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On Saturday night, the co-main event of UFC 149 featured a middleweight fight between Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch and the former Bellator middleweight champion, Hector Lombard.Many expected this match to be an absolute brawl, but it turned into more of…
On Saturday night, the co-main event of UFC 149 featured a middleweight fight between Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch and the former Bellator middleweight champion, Hector Lombard.
Many expected this match to be an absolute brawl, but it turned into more of a strange event, with neither fighter really engaging all that much.
Be that as it may, Boetsch earned a win over a big-name competitor, and is now one of the best middleweights in the planet.
Let’s take a look at the others.
On Saturday night, the UFC made its first ever trip to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as UFC 149 featured an interim bantamweight title fight between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao.In a five-round decision, Barao defeated Faber with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and…
On Saturday night, the UFC made its first ever trip to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as UFC 149 featured an interim bantamweight title fight between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao.
In a five-round decision, Barao defeated Faber with scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. The rest of the card featured some big names such as Tim Boetsch and Hector Lombard but none in the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters.
After a big fight in the bantamweight division, let’s take a look at where Barao and Faber rank across all divisions.
Sports are games of numbers. If a football game ends 28-21, we immediately know which team won. Similarly, if a basketball contest is scored 109-97 at its conclusion, we can automatically recognize the victor. MMA, however, is no…
Sports are games of numbers.
If a football game ends 28-21, we immediately know which team won. Similarly, if a basketball contest is scored 109-97 at its conclusion, we can automatically recognize the victor.
MMA, however, is not so simple. Numbers are involved in the game, sure, but we cannot simply look at a set of numbers and determine who won a given fight.
Metrics like “significant strikes” and “takedown efficiency” can tell part of the story of an MMA fight, but it only takes one punch, kick or submission to turn the tides in any given matchup.
For the main event at UFC 149, the numbers tell a story that you can trust. Renan Barao won based on the numbers FightMetric has provided, and he won in reality.
Let us take a look and see if we can break down this fight numerically.
Significant Strikes
In his matchup with Urijah Faber, Renan Barao landed 85 significant strikes to Urijah Faber’s 60. Watching the fight, I actually felt that Barao landed much more and that Faber landed much less.
However, the numbers don’t lie, and Barao held an edge, as expected, in this department.
What does it mean?
Barao’s edge in significant strikes only means that he was landing harder shots on a more consistent basis than Faber. Neither fighter was rocked or wobbled at any point in the fight; so, while the strikes may be labeled “significant,” the fight was a tale of volume more-so than power.
Grappling
Here is an important aspect of the fight, and the numbers tell the tale perfectly.
Many people, myself included, felt that if Faber could drag Barao to the mat, he would hold an advantage with his power and grappling prowess.
Here is a stat to crush that hope: 0-6, Faber’s takedown rate.
He shot six times on the Brazilian but was unsuccessful on each attempt, meaning that Barao was able to play his rangy striking game for the full 25 minutes of action.
Barao’s takedown defense looked good, and the numbers certainly back up what we saw.
What Does it Mean?
Faber’s inability to get the fight to the mat obviously means he had to stand and strike with Barao. This turned out to be a fight he simply couldn’t win, and Barao became the new interim champion thanks to his superior technical striking.
Leg Kicks
It is no secret that Urijah Faber has trouble defending leg kicks, and we saw that story play out against Renan Barao just as it did in his bout against Jose Aldo.
Barao landed 15 of 19 powerful leg kicks that clearly slowed Faber and reduced his ability to throw strikes and shoot for takedowns (a sentiment echoed in his 0 percent takedown efficiency).
Conversely, Faber returned fire only three times, connecting on each powerful leg kick he threw.
What Does it Mean?
The leg kick statistics show, as we already knew, that Faber is susceptible to having his legs attacked. Leg kicks rarely end fights, but the work Barao did in slowing Faber and reducing his overall efficiency was a key aspect to the fight.
Overall:
In total, Faber vs. Barao was a stand-up war that went the distance, so the numbers are relatively easy to dissect.
Barao landed more shots, more powerful leg kicks and avoided ever being taken down.
For that, he is the clear victor on paper, and he has a shiny UFC belt to back up these statistics.
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Tim Boetsch continued to shake up the middleweight division on Saturday night with a shocking split decision win over Hector Lombard.The victory snapped a 20-fight win streak for Lombard, who was hyped by many as the next legitimate threat to Anderson …
Tim Boetsch continued to shake up the middleweight division on Saturday night with a shocking split decision win over Hector Lombard.
The victory snapped a 20-fight win streak for Lombard, who was hyped by many as the next legitimate threat to Anderson Silva.
Since dropping to the middleweight division, Boetsch has taken out the likes of Yushin Okami, Kendall Grove and Nick Ring.
With the win over Lombard, “The Barbarian” joins Chris Weidman and Alan Belcher on the list of potential contenders for Silva.
It can be argued that Boetsch has defeated the stiffest opposition of the trio.
Okami is a former UFC title contender, and Lombard was the reigning Bellator middleweight champ before joining the UFC.
Could Boetsch be next in line for a title shot?
Here are five fights for him to take next.
Last night, Calgary witnessed the top bantamweights in the sport battle for the UFC interim bantamweight championship. For 25 minutes, the fighters exchanged strikes without any desire to go to the ground. With never-ending cardio, the bantamweigh…
Last night, Calgary witnessed the top bantamweights in the sport battle for the UFC interim bantamweight championship. For 25 minutes, the fighters exchanged strikes without any desire to go to the ground.
With never-ending cardio, the bantamweight division may go to the judges scorecards more often than not, but the fights are always exciting to watch. Just like the limitless footwork of the division’s top stars, it seems as if the rankings at 135 pounds never seem to stand still.
Five months after the creation of the flyweight division, along with the rise of new stars like Renan Barao, Michael McDonald and Mike Easton, let’s take a look at the radically different landscape of the UFC bantamweight division.
With Renan Barao as the new UFC interim champ, things just got a bit more confusing in the bantamweight division.The 25-year-old Brazilian tasted UFC gold for the first time on Saturday night at UFC 149, where he routed former WEC champion Urijah Faber…
With Renan Barao as the new UFC interim champ, things just got a bit more confusing in the bantamweight division.
The 25-year-old Brazilian tasted UFC gold for the first time on Saturday night at UFC 149, where he routed former WEC champion Urijah Faber in a five-round decision.
What’s next for Barao?
The UFC hopes to put him against bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz to decide an undisputed champion.
Unfortunately, Cruz is recovering from a torn ACL, which could keep him out of action for well over a year.
With Cruz sidelined and Faber coming off a loss, there really isn’t a clear cut contender set to challenge Barao. A major opportunity is ripe for the taking.
Who will be branded as the next No. 1 contender?
Here are five opponents Barao could face next.