UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao PREVIEW
Prelims start at 8 PM ET. Main Card starts at 10 PM ET.
By MMA Writer: Mike Alexander
No one likes to see an interim title match, especially when it’s made as a substitute to a highly anticipated rubber match between the champ, Dominick Cruz, and the challenger, Urijah Faber. When Cruz went down with an ACL tear, the UFC was forced to find an interim champ so the Bantamweight division doesn’t come to a stand still. So on July 21st, Faber (26-5) will face rising phenom, Renan Barao (28-1, 1NC) to become the new UFC Bantamweight Interim Champ.
Renan Barao isn’t the most recognizable fighter in the UFC, but ask any hardcore MMA fan about Barao and they will rave about him. Barao has been deemed by Joe Rogan as “The best fighter without a title,” which is fitting seeing as he is riding a twenty-eight win streak. At just 24, Renan is already one of the best in the division and the scary thing is that he isn’t anywhere near his prime. Imagine a ten pound lighter version of his teammate, Jose Aldo, and that will basically summarize Barao. He has the skills to beat Faber, but he will need to bring his A-game.
Urijah Faber has always been at the top of his division, whether that be when he was the WEC’s Featherweight king pin or as a Bantamweight contender. But he hasn’t been able to get the one monkey off his back: Dominick Cruz. Ever since he lost the second matchup with Dominick Cruz, Urijah has been training harder than ever so he can finally say he became a UFC champ and be done with his rivalry. But he will have to wait to settle his beef with Cruz or else Barao could make it an early night for Faber.
My Prediction
As I said earlier, Barao reminds me so much of Jose Aldo. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Barao brings in a similar game plan that Jose used when he destroyed Faber at Featherweight. That being said, Barao has never fought someone with the speed and cardio of Faber. If this fight last longer than the third round, who knows how Barao will fair as he has never had a championship fight. The longer the fight goes, the more the odds seem to favor Faber. However, Barao is a bonafide savage, the favorite in this match up, and my pick for this action packed fight.
Also on the card, we see the premier of Hector Lombard in the UFC against Tim Boetsch. See below for the rest of the fights.
| Main Card (PPV) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight Class | Red Corner | Blue Corner | ||||||
| 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 | |||||
| Preliminary Card (FX) | ||||||||
| Middleweight bout | Court McGee | vs | Nick Ring | |||||
| Bantamweight | Roland Delorme | vs | Francisco Rivera | |||||
| Light Heavyweight | Ryan Jimmo | vs | Anthony Perosh | |||||
| Bantamweight | Bryan Caraway | vs | Mitch Gagnon | |||||
| Preliminary Card (Facebook) | ||||||||
| Featherweight | Antonio Carvalho | vs | Daniel Pineda | |||||
| Lightweight | Mitch Clarke | vs | Anton Kuivanen | |||||
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