what you can get. Saturday’s UFC showdown, which will be held for the first time in Canada at the Scotiaban…

You don’t have to miss all of UFC 149 just because you can’t watch on pay-per-view.

You might miss the more exciting bouts, but you have to take what you can get.

Saturday’s UFC showdown, which will be held for the first time in Canada at the Scotiabank Saddledome, will stream two preliminary cards on Facebook while four more will be aired on FX.

The four main cards—including the much-anticipated bout between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao—will air on PPV.

The event is still worth watching, even despite the rampant injuries that have afflicted UFC’s top draws over the last couple of months. It’s especially worth watching now that all you have to do is click a “Like” button Facebook in order to get full access to the prelims.

According to The Orange County Register‘s Carlos Arias, president Dana White is confident in Saturday’s main cards, despite all of the shuffling that had to be done due to the injury plague.

In fact, he believes that the fact that UFC 149 is still happening is a testament to the fighters, who haven’t shied away from taking on tougher opponents as some of their options have fallen by the wayside. White told Arias:

“That’s another testament to the guys who fight in this sport. If this was a boxing card, this card would have been postponed. It would have been gone. We built another card and not just us putting the fights together but the fighters stepping up and taking these big fights.”

Even when an abundance of the biggest names are injured, UFC can still give the fans a product they’re excited to see. Here’s where and when you can watch this Saturday’s prelims.

Note: If you’re planning on watching on Facebook here, just remember that you have to “Like” the page first.

Preliminaries to be Aired on Facebook (7 p.m. ET)
via UFC.com

Antonio Carvalho vs. Daniel Pineda

Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen

Preliminaries to be Aired on FX (8 p.m. ET)
via UFC.com

Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera

Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh

Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon

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UFC 149 Live Stream: Storylines to Watch for in Calgary

As we head into UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we have a potentially explosive main event, along with several intriguing warmup fights.The event, scheduled for Saturday and available on multiple platforms, showcases Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber, …

As we head into UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we have a potentially explosive main event, along with several intriguing warmup fights.

The event, scheduled for Saturday and available on multiple platforms, showcases Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber, as well as a tuneup of a potential clash with Anderson Silva.

Here’s a look at some of the big storylines as we approach UFC 149.

Renan Barao’s Winning Streak

Renan Barao (28-1, 1 NC) has not lost a fight since his mixed martial arts debut in April 2005—that’s a string of 29 fights.

The 25-year-old Brazilian has gone 3-0 in the UFC, with impressive victories against Cole Escovedo, Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgenson.

Of course, he goes up against Urijah Faber (26-5), who is coming off a victory against a challenging bantamweight in Brian Bowles. Faber also has the reach advantage over Barao, which will make it easier for him to close the gap and proceed to do what he does best: ground-and-pound.

This is a hard pick, which is good because it probably means it’s going to be a great fight. Barao’s explosiveness and athleticism favors him standing up, but I don’t think Faber is going to allow it to be a standing fight. Faber’s best chance is getting as many clinches as he can and tiring Barao against the cage and down on the mat. I think he will ultimately execute a sound strategy, but he needs to watch out for those kicks from Barao, which were pivotal in the Brazilian’s victory over Jorgenson.

Implications of Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch

After Michael Bisping was forced out due to injury, Hector Lombard (31-2-1, 1 NC) will be pitted against Tim Boetsch (15-4).

The main thing to remember about this fight is that the winner will be a prime contender to take on Anderson Silva for the middleweight championship.

This should be a high-octane fight, as both competitors have won most of their fights by way of either knockout or technical knockout. Lombard is the more experienced fighter, but Boetsch is no slouch, and his heart and conditioning could make this an interesting fight.

I like Lombard in the end—with his striking ability, upper body strength and takedown defense—but Boetsch should certainly give him a test.

Youth vs. Experience

Brian Ebersole (50-14-1) versus James Head (8-2) should be an interesting fight, pitting a long-standing veteran against a competitor with a small sample of fights.

Ebersole has won 11 straight fights, but Head shouldn’t be taken lightly. He has a solid all-around game, apparently comfortable on his feet and on the ground and he’s coming off a victory in his welterweight debut against Papy Abedi (rear naked choke, 4:33, first round).

Head displayed strong fighting recently, but he has yet to square up with a fighter of Ebersole’s caliber.

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UFC 149: Renan Barao and Biggest Locks to Win at Major Event

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 t…

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.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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UFC 149 Fight Card: Power Ranking Every Fight on the Card

UFC 149 is set for Saturday, July 21, from the Scotia Bank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.The show will be headlined by Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, who will contest one another for the UFC interim bantamweight title. UFC 149 will also feature…

UFC 149 is set for Saturday, July 21, from the Scotia Bank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

The show will be headlined by Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, who will contest one another for the UFC interim bantamweight title. UFC 149 will also feature the long-awaited debut of former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard.

Here, we will take a brief glance at every fight on the card to determine what we can expect from each in terms of entertainment value.

Read on to find out which fights promise excitement, and which risk failing to deliver.

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UFC 149 Start Time: Where and When to Watch the Fights

The UFC returns to Canada tomorrow night for UFC 149. The main event features one of the biggest stars in WEC history taking on a hot prospect out of the Nova Uniao camp. It’s a can’t-miss event that is sure to fire on all cylinders. But, if you don’t …

Facebook Prelims

According to the UFC’s Facebook page, the prelims are available to be streamed beginning at 6:40p.m. EST. Fights to air on this stream include Mitch Clarke vs Anton Kuivanen and Antonio Carvalho vs Daniel Pineda.

FX Prelims

If you thought that the only exciting battles were taking place on the PPV portion of UFC 149, you would be missing out on some intriguing contests. Four fights fill the prelims, and should prove to be a delicious appetizer for what is to come.

Although there isn’t a lot of star power this time around, the FX prelims includes a rematch between Nick Ring and Court McGee. Ring actually eliminated McGee from The Ultimate Fighter tournament, but had to drop out due to a knee injury. McGee would be back as a replacement and go on to win the tournament.

Headliner Renan Barao isn’t the only fighter on the card who has a killer winning streak. Promotional newcomer Ryan Jimmo makes his long-awaited debut after an injury kept him out of a January debut. Jimmo puts his 16-fight streak on the line against surging light-heavyweight Anthony Perosh.

Additional fights include Brian Caraway vs Mitch Gagnon and Roland Delorme vs Francisco Rivera.

The action begins at 8:00 p.m. EST. Check with your cable or satellite provider for listings for FX and FXHD.

Pay-Per-View

The PPV kicks off at 10:00 p.m. EST with five main-card fights that may not feature many of the originally booked stars, but it hosts a series of fights that promise to provide fireworks.

Fights include:

Urijah Faber vs Renan Barao
Hector Lombard vs Tim Boetsch
Cheick Kongo vs Shawn Jordan
Brian Ebersole vs James Head
Matt Riddle vs Chris Clements

There are many options for viewing the fights. The PPV is available from major cable and satellite providers, as well as on UFC.com.

Some less conventional viewing methods include watching on the UFC’s Facebook page through Facebook Credits, or ordering through the UFC app on XBox Live.

Looking for a less costly option? Many sports bars like Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters or Applebees host the fights for their customers. For the price of a quesadilla appetizer and a beer, you get to watch a $54.99 PPV.

Attending the event live?

Doors at the Scotiabank Saddledome open at 4:45 p.m. local time and the PPV kicks off at 8:00 p.m.

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