UFC 161 was originally set to feature an interim title bout as its main event. Interim UFC bantamweight champion, Renan Barao, was supposed to defend his title against Eddie Wineland, but a Barao foot injury forced that fight to be cancelled. Instead, fans watched Rashad Evans defeat Dan Henderson via split decision in the headlining bout of the June 15 fight card.
While Barao may not have been ready to fight this past Saturday, he feels he will be ready very soon. The interim champion recently took to twitter and let UFC president Dana White know that he was ready to get back in the Octagon:
Wineland responded to Barao’s tweet with an offer of his own, requesting the fight take place at UFC 164 in Milwaukee on August 31:
Following Wineland’s tweet, Barao replied that he didn’t care where the fight would take place:
The twitter exchange between Barao and Wineland was greeted by silence from the UFC. At least publically it was greeted with silence. The behind the scenes details may be a different animal.
One wild card in this is the fact that UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, is back to training:
Cruz has been on the shelf following two surgeries to repair a damaged ACL. The last time he defended his title was October 1, 2011, defeating Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision.
If Cruz’s rehab is on point and his return seems imminent, the UFC may decide to book him against Barao in a unification bout. Opting not to book the Barao versus Wineland match would be better for this bout, as both fighters would be closer to full health and coming off full training camps.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for additional news on the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com