UFC 149 Predictions: Renan Pegado Will Defeat Urijah Faber in Disappointing Bout

Renan Pegado will continue his winning streak against Urijah Faber, but the two fighters will leave fans disappointed.

Faber and Pegado are ranked second and third, respectively, among bantamweight fighters, according to Sherdog. The top-ranked fighter in the weight class is Dominick Cruz, who tore his ACL earlier this summer.

If not for the injury, Cruz and Faber would have faced off in a grudge match. The “California Kid” handed Cruz the only loss of his career in 2007, but “The Dominator” answered back in a 2011 rematch.

The UFC 149 main event will end, and fans still will not know who can rightfully claim the right to call themselves the best bantamweight fighter.

The bout is also a serious letdown from UFC’s previous showcase. UFC 148 was billed as the biggest fight in the sport’s history, as Anderson Silva knocked out Chael Sonnen.

There may not be a fight that could follow all the hype Silva and Sonnen generated, but this matchup simply has no chance to create similar excitement.

Despite the lackluster main event, Pegado—who often goes by Barão—and Faber are still quality fighters. 

They will be evenly matched and it will be a competitive bout, even if neither fighter is capable of wowing the crowd.

Barão is an extremely fast striker and likes to throw shots aggressively. Faber, in contrast, is more powerful and prefers to stay patient and attack with more strategy.

But the 33-year-old runs the risk of becoming too passive, and Barão will be relentlessly offensive throughout the fight. If Faber does not get his shots in early, the Brazilian will be able to stay on the offensive throughout the fight.

Barão’s training partner, Jose Aldo, will give the 25-year-old another advantage over his opponent. Aldo defeated Faber by decision in April of 2010.

Aldo won the fight by standing up and aggressively striking Faber. He landed flurries of punches and kicks, and Faber never had a shot.

Barão will employ a similar strategy and his speed will keep the Californian off balance. He likely does not have the power to knock out Faber, but Barão will be the clear aggressor.

The Brazilian will ultimately emerge victorious via decision, but this fight will leave a lot to be desired.