The 6 Best Photos From UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The saying applies to this day, and without a doubt applies to mixed martial arts, as some of the sport’s most historic moments are relived through the images that captured them.

There is nothing better than a snapshot of a fighter dealing with tragedy or triumph, or a picture of a perfectly timed strike, as every microscopic fragment of impact is relived while limbs and jaws collide. A photo can display a range of emotions, happiness and sadness, victory and defeat. Every picture is different, each having a unique distinction and personal story.

That being said, let’s look back at the 6 best photos from UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao.

6. Riddle Roars
“The Ultimate Fighter” season 7 cast member Matt Riddle had all the reason to celebrate at UFC 149 after he picked up a beautiful third-round submission against Chris Clements. Riddle’s submission was only one of two bouts on the 11-fight card that ended with one man tapping out and he earned a $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus for his efforts. The 26-year-old set up his arm-triangle choke beautifully as he locked it in from the stranding position then dragged Clements to the ground, eventually giving him no choice but to give up. It was the first submission win of Riddle’s career, which is all the more reason for him to be ecstatic about it.

5. Jimmo Busts A Move
It’s hard to say what was more impressive – Ryan Jimmo’s brutal seven-second knockout of Anthony Perosh, or his celebration afterwards. Jimmo clocked Perosh with a perfectly placed overhand right that knocked the Australian fighter silly, then broke out the robot, followed by the splits right in the center of the Octagon. Although he probably doesn’t have to worry about it after his highlight reel finish at UFC 149, but if the fighting career doesn’t work out for Jimmo, he may very well have a future in the field of dance.

4. Down Goes Daniel
Antonio Carvalho became the first man to knock out Daniel Pineda when he scored a ravishing 71-second knockout on the preliminary portion of the UFC 149 fight card. If it weren’t for Ryan Jimmo’s seven-second finish later on in the night, Carvalho would have picked up the “Knockout of the Night” bonus because his finish was simply sensational. The Canadian rocked Pineda early with a head kick and was all over him from that point on. After knocking Pineda down Carvalho delivered one more shot for good measure and although he tried, Mario Yamasaki couldn’t get between the fighters fast enough to stop it.

3. Court McGee Bleeds His Own Blood
Although many scored the fight in his favor, “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 winner Court McGee dropped his second consecutive bout to Nick Ring in the UFC 149 preliminary card headliner. It was a very close battle with each man having his high points, but ultimately the dominant third round from McGee should have given him the nod. Perhaps it was the battered face of McGee that caused the judges to rule against him because, superficially at least, his face looked worse for ware after Ring connected with some stellar straight punches in the early rounds.

2. Renan Barao Lifts Off
The new interim UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao showed he has mad hops against Urijah Faber as he soared through the air on multiple occasions looking to land a flying knee that would take Faber’s head off. The Brazilian was superior to Faber at UFC 149, which is exactly why he walked away with the gold around his waist. Not many fighters will throw caution to the wind with such risky moves in high profile fights, but it was no problem for the 25-year-old. Unfortunately, none of Barao’s knees landed flush, but the attempts did make for a nice photo.

1 .Tim Boetsch Does His Best Anderson Silva Impression
Now 4-0 in his career as a middleweight, Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch earned the most significant win of his career as he slipped by Hector Lombard via split decision in the co-main event of the night from Calgary. It was an extremely close fight between the two elite 185-pound fighters and while the bout was thin on action, each man did have their moments. One of those moments for Boetsch was when he channeled his inner Anderson Silva and snapped a right front-kick directly into the chops of Lombard. Even though the performance of both competitors is attracting a lot of heat from fans, a win is a win, and Boetsch was the one with his hand raised at the end of the night.

Honorable Mention

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @FightCoveMike. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.