UFC 148: Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Following Dominick Cruz's ACL tear, it was announced that Renan Barao would step in to face Urijah Faber at UFC 148 for the interim bantamweight championship.

For Faber, one of the more competitive fighters in the UFC, who was seeking revenge for a previous title loss to Cruz, he'll have to adjust to the changes and regain his rightful spot atop the 135-lb division.

For Barao, who was suppose to face Ivan Menjivar at the same event, he'll finally have his shot at superstardom, something the UFC will look to back considering his Brazilian descent.

The winner will eventually have to defend interim gold against budding star Michael McDonald if his hand heals over the next few months, albeit another last-second PPV change.

Following that, Cruz will be waiting to showcase why he's still the true UFC Bantamweight champ.

Here's how the initial head-to-toe breakdown of Faber vs. Barao looks.

Striking

Advantage Barao

I don't really like to downplay Urijah Faber's stand-up game, because he's so quick and such a solid in-and-out fighter, but Renan Barao seems to possess a distinct advantage on his feet.

He's long, quick and unorthodox and trains on a regular basis with the always formidable featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

Barao should be coming into this fight with the idea of keeping it standing.

Faber is no slouch, but with a shorter reach and the inability to overwhelm one of the best strikers in the division, he'll quickly realize his best chance of winning comes on the ground.

Grappling

Split

I don't know a whole lot about Renan Barao's grappling skills, more specifically his clinch game, but I do know that Urijah Faber's is pretty darn good.

With that said, assuming Barao can use knees and close strikes to frustrate Faber in the clinch, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk this one up as a split.

Because, when it comes down to prolonging any momentum he has, Faber will ultimately have to stay low and avoid those various strikes in order to bring the fight to the ground and finish in style.

Wrestling

Advantage Faber

When Urijah Faber gets an opponent to the ground, he keeps him there.

With an unorthodox stand-up game and a longer frame, it's going to be hard for Renan Barao to deflect all of Urijah Faber's takedown attempts.

If "The California Kid" wants the best opportunity to put Barao away, he'll be looking to bring this fight to the canvas.

For that, Faber has a unique advantage in the takedown department.

Submissions

Slight Advantage Faber

Both Urijah Faber and Renan Barao are two of the better submission specialists in the bantamweight division.

Barao has finished three of his five wins under the Zuffa, LLC banner by way of submission, one coming against the very tough Brad Pickett.

Faber, on the other hand, has secured eight career submissions victories, two spanning over his four fights in the UFC and four in a row dating back to his championship days in the WEC.

The fact of the matter is that each guy is capable of ending a fight via choke or armbar.

But with Faber's strength and awesome guillotine on his side, he seems like the better bet to pull it off.

Intangibles

Slight Advantage Barao

This was a hard one. And considering I'm already giving these guys a split for two other aspects, I had to pick one.

The bottom line here is that Renan Barao is very explosive on his feet.

In his case, when you take his reach and striking ability into account, Octagon intangibles always seem to come out during his fights.

He can finish with spinning back fists, head kicks, submissions or simply by overwhelming an opponent for the majority of the fight.

Urijah Faber can also do all of these things, but I look at him as more of a power wrestler than a shifty striker.

Look at what Dominick Cruz did to Faber on his feet in their last fight. Barao could very well take a page out of the bantamweight champion's book and put "The California Kid" away.

Instincts

Split

Unlike most cases involving breaking down a MMA fight, numbers do in fact play a role.

This means that each fighter has put away their opponents in the past, creating a specific ability that fans look for every time out.

But as far as instincts inside the cage are concerned, alongside the ability to finish a fight when presented the opportunity to do so, Urijah Faber and Renan Barao come out equal.

They have a natural knack for finishing fights, whether via ground-and-pound, submission or by strictly dictating the action at their own pace and game plan.

Entering their bout at UFC 148, each fighter is more than capable of finishing the other before all five rounds are complete, making it that much more exciting.

Verdict

Advantage Barao

As much as I want to crown Urijah Faber the interim champ, considering I'm such a huge supporter, I simply can't do it.

Renan Barao is too good on his feet to just dissipate when it matters most.

I mean, there's a reason why he has only one career loss to his 30 victories. 

The guy is a beast.

If he can stay off his back and avoid close-range uppercuts and similar strikes of the sort, he should be able to capture interim glory.

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