UFC 149 Results & Recap: Barao outclasses Faber

UFC 149 saw a new champion crowned, an interim champ that is.

Renan Barao pushed his winning streak to 29 fights by beating Urijah Faber via unanimous decision to win the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship on Saturday night.

Barao made not have gotten the finish, but he decisively beat Faber thanks to his reach and his kicks. Each round he managed to out-point Faber and stay out of danger, leaving “The California Kid” puzzled throughout.

Barao certainly beat Faber in easier fashion than the actual champ, Dominick Cruz. It will be interesting to see if Cruz can find a way to stop the runaway train that is Barao. Barao may very well be the best 135-pounder in the world.

Faber has now lost his last five championship bouts, dating back to his time as a featherweight in the WEC. Though he is still highly competitive, he will likely not get another title fight anytime soon.

In the co-main event, Hector Lombard had a very unimpressive UFC debut.

The man considered to be a potential threat to Anderson Silva proved to be more of a threat to himself, as he was very tentative against Tim Boetsch. Neither man did much to impress, but two of the three judges believed that Boetsch did a little bit more, which earned him a split decision.

The poor showing from both men may open the door for Chris Weidman to earn the next middleweight title shot following his brutal KO win over Mark Munoz last week.

For complete results from UFC 149, check out the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.

Cruz, Faber to face off at UFC 132

HeavyMMA.com writes that the biggest bantamweight fight in history is set for this summer as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will battle at UFC 132.

The long-awaited rematch between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber is now set for UFC 132.

UFC officials announced the bout on Saturday. UFC 132 takes place July 2 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The Cruz/Faber bantamweight title bout will serve as the main event for the card, the first time former WEC lighter-weight stars will serve in that capacity for a UFC event.

Cruz and Faber first met at WEC 26, where Faber submitted Cruz in just over one minute. It was the only loss of Cruz’s career. Since that time, Cruz has gone on an eight-fight winning streak and captured the WEC (now UFC) bantamweight championship.

The rivalry between Cruz and Faber has blossomed since their first meeting, with the normally-affable Cruz saying that Cruz is one of the few people in the sport that he genuinely doesn’t like. The feeling is mutual for Cruz.

The two fighters were rumored to coach The Ultimate Fighter, but that’s not the case.

Read more MMA headlines.

UFC Fight Night 24: Ten Things We Learned

HeavyMMA.com’s Spencer Kyte breaks down the 10 things we learned from UFC Fight Night 24 on Saturday.

PHIL DAVIS IS STILL GROWING
In the wake of Jon Jones’s tremendous rush to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division, a lot of people are expecting a similar quick climb for Davis. If his performance Saturday night is any indication, he’ll get there, but it shouldn’t be any time soon.

Davis is a tremendous talent with a very bright future, but he’s far from being a finished product. Earning a good win over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is another step in the right direction, but showed that the former national champion’s striking is still a work in progress.

Some may frame his win Saturday night as a sign that the hype surrounding Davis is a little too much, but to me it as simply indicative of something Davis told me earlier in the week: he’s still green.

As he continues to develop, Davis will become a very dangerous part of the 205-pound division. I just hope people give him time to get there at his own pace.

Read the full list of 10.

2011 MMA Pound for Pound Rankings: March

HeavyMMA.com updated their pound for pound rankings for the month of March. Where does Jon Jones land after his stunning victory over Shogun Rua?

1. Anderson Silva
We thought Silva’s next challenge would come from Georges St. Pierre, but it appears that won’t be the case. Instead, look for Yushin Okami to finally get his title shot, likely in the main event of UFC 132 in July. Media and fans are already clamoring for Silva to move up a weight class and face Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. Should it come to fruition, that would easily be the biggest fight of 2012.

2. Georges St. Pierre
St. Pierre will face Jake Shields at UFC 129 next month. There was talk of St. Pierre abdicating the welterweight throne with a win, but that train seems to be leaving the station. Staying at welterweight might be better for St. Pierre’s legacy, and it’s not like the fans will ever tire of seeing him destroy challengers.

3. Jose Aldo
Aldo finally makes his UFC debut next month with a title defense against Mark Hominick. UFC fans will be pleasantly surprised at just how awesome Aldo actually is. Hominick is the best striker Aldo has faced thus far, but he’ll be no match for the Brazilian wunderkind.

Check out the rest of the rankings.

The Best of the Best Fighters in MMA

Nov 15, 2008 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - UFC's BROCK LESNAR celebrates his victory over Champion RANDY COUTURE in their title fight Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. Lesnar won the title and the fight in 3:07 of the second round after the referee stopped the fight Photo via Newscom

Matt Brown of HeavyMMA.com ranked the top 10 pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the word.

Check out his list:

10. Brock Lesnar
I know, a heavyweight in pound for pound rankings? Well, Lesnar could fight at superheavyweight and wreck people there too. He’s improving every time he enters the octagon and may very well end up as one of the best heavyweight fighters ever.

9. Dominick Cruz
Cruz (16-1) convincingly defended his WEC bantamweight title at WEC 50 by beating Joseph Benavidez for a second time. His lone defeat came at featherweight in 2007 against Urijah Faber, a fight he may get to avenge now that Faber has dropped to 135.

8. Gilbert Melendez
Currently on a four-fight win streak with victories over Rodrigo Damm, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Josh Thomson and Shinya Aoki, Melendez has established himself as the No. 2 lightweight in the world. It will interesting to see where he ends up as he is in contract negotiations with Strikeforce.

Check out the entire list here.

Related Posts