Barao vs. Pickett Predictions

This is the official prediction commentary thread for Barao vs. Pickett. Let's see what you've got.

@Beast I would have to agree with you... Barao did not impress me against Escovedo, and he did get rocked once in that fight... 

pickett takes the decision........Pickett is very underrated and he'll be too tough for Barao

Pickett will use a high pace to wear out barao.

I favor Pickett standing as he baits guys into brawls and times catching kicks very well. 

Wrestling wise it was hard to gauge Barao in his last fight as Escovedo likes to be on his back and doesn't really fend

of TD's.  Pickett's wrestling looked stellar against Mighty Mouse and did well against Jorgensen.   Pickett should be

able to stay out of positions where Barao can submit him.

I expect Pickett to edge out Barao in a brawl on the feet with late TD's to win a very entertaining contest.

I just remember Picketts fight against Menjivar! Man, that was a war and I'm pretty sure that Barao will not be able to handle that pace.... He looked tired at the end of round 2 against escovedo.... That reminds me I need to review that fight. Lets remember also that Pickett gave Mighty Mouse his first loss.

* Edited at 11.02.2011, 6:09 PM ET *

Barao will leave on a 27 fight win streak.

Picket will win this for sure  ..

Renan lost a round  a round to Cole Escavedo .. I'm pretty dam sure Pickett is gonna win this by 30-27 unanimous decision

You act like losing a round to Escovedo is a terrible thing. Cole is one of the best grapplers in the UFC. 

I don't know if Barao can get this fight to the ground, theres a chance Pickett will be able to sprawl and out strike Barao, but obviously if he can get it to the ground Pickett is in huge trouble. 

* Edited at 11.02.2011, 10:41 PM ET *

@minotauro11 .. m8 trust me Pickett is gonna win this .. Takeya Mizugaki even did not lose 1 round to Cole .. I'm not trying to do MMA math here .. but having seen his UFC debut and having seen Pickett perform against the elite of the division .. I'm pretty confident Pickett will win

if he does lose though .. which I def don't think he will .. it will then most likely be by a submission of some kind

But I see him winning clearly all 3 rounds

I was there when Pickett fought Mighty Mouse. its been over a year since then but  Pickett has some good takedowns. He is going ot keep Barao on the ground.

Mizugaki did lose a round to Escovedo. Not only that but Mizugaki is a good fighter, and wanted nothing to do with the grappling of Cole, which is how he eventually won the fight. Escovedo is an amazing grappler, but not the best striker, and Mizugaki was able to keep the fight on the feet, so he won. 

Barao is opening as the favorite for a  reason, he is a next level grappler and Pickett has been submitted by lesser opponents. Both guys can win this fight, it's a coinflip, but you can't take away from anyone for losing a round to Cole Escovedo. 

@minotauro11

Round 1
Mizugaki pushes forward early, slugging at his man with hooking combos. Escovedo returns fire with a high kick and lands a few knees as the bantamweights briefly tie up. Mizugaki socks the “Apache Kid” with a solid left hand and tries to trip him down with a waistlock, but they wind up vying for position on the fence. Underhooks for Mizugaki while Escovedo grabs at the Thai plum. Finally, it’s Mizugaki who gets his way and trips Escovedo down, but the Californian is right back up. With his back to the fence, Escovedo jumps guard and tries to slap a triangle on the standing Mizugaki. He can’t get there, however, before Mizugaki shakes him loose and drives him into the canvas. They’re quickly back on the feet, where Mizugaki connects with a hard left and Escovedo answers with a pair of sharp knees. They trade uppercuts, dirty boxing, until a series of level elbows stagger Mizugaki and they split. Mizugaki comes on strong in the final 20 seconds, blasting away with combinations to the head and body.

Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki

Round 2
Mizugaki catches a kick and trips Escovedo down, but allows him right back up. A particularly high inside thigh kick from Mizugaki prompts referee Adam Martinez to caution him. Left hook-right hook combination from Mizugaki backs up Escovedo, who responds with a high kick that catches Mizugaki on the head, but mostly with the foot. Mizugaki continues throwing his two-piece combos and a right uppercut-left hook has Escovedo staggering slightly. Another well-timed countershot sends Escovedo stumbling halfway across the cage and onto his rear, but again Mizugaki lets him up. Mizugaki lands a pair of punches, causing Escovedo to clinch, but the American can’t mount any offense as Mizugaki is busy slugging him with another six or eight crisp punches. Mizugaki is just ripping Escovedo apart with punches now, mixing in a few knees to the body for good measure. A left hook finally sends Escovedo crashing to the ground. Mizugaki dives in to seal the deal with one more punch, but referee Martinez is already moving into action, the stop coming officially at 4:30 of round two.

Sherdog


MMAJunkie

Round 1 - Referee Adam Martinez oversees this bantamweight affair. Escovedo goes to the center, but it's Mizugaki who leaps forward with combinations. Mizugaki pressuring early, and Escovedo looks a little frustrated. Mizugaki presses in against the cage, but Escovedo circles off and drives a knee to the gut. Mizugaki scampers away and resets. Mizugaki navigating the reach disadvantage very well in the early going. Escovedo attacking with kicks, but it's his opponent's hands doing the big damage early. Two minutes in, and Mizugaki is pressing in against the cage. Crowd doesn't like the clinch. Mizugaki dirty boxing, and he scores a trip. Escovedo pushes back with his legs, and they return to the feet. Escovedo leaps up for a flying triangle, but Mizugaki wisely shakes the legs off the shoulder and takes top position. Escovedo works his legs high, and Mizugaki backs away. Two-punch combination for Mizugaki. Escovedo presses in and has a flying knee blocked. Punches traded inside, and Escovedo does land a few crisp short elbows. Crowd likes the exchange. Escovedo finding range in the final minute, but Mizugaki answering right back. Fun opening round, and MMAjunkie.com sees it for Mizugaki, 10-9.

Round 2 - Mizugaki opens with an inside low kick. After Escovedo hits the deck briefly, he stands and eats several Mizugaki punches. Mizugaki just a touch quicker, and Escovedo a little hesitant. Escovedo also not using his length very well right now. Leaping two-punch combination for Mizugaki. A straight scores, as well. He works the body. Mizugaki with a boxing clinic. Escovedo lands a high kick that Mizugaki can't avoid. Halfway into the frame. Mizugaki continues to land with wide hooks, and he works the ribs, as well. Mizugaki with an uppercut and a hook. He's picking Escovedo apart with two minutes left in the round. Straight right for Escovedo lands, but he's throwing one strike at a time. Left hand sends Escovedo to the floor. Mizugaki elects not to follow, and Escsovedo stands. Escovedo grabs a Thai clinch, but Mizugaki rips him with several punches to the head and body. Mizugaki is on fire in round two. Left to the body, right to the head. Mizugaki sends Escovedo to the floor again. He gets up only to be dropped again, and Martinez calls the fight. Outstanding work from Mizugaki. Takeya Mizugaki def. Cole Escovedo via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 4:30


u might wanna watch that fight again

Either way it was a close ******* round and either way it was a boxing match between a grappler and a striker. Of course Escovedo lost. You are detracting from him saying Barao will lose because he lost a round to Cole which pisses me off because Cole is a great fighter who you and so many people under rate. Also, you are saying I need to watch Mizugaki/Escovedo again? Maybe you should watch Escovedo Barao again.

MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Barao in a clean sweep


Bloody Elbow scores it 10-9 and 30-27 for Renan Barao. And the judges agree: Unanimous Decision for Renan Barao over Cole Escovedo.

Pickett is winning....He's given Demetrious Johnson his first lost of his career and also beat Menjivar in his last fight... Barao I'm sure is more than a decent fighter, but this is a HUGE STEP compared to Escovedo

I'm gonna be shouting for Pickett.  It's gonna be a hard fight but I think he will take it, especially with all of there cheering him on.

I know Barao is younger and comes from a good camp, but I havn't seen enough to justify the hype. Pickett on the other hand is a tough as nails sob with good strking and decent wrestling along with good conditioning and good scrambles.

Barao will grind out a boring decision victory, 29-28.

I think this is the hardest fight on the card to pick

I dont really care who wins this fight, I would like to see Barao get his hand raised. But Pickett is a pretty solid fighter, wont be shocked one bit if he wins.