Fall From Grace: Renan Barao

Downward spiral

As is customary when a dominant champion finally loses, the UFC booked an immediate rematch between Dillashaw and Barao even though it was clear that Barao had basically been outclassed. The fight would take place just three months after the initial meeting at August’s UFC 177.

It wasn’t to be.

It was right before the weigh-ins for the event that the UFC made the official announcement; Barao had been hospitalised as a result of his attempts to make 135lbs – a weight he’d made successfully eight times prior in the UFC alone – and was out of the fight, to be replaced by Joe Soto.

Later on, the story was revealed that Barao had collapsed when stepping out of an Epsom salt bath and had knocked himself out due to hitting his head on the way down. Suddenly, a man who had seemed absolutely unstoppable was coming across as anything but.

His title shot now lost, Barao next faced prospect Mitch Gagnon in December. He successfully made 135lbs but looked sluggish throughout the fight, a far cry from the dynamic fighter who’d torn Pickett and Faber apart. He won with a third round arm-triangle choke but it was his least impressive performance since the Escovedo fight in his UFC debut.

It was, however, enough to earn him another crack at Dillashaw. But their first meeting, as well as the poor performance in the Gagnon fight, was weighing heavy on people’s minds. This time TJ was the firm favourite and while Barao made weight, the fight was as one-sided in the American’s favour as the first one had been.

This time Dillashaw finished the Brazilian in the fourth round with a violent flurry of strikes.

Moving up

After almost a year away, last May saw the return of Renan Barao to UFC action. This time he would be fighting at 145lbs, putting his weight-cutting struggles behind him. Matched with perennial action fighter Jeremy Stephens, Barao promised that we’d see a new, rejuvenated Baron.

Sadly he was largely wrong.

Barao fought another listless fight. While he won the first round quite clearly, enjoying a speed advantage for the first time in what seemed like an age, the second round saw Stephens catch him with some hard shots. The tide seemed to turn from there and although the Brazilian was able to use his grappling in the third somewhat, it just wasn’t the Renan Barao of the 32-fight win streak.

Although some viewers – myself included, actually – felt that Barao deserved to pick up a decision, the judges went the other way and Stephens was awarded the victory.

In September, Barao was faced with Philippe Nover – a man much further down the totem pole – in his second bout at 145lbs. It looked like a match designed to allow Barao to bounce back, to get back on the winning track, and in that sense, it worked.

Barao picked up a unanimous decision win and indeed, the fight was largely one-sided. But in execution, this was more like the Gagnon or Stephens fight than anything else. The Brazilian did just about enough to outstrike and outgrapple Nover, but never really hurt him or came close to finishing him off. While Nover didn’t have enough in his arsenal to really bother Barao, it was clear from this that maybe Barao didn’t have enough left in his arsenal to move any further up the ladder, either.

He hasn’t fought since.