UFC 169 Barao vs. Faber II is this Saturday night (Feb 1, 2014) and it's main card is pretty solid. The overall card isn't as stacked as some have been in the past but two title fights and a barn burner heavyweight bout (for at least a round) make up for it. I'm excited for it, as the event poses some interesting questions:
-Will Faber finally win a UFC title?
-Is Barao going to be the long term UFC Bantamweight Champion?
-Will Aldo move up to Lightweight with a victory?
-Which Alistair Overeem will show up?
Let's look at some of the finer details.
When and Where:
Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Prudential Center, (25 Lafayette St, Newark, NJ 07102)
Prelims Starting on UFC Fight Pass around 6:30 P.M. ET
Prelims on FOX Sports 1 at 8:00 P.M. ET
Main Card on FOX at 10:00 P.M. ET
Here are the breakdowns of the Co Main and Main Events:
Co-Main Event: UFC Featherweight Champion
Featherweight Bout: Jose Aldo (C) vs. Ricardo Lamas (4)
| FIGHTER | Wins | Loss | Draw | WIN % OF FIGHTS | FINISH % OF FIGHTS | (T)KO | SUB | UFC | STRIKING ACC: 43% |
| RICARDO LAMAS | 13 | 2 | 0 | 87% | 54% | 4 | 3 | UFC | STRIKING DEF: 64% |
| LAST FIVE FIGHTS | 4 | 1 | 0 | ORTHODOX | HEIGHT: 5'8" | REACH | 69 | UFC | TAKEDOWN ACC: 38% |
| UFC RECORD | 4 | 0 | 0 | LAST FIGHT: | 01/26/13 | AGE | 31 | UFC | TAKEDOWN DEF: 48% |
| FIGHTER RECORD OVERALL | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES | FIGHTER RECORD TOF | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES |
| JAKE CORRY | 0 | 5 | 0 | JAKE CORRY | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CAL FERRY | 6 | 2 | 0 | CAL FERRY | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| JAMES BIRDSLEY | 38 | 14 | 0 | JAMES BIRDSLEY | 33 | 5 | 0 | ||
| GABRIEL MIRANDA | 3 | 11 | 0 | GABRIEL MIRANDA | 2 | 7 | 0 | ||
| CHRISTOPHER MARTIN | 0 | 3 | 0 | CHRISTOPHER MARTIN | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| BART PALASZEWSKI | 36 | 17 | 0 | WEC DEBUT | BART PALASZEWSKI | 31 | 11 | 0 | WEC DEBUT |
| DANNY CASTILLO | 16 | 6 | 0 | (LOSS) | DANNY CASTILLO | 7 | 1 | 0 | (LOSS) |
| JAMES KRAUSE | 20 | 5 | 0 | JAMES KRAUSE | 10 | 1 | 0 | ||
| BENDY CASIMIR | 19 | 11 | 2 | BENDY CASIMIR | 19 | 5 | 2 | ||
| DAVE JANSEN | 19 | 2 | 0 | DAVE JANSEN | 13 | 1 | 0 | ||
| IURI ALCANTARA | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1NC (LOSS) | IURI ALCANTARA | 24 | 3 | 0 | (LOSS) |
| MATT GRICE | 15 | 5 | 0 | UFC DEBUT | MATT GRICE | 14 | 3 | 0 | UFC DEBUT |
| CUB SWANSON | 20 | 5 | 0 | CUB SWANSON | 15 | 4 | 0 | ||
| HATSU HIOKI | 26 | 7 | 2 | HATSU HIOKI | 26 | 4 | 2 | ||
| ERIC KOCH | 13 | 3 | 0 | ERIC KOCH | 13 | 1 | 0 | ||
| TOTALS: | 259 | 101 | 4 | 71% | TOTALS: | 213 | 48 | 4 | 80% |
| AVERAGE: | 17.26 | 6.73 | 0.26 | AVERAGE: | 14.2 | 3.2 | 0.26 | ||
| UFC TOTALS: | 74 | 20 | 2 | 77% | UFC TOTALS: | 68 | 12 | 2 | 83% |
| UFC AVERAGE: | 18.5 | 5 | 0.5 | UFC AVERAGE: | 17 | 3 | 0.5 |
Ricardo Lamas (+450 Underdog)
Gym: MMA Masters
Base: Wrestling
Credentials/Accolades: NCAA Div III All American, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, 2x CICW Champion
Lamas has a solid grappling base but is well rounded with a kickboxing based striking attack. He just recently obtained his BJJ black belt after being a brown belt for approximately 3 years. Decent striking defense at 64% but poor takedown accuracy at 38%. Has fought pretty decent competition.
| FIGHTER | Wins | Loss | Draw | WIN % OF FIGHTS | FINISH % OF FIGHTS | (T)KO | SUB | UFC | STRIKING ACC: 44% |
| JOSE ALDO | 23 | 1 | 0 | 96% | 70% | 14 | 2 | UFC | STRIKING DEF: 74% |
| LAST FIVE FIGHTS | 5 | 0 | 0 | ORTHODOX | HEIGHT: 5'7" | REACH | 70 | UFC | TAKEDOWN ACC: 69% |
| UFC/WEC RECORD | 13 | 0 | 0 | LAST FIGHT: | 08/03/13 | AGE | 27 | UFC | TAKEDOWN DEF: 92% |
| FIGHTER RECORD OVERALL | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES | FIGHTER RECORD TOF | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES |
| MARIO BIGOLA | 0 | 1 | 0 | MARIO BIGOLA | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| HUDSON ROCHA | 4 | 6 | 0 | HUDSON ROCHA | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
| LUIZ DE PAULA | 0 | 1 | 0 | LUIZ DE PAULA | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| ARITANO BARBOSA | 6 | 6 | 0 | ARITANO BARBOSA | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| ANDERSON SILVERIO | 1 | 1 | 0 | ANDERSON SILVERIO | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| PHIL HARRIS | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1NC | PHIL HARRIS | 9 | 3 | 0 | |
| MICKY YOUNG | 8 | 9 | 0 | MICKY YOUNG | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||
| LUCIANO AZEVEDO | 16 | 9 | 1 | (LOSS) | LUCIANO AZEVEDO | 5 | 2 | 0 | (LOSS) |
| THIAGO MELLER | 18 | 5 | 0 | THIAGO MELLER | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| FABIO MELLO | 11 | 7 | 0 | FABIO MELLO | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| SHOJI MARUYAMA | 12 | 9 | 1 | SHOJI MARUYAMA | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ALEXANDRE NOGUEIRA | 15 | 6 | 3 | WEC DEBUT | ALEXANDRE NOGUIRA | 13 | 4 | 2 | WEC DEBUT |
| JONATHAN BROOKINS | 13 | 6 | 0 | JONATHAN BROOKINS | 8 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ROLANDO PEREZ | 7 | 4 | 1 | ROLANDO PEREZ | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
| CHRIS MICKLE | 30 | 17 | 2 | CHRIS MICKLE | 26 | 12 | 2 | ||
| CUB SWANSON | 20 | 5 | 0 | CUB SWANSON | 13 | 2 | 0 | ||
| MIKE BROWN | 26 | 9 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE WIN | MIKE BROWN | 22 | 4 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE WIN |
| URIJAH FABER | 30 | 6 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEF | URIJAH FABER | 23 | 3 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEF |
| MANNY GAMBURYAN | 13 | 8 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEF | MANNY GAMBURYAN | 11 | 4 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEF |
| MARK HOMINICK | 20 | 12 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF | MARK HOMINICK | 20 | 8 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF |
| KENNY FLORIAN | 14 | 6 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF | KENNY FLORIAN | 14 | 5 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF |
| CHAD MENDES | 16 | 1 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF | CHAD MENDES | 11 | 0 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF |
| FRANKIE EDGAR | 16 | 4 | 1 | UFC FW TITLE DEF | FRANKIE EDGAR | 15 | 3 | 1 | UFC FW TITLE DEF |
| CHAN SUNG JUNG | 13 | 4 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF | CHAN SUNG JUNG | 13 | 3 | 0 | UFC FW TITLE DEF |
| TOTALS: | 331 | 153 | 9 | 67% | TOTALS: | 230 | 67 | 6 | 76% |
| AVERAGE: | 13.79 | 6.37 | 0.37 | AVERAGE: | 9.58 | 2.79 | 0.25 | ||
| UFC/WEC TOTALS: | 233 | 88 | 7 | 71% | UFC/WEC TOTALS: | 193 | 51 | 6 | 77% |
| UFC/WEC AVERAGE: | 17.92 | 6.76 | 0.53 | UFC/WEC AVERAGE: | 14.84 | 3.92 | 0.46 |
Jose Aldo Jr. (-600 Favorite)
Gym: Nova Uniao/Black House
Base: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Muay Thai
Credentials/Accolades: Final WEC Featherweight Champion, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt
It's Jose Aldo. What should stand out is his 92% takedown defense rate and 74% significant strike defense rate.
Main Event: UFC Bantamweight Championship
Bantamweight Bout: Renan Barao (C) vs. Urijah Faber (1)
| FIGHTER | Wins | Loss | Draw | WIN % OF FIGHTS | FINISH % OF FIGHTS | (T)KO | SUB | UFC | STRIKING ACC: 43% |
| URIJAH FABER | 30 | 6 | 0 | 83% | 80% | 7 | 17 | UFC | STRIKING DEF: 63% |
| LAST FIVE FIGHTS | 4 | 1 | 0 | ORTHODOX | HEIGHT: 5'6" | REACH | 69 | UFC | TAKEDOWN ACC: 36% |
| UFC RECORD | 6 | 2 | 0 | LAST FIGHT: | 12/14/13 | AGE | 34 | UFC | TAKEDOWN DEF: 59% |
| FIGHTER RECORD OVERALL | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES | FIGHTER RECORD TOF | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES |
| JAY VALENCIA | 2 | 4 | 0 | JAY VALENCIA | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| GEORGE ADKINS | 2 | 8 | 0 | GEORGE ADKINS | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| DAVID VELASQUEZ | 10 | 10 | 0 | DAVID VELASQUEZ | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| DEL HAWKINS | 22 | 16 | 0 | DEL HAWKINS | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||
| RAMI BOUKAI | 2 | 2 | 0 | KOTC DEBUT | RAMI BOUKAI | 2 | 1 | 0 | KOTC DEBUT |
| EBEN KANESHIRO | 14 | 10 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE WIN | EBEN KANESHIRO | 4 | 1 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE WIN |
| DAVID GRANADOS | 5 | 4 | 1 | DAVID GRANADOS | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| HIROYUKI ABE | 8 | 15 | 3 | 1NC KOTC BW TITLE DEF | HIROYUKI ABE | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1NC KOTC BW TITLE DEF |
| TYSON GRIFFIN | 16 | 7 | 0 | (LOSS) | TYSON GRIFFIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | (LOSS) |
| SHAWN BIAS | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1NC KOTC BW TITLE DEF | SHAWN BIAS | 3 | 1 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE DEFENSE |
| CHARLES BENNETT | 26 | 28 | 2 | CHARLES BENNETT | 16 | 10 | 2 | ||
| IVAN MENJIVAR | 25 | 11 | 0 | IVAN MENJIVAR | 17 | 4 | 0 | ||
| COLE ESCOVEDO | 17 | 9 | 0 | WEC DEBUT FW TITLE WIN | COLE ESCOVEDO | 11 | 1 | 0 | WEC DEBUT FW TITLE WIN |
| CHARLIE VALENCIA | 12 | 7 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE DEFENSE | CHARLIE VALENCIA | 7 | 0 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE DEFENSE |
| NAOYA UEMATSU | 15 | 8 | 2 | NAOYA UEMATSU | 14 | 5 | 2 | ||
| ENOCH WILSON | 16 | 9 | 2 | ENOCH WILSON | 8 | 1 | 0 | ||
| BIBIANO FERNANDES | 15 | 3 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE DEFENSE | BIBIANO FERNANDES | 1 | 0 | 0 | KOTC BW TITLE DEFENSE |
| JOE PEARSON | 43 | 19 | 1 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE | JOE PEARSON | 17 | 7 | 1 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE |
| DOMINICK CRUZ | 19 | 1 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE | DOMINICK CRUZ | 9 | 0 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE |
| CHANCE FARRAR | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1NC WEC FW TITLE DEF | CHANCE FARRAR | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1NC WEC FW TITLE DEF |
| JEFF CURRAN | 34 | 16 | 1 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE | JEFF CURRAN | 29 | 8 | 2 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE |
| JENS PULVER | 27 | 19 | 1 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE | JENS PULVER | 22 | 8 | 1 | WEC FW TITLE DEFENSE |
| MIKE BROWN | 26 | 9 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE LOSS | MIKE BROWN | 19 | 4 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE LOSS |
| RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO | 21 | 4 | 0 | RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO | 15 | 1 | 0 | ||
| JOSE ALDO | 23 | 1 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE FIGHT LOSS | JOSE ALDO | 16 | 1 | 0 | WEC FW TITLE FIGHT LOSS |
| TAKEYA MIZUGAKI | 19 | 7 | 2 | TAKEYA MIZUGAKI | 13 | 4 | 2 | ||
| EDDIE WINELAND | 20 | 9 | 1 | UFC DEBUT | EDDIE WINELAND | 18 | 6 | 1 | UFC DEBUT |
| DOMINICK CRUZ | 19 | 1 | 0 | UFC BW TITLE FIGHT LOSS | DOMINICK CRUZ | 17 | 1 | 0 | UFC BW TITLE FIGHT LOSS |
| BRIAN BOWLES | 10 | 3 | 0 | BRIAN BOWLES | 10 | 1 | 0 | ||
| RENAN BARAO | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1NC BW TITLE FIGHT LOSS | RENAN BARAO | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1NC BW TITLE FIGHT LOSS |
| IVAN MENJIVAR | 25 | 11 | 0 | IVAN MENJIVAR | 25 | 9 | 0 | ||
| SCOTT JORGENSEN | 14 | 8 | 0 | SCOTT JORGENSEN | 14 | 6 | 0 | ||
| IURI ALCANTARA | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1NC | IURI ALCANTARA | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1NC |
| MICHAEL MCDONALD | 16 | 3 | 0 | MICHAEL MCDONALD | 16 | 2 | 0 | ||
| TOTALS: | 604 | 280 | 16 | 67% | TOTALS: | 420 | 112 | 13 | 77% |
| AVERAGE: | 17.76 | 8.23 | 0.47 | AVERAGE: | 12.35 | 3.29 | 0.38 | ||
| UFC TOTALS: | 163 | 41 | 1 | 80% | UFC TOTALS: | 156 | 30 | 1 | 83% |
| UFC AVERAGE: | 20.37 | 5.12 | 0.12 | UFC AVERAGE: | 19.5 | 3.75 | 0.12 |
Urijah Faber (+230 Underdog)
Gym: Alpha Male
Base: Wrestling
Credentials/Accolades: Former WEC Featherweight Champion, KOTC Bantamweight Champion
Faber is nothing less than a pound for pound top level fighter. His numbers speak for themselves. However, it's worth nothing that since his loss to Barao in July 2012, his significant striking accuracy has been 61%(193 of 312) over 4 bouts with a overall striking accuracy of 71% (334 of 470). His striking has improved a lot under Ludwig.
| FIGHTER | Wins | Loss | Draw | WIN % OF FIGHTS | FINISH % OF FIGHTS | (T)KO | SUB | UFC | STRIKING ACC: 36% |
| RENAN BARAO | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1NC 97% | 68% | 7 | 14 | UFC | STRIKING DEF: 67% |
| LAST FIVE FIGHTS | 5 | 0 | 0 | ORTHODOX | HEIGHT: 5'6" | REACH | 70 | UFC | TAKEDOWN ACC: 55% |
| UFC/WEC RECORD | 8 | 0 | 0 | LAST FIGHT: | 09/21/13 | AGE | 26 | UFC | TAKEDOWN DEF: 95% |
| FIGHTER RECORD OVERALL | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES | FIGHTER RECORD TOF | Wins | Loss | Draw | NOTES |
| JOAO DE SOUZA | 33 | 16 | 2 | (LOSS) | JOAO DE DOUZA | 0 | 0 | 0 | (LOSS) |
| MELK FREITAS | 0 | 2 | 0 | MELK FREITAS | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| ANISTAVIO DE FIGUEIREDO | 17 | 9 | 0 | ANISTAVIO DE FIGUEIREDO | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DANDE DANDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | DANDE DANDE | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| GLEISON MENEZES | 3 | 9 | 0 | GLEISON MENEZES | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| KAIO DE FREITAS | 1 | 5 | 0 | KAIO DE FREITAS | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| RONY JASON | 13 | 4 | 0 | RONY JASON | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| JANAILSON LIMA | 32 | 14 | 0 | JANAILSON LIMA | 9 | 2 | 0 | ||
| CARLOS HEIDE | 13 | 8 | 0 | CARLOS HEIDE | 5 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ERINALDO RODRIGUES | 9 | 7 | 0 | ERINALDO RODRIGUES | 4 | 2 | 0 | ||
| DANILO NORONHA | 7 | 11 | 0 | DANILO NORONHA | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| CLAUDEMIR SOUZA | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1NC (NO CONTEST) | CLAUDEMIR SOUZA | 3 | 2 | 0 | (NO CONTEST) |
| WILLIAM VIANNA | 16 | 8 | 0 | 1NC | VILLIAM VIANNA | 8 | 4 | 0 | |
| RONALDO LIMA JR | 9 | 6 | 0 | RONALDO LIMA JR | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
| JETRON AZEVEDO | 3 | 4 | 0 | JETRON AZEVEDO | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| JOSE DE MELO | 14 | 11 | 0 | 1NC | JOSE DE MELO | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1NC |
| WILLIAM PORFIRIO | 3 | 6 | 0 | WILLIAM PORFIRIO | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ROGERIO SILVA DE SOUZA | 12 | 4 | 0 | ROGERIO SILVA DE SOUZA | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
| ALEXANDRE PINHEIRO | 7 | 4 | 0 | ALEXANDRE PINHEIRO | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| ANDRE LUIS DE OLIVEIRA | 14 | 8 | 1 | ANDRE LUIS DE OLIVEIRA | 6 | 3 | 1 | ||
| JURANDIR SARDINHA | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1NC | JURANDIR SARDINHA | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
| PAULO DANTAS | 24 | 9 | 1 | PAULO DANTAS | 17 | 5 | 0 | ||
| MARCIO NUNES | 5 | 7 | 0 | MARCIO NUNES | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| JORGE ENCISO | 6 | 8 | 2 | JORGE ENCISO | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||
| SERGIO SILVA RODRIGUES | 11 | 5 | 0 | SERGIO SILVA RODRIGUES | 6 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ANTHONY LEONE | 13 | 6 | 0 | WEC DEBUT | ANTHONY LEONE | 8 | 0 | 0 | WEC DEBUT |
| CHRIS CARIASO | 15 | 5 | 0 | CHRIS CARIASO | 10 | 1 | 0 | ||
| COLE ESCOVEDO | 17 | 9 | 0 | UFC DEBUT | COLE ESCOVEDO | 17 | 6 | 0 | UFC DEBUT |
| BRAD PICKETT | 23 | 8 | 0 | BRAD PICKETT | 20 | 5 | 0 | ||
| SCOTT JORGENSEN | 14 | 8 | 0 | SCOTT JORGENSEN | 13 | 4 | 0 | ||
| URIJAH FABER | 30 | 7 | 0 | UFC INT BW TITLE WIN | URIJAH FABER | 26 | 5 | 0 | UFC INT BW TITLE WIN |
| MICHAEL MCDONALD | 16 | 3 | 0 | UFC INT BW TITLE DEF | MICHAEL MCDONALD | 15 | 1 | 0 | UFC INT BW TITLE DEF |
| EDDIE WINELAND | 20 | 9 | 1 | UFC INT BW TITLE DEF | EDDIE WINELAND | 20 | 8 | 1 | UFC INT BW TITLE DEF |
| TOTALS: | 422 | 235 | 8 | 66% | TOTALS: | 223 | 72 | 4 | 75% |
| AVERAGE: | 12.78 | 7.12 | 0.24 | AVERAGE: | 6.75 | 2.18 | 0.12 | ||
| UFC/WEC TOTALS: | 148 | 55 | 1 | 73% | UFC/WEC TOTALS: | 129 | 30 | 1 | 81% |
| UFC/WEC AVERAGE: | 18.5 | 6.87 | 0.12 | UFC/WEC AVERAGE: | 16.12 | 3.75 | 0.12 |
Renan Barao (-270 Favorite)
Gym: Nova Uniao
Base: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Credentials/Accolades: Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Black Belt
Overlooked by many, Barao has been fighting top level fighters for several years and has proven to be difficult to takedown and impossible to defeat. Out of 8 WEC/UFC wins, Barao has finished 5 of them.
