Where do you think he is on the P4P list after last night? Do you think he can beat Cruz? He is on a 30 fight unbeaten streak, which is currently the longest in MMA by far, considering Lombard's was broken last night. I'm not sure who number two is now (Anderson and Jimmo?) His best wins: Rony Mariano Bezerra Chris Cariaso Cole Escovedo Brad Pickett Scott Jorgensen Urijah Faber I think he has a really good shot at beating Cruz.
Well, like I said I´m not sure if he´ll beat Cruz.....I hope you´re right though Rob, when you said he can beat Cruz..... He´ll certainly be more exciting as a champion than Cruz IMO.....
Barao for me is just outside the top 10 P4P , and yes , he has a very very good chance at beating Cruz after what i saw last night I will add that i was bitterly disappointed Faber didn't go to his wrestling , 3 or 4 half hearted attempts at a single , and that was that , he must of known going into the fight Barao was going to be stalking and looking to strike , i know Barao is superb on the ground but Faber has a pretty good top game / base , good enough to handle Barao from the top IMHO Other side to that argument , Barao's TDD looked " very solid " , maybe Faber was deterred by Barao's strength once they locked up Either way this guy is gonna be a real handful for Dominic Cruz :deal :good
Renan Barao will finish him in the championship rounds. He is the truth, but stiill a little green. Cruz won't be at his best coming off knee surgery.
I think he defintely has the ability to at the very least give CRuz a real tough fight, maybe even beat him.
My opinion, Cruz is a better striker than Faber. More mobile and fleetfooted too. Cruz-Barao will be a stand-up war. Barao is more powerful on all 4 limbs though. I'd favor Cruz, but won't be surprised if Barao takes it. Either way, I see a close tussle.
I would have him as the favorite over Cruz, and honestly might have favored him before last night. I wanted to see him against a wrestler of Faber's caliber, and he delivered; but that is a different style match-up from what Cruz offers. I feel that Cruz has found a way to use his athleticism to his advantage, and he finds a way to out strike people with grappling as a strong suit. Against Barao, Cruz will be facing a strong submission fighter that has better stand-up. Particularly in the kicking department. I think that a lot of Cruz' in and out movement will be thwarted by Barao's leg kicks, and I don't think Cruz' exceptional core strength ever comes into play because Barao won't care anything about taking him down. I think that getting injured and allowing Barao to rise to the top of the heap has Cruz' title in serious jeopardy.
Hmm interesting opinion that !! , what does fleet footed mean ?? I'm not being a **** here I'm just wondering if you mean flat footed in which case that would put him at a disadvantage ??
As in Dungeons and Dragons rule 3.5, Fleet Foot feat means that you can run your full speed and turn 90 degree without any problem... But I think Matty III explained it alot better then I did... !
Im just re watching this fight , last night was a bit hazy , and what I'm seeing is a striker (Barao) against a wrestler who believes he can strike Barao is one of the current boxer / grapplers in the sport who seems to have the complete package for that particular style , superb stand up both hands and kicks , his range / distance control is something to behold , he's like Aldo , poise , balance , power , speed this kid has everything , he really does Faber made the mistake of standing there with Barao for too long , lots of movement yes , lots of faints and level changing , but he never shot in ?? , why faint and change levels if your not going to shoot ?? , by the 3rd round Faber was too predictable , and in the end became an easy target for the excellent Barao There is a difference between Cruz and Faber , there's a few actually but the main one is that Cruz has a better wrestling for MMA game than Faber , its more dominant and its more effective , if Faber locks up with somebody he'll drop for a double , if he has someone hurt he'll shoot for a double , Cruz will push a pace and make you defend a TD or 2 , or 3 or 4 , the kids relentless , very fit , very strong , very athletic I see this fight (Cruz Barao) as one of the most intriguing and fascinating matches i think i can remember there ever being in recent times , its literally a super fight for the purists , cannot wait !!!
