Give me back my Preschusss!

Here's one I did a while back for the rematch between former UFC champion Renan Barao and the man who dethroned him. Barao had been on a tremendous tear, unbeaten for nearly 10 years. Then he met TJ Dillishaw who had the perfect skillset and a very specific game plan to completely shut down Barao and dominate the fight.

It's hard for a successful veteran of any skill to reinvent themselves on short notice. When they met again a year later it went much the same way as many had expected it would.

TJ remains one of my favourite fighters to watch due to his unusual stance switching style and aggressive presence.

Other UFC caricatures:

'Cardio' Cain Velasquez

Nick Diaz

Renan Barao on Wikipedia

TJ Dillishaw on Wikipedia

Cardio Cain Caracature

Here's one of 'Cardio' Cain Velasquez. He has a great look with the feel of a predator, something in the rounded lines of his face making me think of a bull terrier or a shark.

Despite his distinct look and intimidating face he was really tricky to capture. He has many strong features; the cauliflower ears, the scar tissue around the brows, the strong jaw, a rounded feeling to the bones of the skull. Yet these features are shared by other fighters, especially those in the heavier weight classes. I couldn't really find any one feature that defined him, and exaggerating too much often looked good but it quickly began to look like another fighter.

Ultimately this one ended up closer to a straight portrait because of the difficulties I had. I'm happy though, because I believe I captured the likeness and that predator feeling!