Media Legend Pedro Rizzo vouches for Raoni Barcelos, says he's a top 5 BW right now

[drbolony]

From Sherdog


“Taha is a very good kickboxer and has a strong overhand. I think he will try to avoid takedowns and try to knock out Raoni. Both are very explosive fighters, so it's going to be an interesting fight,” Rizzo said. “But I see Raoni with more tools to win [than his opponent]. Raoni today is a complete fighter. He was already a wrestling and jiu-jitsu champion and since 2008 he has been training kickboxing with me. Besides that he is always in great shape. Actually, if the fight was against the champion Petr Yan, Raoni would be ready.

“I already worked with many great UFC fighters and I have no doubt to point to Raoni as the most intelligent and complete fighter I have ever worked with,”Rizzo said. “Unfortunately the UFC is having a hard time to find opponents for him. In this camp, for example, we had three changes in opponent. I truly hope that if he gets a fifth straight win, they will give him a ranked guy next.”

“Nurmagomedov is a monster. He was 14 -1 when he faced Raoni. I have no doubt he would be a nightmare to any Top 5 fighters of the bantamweight division,” Rizzo said. “That's why I truly believe Raoni today would be able to beat any of the Top 5 ranked in that division. But, of course, a fight is a fight and anything can happen.”

-Rizzo states Barcelos is ready for Yan today

-Says Barcelos is the most intelligent and complete fighter he has worked with (coming from a man who's worked with Glover Teixeira).

-Bases his opinion on what he's seen in the training room and Rizzo's high opinion of of Said Nurmagomedov, whom Barcelos defeated by UD. Rizzo believes Nurmagomedov gives the top 5 fits and Barcelos handled him with relative ease.

I tend to agree based on his skill set (just watch this guy fight) and the fact that he has a hard time getting matched up.

If you're wondering:

Barcelos returns against Khalid Taha after a fight with Cody Stamman fell apart in March due to COVID.

I personally want to see him fight Rivera or Assuncao, which is probably a stretch due to his lack of ranked wins, but it's not the dudes fault. Kind of in a Leo Santos situation, the man is 33 and isn't getting any younger. Age matters more the lighter you are in weight.

 

[Jose Beehive]

PEDRO RIZZO: RAONI BARCELOS CAN BEAT ANYONE UFC BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION’S TOP 5

Saturday will be an evening of strong emotions for former UFC heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo.


In addition to cornering Raoni Barcelos in his fifith Octagon appearance against Khalid Taha in a featured bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN 17, he will also witness a fight between two of his very close friends in the main event when Glover Teixeira squares off against Thiago Santos in a battle of light heavyweight contenders.

“Glover Teixeira is like a brother to me. When he came to Brazil in 2008, we trained together every day for almost five years. We even lived together for almost one year in Florida,” Rizzo told Sherdog.com. “‘Marreta’ is a student who trained with me for four years. Actually, when UFC announced they would fight, I promised that I would go to my farm where my telephone and TV don’t work. That was my plan until UFC invited Raoni to the same card.”

Even though he doesn’t enjoy watching two friends fight, Rizzo recognizes the logic behind the matchmaking.

“I totally understand [the] UFC. That's the fight to make,” he said. “Both had great fights against Jon Jones, both are coming from an impressive sequence of wins, but only one can be the champion, so if one has to take the other’s dream, I just hope they can make the ‘Fight of the Year.’ That’s what I’ll be cheering for.”

“The Rock” envisions a clear strategy for both Santos and Teixeira in the UFC on ESPN 17 headliner.

“They have opposite fighting styles. ‘Marreta’ moves a lot, just like he did with Jon Jones, always throwing vicious kicks and punches, while Glover hunts his opponent all the time, combining striking with takedowns and his ground game,” Rizzo said. “I see Glover in the middle of the Octagon attacking all the time, while ‘Marreta’ will be moving and looking for the perfect opportunity to hit Glover with his powerful punches and kicks. It definitely will be an interesting matchup.”

Rizzo’s tense tone changes when discussing Barcelos, who takes a four-bout winning streak into his showdown with Taha.

“Taha is a very good kickboxer and has a strong overhand. I think he will try to avoid takedowns and try to knock out Raoni. Both are very explosive fighters, so it's going to be an interesting fight,” Rizzo said. “But I see Raoni with more tools to win [than his opponent]. Raoni today is a complete fighter. He was already a wrestling and jiu-jitsu champion and since 2008 he has been training kickboxing with me. Besides that he is always in great shape. Actually, if the fight was against the champion Petr Yan, Raoni would be ready.

Rizzo has worked with other UFC champions such as Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva in the past, and he believes Barcelos compares favorably with them.

“I already worked with many great UFC fighters and I have no doubt to point to Raoni as the most intelligent and complete fighter I have ever worked with,”Rizzo said. “Unfortunately the UFC is having a hard time to find opponents for him. In this camp, for example, we had three changes in opponent. I truly hope that if he gets a fifth straight win, they will give him a ranked guy next.”

In his most recent outing, Barcelos outpointed Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Fight Night 165 last December. Rizzo claims that Nurmagomedov is a Top 5-caliber bantamweight, which only boosts Barcelos’ stock.

“Nurmagomedov is a monster. He was 14 -1 when he faced Raoni. I have no doubt he would be a nightmare to any Top 5 fighters of the bantamweight division,” Rizzo said. “That's why I truly believe Raoni today would be able to beat any of the Top 5 ranked in that division. But, of course, a fight is a fight and anything can happen.”

https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/P...nyone-UFC-Bantamweight-Divisions-Top-5-176023


Thoughts? He has looked a beast imo. Underrated.

 

[Jose Beehive]

Whoops, didn't see this thread when I just made one! My bad.

Yeah dudes a beast I would love to see more of him. Really exited to see him this weekend.

 

[HHJ]

RVT!

 

[13Seconds]

The same Batamweight division that has Yan, Aljo, Sandhagen, TJ, Moraes, Edgar, Garbrandt and Vera?

We gon have to see bout that

 

[EndlessCritic]

He's looked great in the UFC and deserves a step up.

 

[13Seconds]

As i said already, BW is stacked right now. If he can go in and make a stamp, all power to him.

 

[The_Renaissance]

I didn't realise he was so old, to be honest. I always assumed he was some 25yr old prospect. He's very good but not elite, in my opinion. Definitely deserves to be fighting someone with name value, by now, though.

 

[13Seconds]

He's looked great in the UFC and deserves a step up.

I didn't realise he was so old, to be honest. I always assumed he was some 25yr old prospect. He's very good but not elite, in my opinion. Definitely deserves to be fighting someone with name value, by now, though.

Fuck it

 

[Jose Beehive]

He's been training BJJ since he was 2! Got his Blackbelt at 20... Yet he mostly seems to want to just bang, spam a right hand 5 times in a row lol.. Fearless and aggressive as shit..

His fight this weekend against Taha is a low key FOTN prospect.. I expect swinging hooks and then maybe a Raoni Submission win.

 

[Pain4Pain]

His striking needs to be cleaned up if he ever gets to fight Yan/Cody/TJ

Otherwise the BW division is on fire.

 

[Hunt.]

The same Batamweight division that has Yan, Aljo, Sandhagen, TJ, Moraes, Edgar, Garbrandt and Vera?

We gon have to see bout that

Imo he is def. top 5 when it comes to his skills and talent. Its just a matter of time, his only problem will be to get higher ranked opponents so he can rise in the ranks.

 

[Hunt.]

He's been training BJJ since he was 2! Got his Blackbelt at 20... Yet he mostly seems to want to just bang, spam a right hand 5 times in a row lol.. Fearless and aggressive as shit..

His fight this weekend against Taha is a low key FOTN prospect.. I expect swinging hooks and then maybe a Raoni Submission win.

Ya i hope Barcelos is smart and takes it to the ground since he has great takedowns and obviously great subs. But imo he is a lot better standing also, just Taha has a lot of power and if they are standing Taha will always have a chance to win... although pretty small.... Barcelos has a great chin also.

 

[Jose Beehive]

Ya i hope Barcelos is smart and takes it to the ground since he has great takedowns and obviously great subs. But imo he is a lot better standing also, just Taha has a lot of power and if they are standing Taha will always have a chance to win... although pretty small.... Barcelos has a great chin also.

Yup you're bang on!

Raoni , fight i'm looking forward to most this weekend.

 

[Coconutwater]

Too bad he wasn't younger.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Yeah, Barcelos is very good. Dealt with Said Nurmagomedov who's also very good. I expect him to make his mark on the rankings.

 

[Bilzerian]

Raoni is BW Khabib. He got learn landslide grappling by papa

 

[Benoitthegr8]

I like, put the final nail in the coffin of Softie Seen O’Reilly hype

Fuck it

 

[europe1]

Barcelos seems like the prime example of a fighter who will age out of his prime before ever getting to fight anyone elite.

 

[drbolony]

Whoops, didn't see this thread when I just made one! My bad.

Yeah dudes a beast I would love to see more of him. Really exited to see him this weekend.

Nobody else saw it either bud

You good.

Been keeping an eye on Barcelos?

The same Batamweight division that has Yan, Aljo, Sandhagen, TJ, Moraes, Edgar, Garbrandt and Vera?

We gon have to see bout that

Word, I just want him to get a shot to prove it. Cody Stamman was a step in the right direction. Out of those guys I think Sandhagen is his toughest fight, based on what I see I give him a decent shot against everyone else. Moraes would be up there too, but he seems to have regressed since moving to ATT.

You're right though, gonna have to show me.

I didn't realise he was so old, to be honest. I always assumed he was some 25yr old prospect. He's very good but not elite, in my opinion. Definitely deserves to be fighting someone with name value, by now, though.

Definitely, he had a fight booked with Cody Stamman in March that fell apart when Covid started. That would've been his entry into the rankings and the fight that got more eyes on him imo. Tbh I vaguely remember his power not coming down with him to BW and I questioned by he made the move. He's 5'7, not the smallest FW, especially for his build. It's hard to go back and see though since it's hard to find tape on the guy.

He's been training BJJ since he was 2! Got his Blackbelt at 20... Yet he mostly seems to want to just bang, spam a right hand 5 times in a row lol.. Fearless and aggressive as shit..

His fight this weekend against Taha is a low key FOTN prospect.. I expect swinging hooks and then maybe a Raoni Submission win.

Tbf, he did that after hurting Holobaugh with a really clean left hook, super fast too. That said I'm not confident his power followed him to BW, guess we'll see this weekend. If not I'm hoping he pulls out the wrestling shoes and the Gi, BJJ since he was two!? Holy fuck, how is this guy not like a third degree black belt? I don't know much about grappling, but he does look extremely fluid on the ground.

His striking needs to be cleaned up if he ever gets to fight Yan/Cody/TJ

Otherwise the BW division is on fire.

I honestly don't remember it being that bad and I'm a snob. It's hard to find tape in him so I could be be wrong, but he doesn't spam rights unless he has the guy hurt (see the Holobaugh fight). He has more of a MT style and I would like to see some more boxing, but from what I've seen he has great timing, accuracy, and speed.

Barcelos seems like the prime example of a fighter who will age out of his prime before ever getting to fight anyone elite.

Don't you put that evil on him Ricky Bobby!