Prediction: Pero Falcão via Decision
Pedro Falcão vs. Victor Henry is a fight where the value is on Falcão, primarily because of how relentless he is with his grappling. He’s not a one-dimensional fighter—he can strike when needed—but what makes him so effective is that he fully understands his strengths and doesn’t waste time playing around outside of them. From the moment the fight starts, he’s pressuring, looking to close distance, and chaining takedown attempts together. His pace is high-level, and his technique is sharp enough that you need elite takedown defense to keep him off of you. Even if you can stuff the initial shots, he’s constantly working, making adjustments, and refusing to let opponents settle into a comfortable rhythm.
What makes Falcão even more dangerous is that he’s durable and willing to take a shot to get inside. He’s got a chin, and that allows him to stay in his opponents’ faces without hesitation. That’s a huge problem for someone like Victor Henry, who thrives when he’s the one pressing forward and dictating the fight. Henry’s whole game is built around volume and overwhelming opponents with offense, but that’s exactly what Falcão’s style disrupts. Henry is at his best when he can chain together combinations, mix levels, and keep his opponents reacting, but against someone who’s constantly in his space and looking to grapple, he won’t have that freedom.
Henry’s biggest weakness is his defensive openings, and those will be exposed here. Because he’s so focused on putting out volume and forcing his own pace, he leaves himself open to counters and takedown attempts. Falcão won’t be playing a striking battle where he has to deal with Henry’s pressure—he’s going to constantly shoot, clinch, and force Henry to defend. The longer the fight goes, the more Henry’s offense will get interrupted, and that’s when frustration starts setting in. If you take away his ability to overwhelm, he becomes much easier to deal with, and Falcão has the exact style to make that happen.