About Renan Barao
Many fans were still unfamiliar with Barao prior to his matchup with Urijah Faber at UFC 149 for the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship title. It wasn’t that the general public wasn’t pleased by his at the time 29-fight unbeaten run; such streaks in MMA are quite uncommon. Except for Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett, Barao had not exactly competed against a who’s who of MMA, especially in the perspective of American fans who were unfamiliar with his past Brazilian opponents. He therefore had some wild card qualities.
However, after controlling the pace throughout the course of five complete rounds against MMA great Faber to capture the interim belt, people started to take notice of Barao. And if you continue reading, you will, too.
This is his tale.
- Date of Birth: Renan Barao was born on January 31, 1987 in Natal, Brazil.
- Training Camp and Fighting Organization: Barao trains at Nova União in Brazil under André Pederneiras. He fights for the UFC.
Martial Arts History
Pederneiras awarded Barao his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in September 2011. He practices and is proficient in Muay Thai, like do all Nova Uniao fighters.
Beginnings of MMA
On April 14, 2005, Barao competed in his first professional mixed martial arts fight, losing to Joao Paulo by decision in a HeatFC 3 event in Natal, Brazil. From that point on, he really took off, embarking on one of the longest unbeaten runs in MMA history that covered multiple promotions, including Shooto. Having stated that, let’s begin with the first time the World Extreme Cagefighting organization (WEC) contacted us.
Work for WEC
On June 20, 2010, Barao faced Anthony Leone in the WEC for the first time. Barao defeated Leone via armbar in the third round. Before Zuffa merged the WEC into the UFC and made Barao a UFC fighter, he then defeated Chris Cariaso via rear naked choke.
capturing the interim UFC bantamweight championship
Prior to Dominick Cruz’s injury forcing him out of the bout, Urijah Faber—at the time, the most well-known fighter below lightweight in the world—was scheduled to face Cruz for the bantamweight championship. When Cruz recovered, Zuffa made the decision to match Barao versus Faber, with the victor receiving the interim title tag and a chance at the permanent one.
At UFC 149, Barao used leg kicks and more potent combinations to win a rather close match. Barao’s victory over Faber not only earned him the interim championship but also more firmly established his reputation in the MMA.
Fighting Technique of Renan Barao
Barao possesses exceptional Muay Thai abilities. Along with his long limbs and reach, he can also use powerful combos and hard leg kicks. Barao also exhibits extremely powerful Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Together, these factors make him exceedingly challenging to defeat because he makes opponents feel unsafe everywhere.