By TXMMA Staff | Photos: UFC.com, Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jose Aldo and Renan Barao continue dominant championship streaks; Alistair Overeem proves he can still be a force
February 3, 2014 – Two dominant champions showed just why they should be considered at the of the MMA ranking when it comes to pound-for-pound top fighters this past weekend at UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2. Held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, UFC 169 was very much a part of the Super Bowl weekend festivities in the NYC/NJ area and featured two title fights along with two former heavyweight champions colliding on top of what ended up being a well-balanced night of fights.
UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao wasted no time showcasing his dominance in the main event of the evening, scoring a one-sided TKO win over Urijah Faber to conclude the event. A few might say the stoppage was a little premature and it might have been but Urijah was going to face the same results either way. With this win and with former champ Dominick Cruz still sidelined Barao now sits undisputed atop a division devoid of any more obvious contenders until the former champ’s return or until somebody else steps up clearly.
Barao’s teammate and top-three P4P fighter Jose Aldo also looked dominant with his sound title defense over Ricardo Lamas. The Brazilian simply looked too skilled and too fast to be trifled with in this one, peppering the challenger with leg kicks throughout the five round fight en route to the unanimous decision win and a potential superfight with 155 lbs. champion Anthony Pettis as he explores a move up to the lightweight division.
Next up in the heavyweight feature, Alistair Overeem overcame criticism and looked good in beating up former UFC champion Frank Mir. Alistair has faced a bevy of criticism in the past with accusations of PED usage and seemed to be on his way out after losses to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne but he rebounded in a big way in this one. Frank Mir barely landed a strike throughout the three round affair while Alistair displayed a more well-rounded and patient game than he has in years while maintaining a solid pace throughout the fifteen minute contest. With this victory the Dutchman definitely has made his case for continued legitimacy in the sport’s biggest division.
Elsewhere on the main card Ali Bagautinov defeated a weight-challenged John Lineker while Abel Trujillo flattened former WEC champion Jamie Varner with a one-hitter-quitter to pull off the knockout win in the first PPV bout of the night. With that performance Abel Trujillo earned himself the $50,000 knockout of the night award while the pair earned $75,000 each for the Fight of the Night as well.
Check out the complete UFC 169 results including prelim action below:
UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2 – Quick Results
UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2 – Main Card Results (PPV)
- Renan Barão def. Urijah Faber by TKO at 3:42, RD1
- Jose Aldo def. Ricardo Lamas by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
- Alistair Overeem def. Frank Mir by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ali Bagautinov def. John Lineker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Abel Trujillo def. Jamie Varner by KO at 2:32, RD2
UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2 – Preliminary Card Results (Fox Sports 1)
- Alan Patrick def. John Makdessi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Chris Cariaso def. Danny Martinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Nick Catone def. Tom Watson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Al Iaquinta def. Kevin Lee by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-27)
UFC 169: Barão vs. Faber 2 – Preliminary Card Results (on UFC Fight Pass):
- Clint Hester def. Andy Enz by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Rashid Magomedov def. Tony Martin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Neil Magny def. Gasan Umalatov by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
