A Brazilian talent training with the famed Nova Uniao, Pedro Falcao makes his arrival in the UFC this Saturday. A 2021 Contender Series alum who won on the show, the Shooto Brasil alum has been paired up with Victor Hugo in a bantamweight bout on the UFC Vegas 90 card.
Pedro “Pedrinho” Falcão
Standing at five-foot-six
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
31-years-old
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Training out of Nova Uniao
A pro record of 16-3
6 KO/TKOs, 5 Submissions
How Falcao will fare in the UFC:
Falcao is one of the most respected and underrated guys out of Brazil. He’s not really thought about because of his activity. Falcao is a main coach out of Nova Uniao so he’s been in there with some high-level dudes. He did fight and won on the Contender Series in 2021. Even with a knockout, he wasn’t signed oddly. He returned to the cage last November and got another win which led to this opportunity.
Falcao is a grappler but has to be taken seriously on the feet as well. He’s got a crisp lead left hook and a good right hand. He’ll lull guys into his striking and then shoot takedowns. Falcao, over the course of his career, has been able to get takedowns in many different ways. Falcao has an excellent single-leg takedown. If he doesn’t get it from there he has shown he can chain wrestle to the back and get the takedown from there. Defensively his takedown defense is solid and so is his defensive grappling.
Falcao is a major threat on the mat with a legit jiu-jitsu black belt. He has a good blend of submissions and ground and pound. As shown on the Contender Series he can shut the lights out with his ground and pound. Falcao has five submission wins and while he does favor going after the neck he will also go after an arm. He doesn’t take a lot of risks as he’s precise in everything he does.
High-level jiu-jitsu, submission threat, solid wrestling, well-conditioned and good enough striking. I have high hopes for Falcao but I know he hasn’t fought an actual good opponent in a long time. He’s fought experienced guys but the record is a little bit padded. Saying that, he doesn’t have any glaring holes so Falcao has a high ceiling despite being thirty-one.
How Falcao matches up with Hugo:
Hugo started off his career more as a grappler but has branched off as a striker later in his run. He did go back to his roots last fight winning with a knee bar to win a contract on the Contender Series. I don’t think Hugo wants to try his luck with Falcao on the mat because I’d think his BJJ is on another level. Overall I’ve been more impressed with Falcao. He is taking this fight on four days’ notice which could affect his cardio. If he fights how he normally does I think he’s on another level compared to Hugo.
