Renan Barao reached the pinnacle of his sport when he became UFC bantamweight champion.
But Barao can no longer compete in that division and now sees himself becoming a challenger in the UFC’s featherweight ranks. The Brazilian meets Phillipe Nover this Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 95.
Barao (33-4) had a rough featherweight debut earlier this year, losing a decision to Jeremy Stephens. He is now just 1-3 over his last four, including a pair of knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw.
“I am confident in this new division, I can see myself in the Top-5 of the division and I don’t think about going back to bantamweight,” he said. “What is most important today is my health and well-being.”
As for his opponent, Barao admits that he “did not know Phillipe Nover,” but has since studied his previous fights and believes he knows where the bout will go.
“I expect the best possible from this fight,” Barao said. “I think this fight will have a lot of grappling, but I am very relaxed as to that.”
Renan Barao reached the pinnacle of his sport when he became UFC bantamweight champion.
But Barao can no longer compete in that division and now sees himself becoming a challenger in the UFC’s featherweight ranks. The Brazilian meets Phillipe Nover this Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 95.
Barao (33-4) had a rough featherweight debut earlier this year, losing a decision to Jeremy Stephens. He is now just 1-3 over his last four, including a pair of knockout losses to T.J. Dillashaw.
“I am confident in this new division, I can see myself in the Top-5 of the division and I don’t think about going back to bantamweight,” he said. “What is most important today is my health and well-being.”
As for his opponent, Barao admits that he “did not know Phillipe Nover,” but has since studied his previous fights and believes he knows where the bout will go.
“I expect the best possible from this fight,” Barao said. “I think this fight will have a lot of grappling, but I am very relaxed as to that.”
