‘UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao’ preview and predictions (Preliminary Card)
As injury-plagued cards go, ‘UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao’ has been hit worse than most but while every main card fight has been damaged to some degree, the six-fight preliminary card is looking pretty healthy. MMABay is here to break down the six fights set to warm up the crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Saturday, July 21st so which undercard prospects will push for a pay-per-view slot next time out? Find out after the jump…
Court McGee (13-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. Nick Ring (12-1, 2-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: When Court ‘The Crusher’ McGee first met Nick Ring, the two were rivals on season eleven of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’. McGee lost a controversial decision to the Canadian, but when Ring was forced out of the running with a recurring knee injury, McGee was reinstalled and the rest, is history. The Utah native went on to win the whole show, submitting Kris McCray in the season finale before stretching his UFC record to 3-0 with two more victories. The middleweight prospect submitted Ryan Jensen in the third round at UFC 121 before squeezing past Korean bruiser, Dongi Yang, by decision. But the inspirational former heroin addict lost for the first time in the big leagues in March, dropping a clear-cut decision to rising star, Costa Philippou.
Nick Ring’s own UFC career has also had its ups and downs, post TUF. ‘The Promise’ was not fit to fight on the show’s finale so was instead handed a fight with Japanese newcomer, Riki Fukuda, at UFC 127. The unbeaten Calgary boy struggled with the powerful Fukuda and was very fortunate to take the unanimous decision when Fukuda was the clear-cut winner in the eyes of most. Nonetheless, the well-rounded Canadian remained unbeaten after submitting James Head at UFC 131 but Ring’s luck ran out at UFC 135 when current top contender, Tim Boetsch, tossed him around for three rounds and took the decision.
The Verdict: Neither of these middleweights are what you’d call natural finishers, at least not in the big leagues, so expect a war of attrition in Calgary. McGee has the power advantage but Ring is the more technical striker and both have seemingly solid chins, while McGee’s wrestling is definitely superior. Ring is stronger than he looks though and is more athletic than ‘The Crusher’ as well as being comfortable off his back, so we could see long spells of top-control being interrupted by submission attempts from the Canadian. It’s a close one to call, but we’ll side with ‘The Crusher’ who should take a nip-tuck decision to sour the mood in Calgary. McGee, decision.
Roland Delorme (8-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Francisco Rivera (8-2, 1-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: A potential barn-burner in the bantamweight division sees ‘The Ultimate Fighter 14′ veteran, ‘Stunning’ Roland Delorme, hunting for his third straight win in the UFC. Delorme submitted B.J Ferguson to enter the TUF house, but was promptly battered by T.J Dillashaw in the quarter-finals, tapping out in round two. But the durable Manitoba native bounced back at the season finale, submitting the other Ferguson brother, Josh, before partaking in a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate in May. The talented judoka took a thrashing from Nick Denis on FOX but somehow rallied to wobble, then submit, his fellow Canuck in the dying seconds of round one.
Delorme faces in-form Californian banger, Francisco Rivera, who was cut from the promotion after one loss due to carrying over some poor form from the WEC. ‘Cisco’ cut to 135lbs and hit Tachi Palace Fights running, knocking out two opponents in a row with vicious combinations. Rivera was promptly recalled to the big leagues as an injury replacement in May, where he faced Alex Soto on the undercard. The United Martial Arts bruiser out-struck Soto in a back-and-forth slugfest, winning the unanimous decision.
The Verdict: Striker meets grappler and given Delorme’s habit of getting his bell rung, it’s feasible to think that Rivera takes this with his heavy hands and aggressive style; however, Delorme recovers well after being hit and with his judo, can always counter with a deft trip or throw if ‘Cisco’ comes in for the kill. Delorme’s biggest threat is coming into this fight over-confident after surprising us all in his last outing – if he does, Rivera’s fists will cut him down to size. But Rivera has struggled with grapplers in the past, and his own cardio, so expect Delorme to eventually take the back of a gassing ‘Cisco’ and get the tap. Delorme, submission, 3rd round.
Ryan Jimmo (16-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Anthony Perosh (13-6, 3-3 UFC)
The Lowdown: It’s time for the big boys to go to work as Canadian light-heavyweight newcomer, Ryan ‘Big Deal’ Jimmo, makes his (sort of) long-awaited UFC debut on the FX prelims show. A long-time veteran of Canada’s MFC, Jimmo may be remembered by some fans as losing to Antwain Britt in the qualifying round of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 8′ a few years ago. In the real world, however, the Alberta-based karate black-belt hasn’t lost since 2007, his first pro fight, and has won sixteen in a row since. ‘Big Deal’ was the MFC champion, and holds victories over some notable names such as Marvin Eastmann, Sokoudjou and Wilson Gouveia, marking him out as the top 205lb fighter not signed to a major promotion.
Welcoming Jimmo to the big stage is 40-years young Australian veteran, Anthony ‘The Hippo’ Perosh, who is the proud owner of one of the most unlikely three-fight win streaks in recent memory. The third-degree BJJ black-belt was 0-3 as a heavyweight, but was given a final chance to impress at 205lbs and hasn’t looked back – submitting Tom Blackledge and veteran kickboxer Cyrille Diabate. ‘The Hippo’ showed his animal side in March, when he wowed the Sydney crowd with a first round demolition of prospect Nick Penner, proving you can definitely teach an old dog new tricks.
The Verdict: If you haven’t seen Ryan Jimmo fight, prepare to be educated in just why the Canadian divides mixed martial fans worldwide. Imagine Lyoto Machida’s first couple of UFC fights, but about fifty times LESS aggressive. ‘Big Deal’ is patient, physically powerful and slick with his counter-striking but his game involves plenty of stalling and considering Perosh lacks a powerful double-leg takedown, this one seems cut and dried. Put your money on Jimmo, but don’t expect much. Jimmo, decision.
Bryan Caraway (16-6, 1-0 UFC) vs. Mitch Gagnon (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
The Lowdown: A veteran of Strikeforce, EliteXC and the WEC, former featherweight, Bryan Caraway, was successful in trying out for season fourteen of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and won his qualifying fight to enter the house as a member of Team Mayhem. ‘Kid Lightning’ out-wrestled Marcus Brimage to qualify for the semi-finals but was promptly knocked out by eventual winner, Diego Brandao. The California-based grappler earned a UFC contract by submitting Dustin Neace at the season finale, and will now make his 135lb debut in enemy territory.
Caraway welcomes bantamweight newcomer, Mitch Gagnon, to the big leagues and the Ontario native will be keen to prove his 8-1 record, with eight submission victories, is no fluke. The grappler has not beaten anyone of real note, but is clearly a wizard on the ground and could prove to be the kryptonite for Caraway’s wrestling. The Team Shredder prospect will certainly have the home-town advantage, but he faces a stiff first test in Calgary.
The Verdict: It’s always wise to take a newcomer’s record with a pinch of salt, and unless Gagnon is a true prodigy on the ground, this is Caraway’s fight to lose. ‘Kid Lightning’ will be a big bantamweight and with a solid wrestling base, and the experience advantage, he’ll grind out a one-sided decision this weekend. Caraway, decision.
Antonio Carvalho (13-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-8, 2-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: Ontario-born featherweight, Antonio ‘Pato’ Carvalho, arrived in the UFC this year to a small fanfare having gained a following taking Shooto by storm a few years ago, a run that saw Carvalho defeat Hatsu Hioki among others. A BJJ black-belt, ‘Pato’s experience in both Shotokan and judo made him an interesting addition to the featherweight ranks but the veteran turned in a disappointing showing at UFC 142 in January. Carvalho struggled to impose his will on Brazilian, Felipe Arantes, and lost a convincing unanimous decision, making this Facebook prelim fight a must-win for ‘Pato’.
When George Roop called in sick, Daniel ‘The Pit’ Pineda jumped at the chance to take his fourth fight this year in the UFC, an admirable achievement for a man some considered to be a poor signing by the promotion. The Texan destroyed Pat Schilling in January, following up that submission victory with another two months later, this time against highly-rated prospect Mackens Semerzier. In May, Pineda faced a huge challenge in former WEC champion, Mike Thomas Brown, and made it very competitive at UFC 146 before eventually losing the unanimous decision. Joe Silva’s favourite go-to guy is back just two months later and win or lose, you can bet ‘The Pit’s job is safe.
The Verdict: Carvalho looked heavy-handed and versed on the ground last time out but had cardio problems and never seemed to have a proper gameplan, which if repeated, will cost him dearly. Pineda will be where he always is, right in his man’s grill from the first bell pushing the pace. ‘Pato’s best chance is probably to catch him with a sneaky submission off his back, or with a hook as he charges in, but Pineda’s too tough at the end of the day and he’ll get back to winning ways after three closely contested rounds. Pineda, decision.
Mitch Clarke (9-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Anton Kuivanen (16-5, 0-1 UFC)
The Lowdown: The pink slip awaits the loser of this lightweight bout set for Facebook and if Alberta’s Mitch ‘Danger Zone’ Clarke doesn’t raise his game on home turf, he’s as good as gone. The grappler was snapped up by the UFC after going 9-0 on the regional circuit, finishing seven of those fights, and made his debut at UFC 140 in December. Clarke was out-struck by John Cholish and, unable to get the fight to the ground, succumbed to punches late in the second round.
The Hayabusa Training Centre lightweight faces Anton Kuivanen in Calgary, a well-rounded Finn who also took his local scene by storm and was riding a nine-fight win streak when the UFC came calling earlier this year. Kuivanen was paired with debuting wrestler, Justin Salas, on FUEL TV in February but despite putting up a good fight in both the striking and grappling departments, the Finn lost out on the scorecards to the American.
The Verdict: Training part-time with American Top Team is a wise move from Kuivanen and the Finnish prospect should have good enough takedown defence to keep this one standing – bad news for Clarke, whose striking looked fairly woeful last time out. Kuivanen should stuff a few takedowns early on before wearing down and finishing Clarke with strikes midway through the fight. Kuivanen, (T)KO, 2nd round.
That’s a wrap for the undercard, which our UK readers can watch live on Facebook and UFC.tv, stay tuned to MMABay in the days ahead for a sneak peak at the five fights featured on the main card of ‘UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao’.
By Steve Davies
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