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Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao will make his return to the Octagon on Dec. 20 against Canadian Mitch Gagnon in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. It will be quite the step up in competition for Gagnon, who will see an even more motivated and angry Barao on fight night. 

A vengeful Barao is looking to make a statement to the mixed martial arts world after he was thoroughly outclassed, and finished, by current champion T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173. Things went from bad to worse when Barao fainted on the day of weigh-ins prior to his rematch with Dillashaw just three months later. Now, the Brazilian must regroup and channel his frustration towards Gagnon, who is 4-1 in the UFC.

“My preparation is going great,” Barao told Sherdog.com’s Gleidson Venga. “I train three times a day and hope to give 100 percent so that everybody will keep talking about the fight. I hope they’ll enjoy it.”

Barao, the former pound-for-pound king of the 135-pound weight class, fell from grace just as he was beginning to establish a dominant legacy in the Octagon. The 27-year-old was riding a 16-fight win streak prior to his UFC debut. Barao was thrust into the spotlight with little to no experience fighting in a top promotion—he only fought twice in the WEC—but was a force in his native country of Brazil. 

The Nova Uniao team member’s striking is a spectacle to watch. Similar to his teammate, Jose Aldo, Barao mixes up his punches well with deceptive spinning back kicks and crippling leg kicks. He’s also got the killer instict; when he smells blood in the water, it’s lights out for his opponents. For a 5’6″ bantamweight, Barao‘s reach is an impressive 70 inches. 

His competitors are normally goaded into a stand-up exchange, partly because of his reach, which Barao uses to dictate the pace of the fight, but also because of his elite takedown defense. Prior to his bout with Dillashaw, Barao had stuffed 17 of 17 takedowns coming his way for a whopping 96 percent takedown defense percentage. 

Barao‘s reign at the top of the 135-pound division was short but sweet. After winning the interim title, in Dominick Cruz’s absence against Urijah Faber, Barao went on to defend the strap three times, including once more vs. Faber. His run included finishes of Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland and Faber. 

Like every human, even a top-level UFC fighter can experience a sudden downfall. While not the most marketable or talkative fighter, Barao was part of the new wave of Brazilian mixed martial artists. Along with former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and Aldo, Barao was the last of his young countrymen to win a title, and nearly the last one to lose it.

Aldo is the last one left standing, with Barao forced to answer the questions that followed his UFC 177 weigh-in debacle, which cost him an immediate chance of putting the memory of a one-sided title defense loss behind him.

Four months is the amount of time between his missed opportunity and a chance at silencing critics on UFC Fight Night. The man he is up against, Gagnon, has only lost once in the Octagon, which came against bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway in his UFC debut. Since the loss, Gagnon has went on to steamroll his way through the division, with all three of his finishes coming in the first round. 

The 30-year-old, who began his MMA career six years ago, sports solid wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills—he’s a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu—but also displays great power in his hands. A funny fact about Gagnon: he has only fought in his native country of Canada because of his visa issues. The Canadian will be traveling to hostile territory this winter when he heads south of the equator to Barueri, Brazil, to tangle with Barao. 

Gagnon presents a unique challenge to Barao. He is the first southpaw fighter Barao has faced in the UFC. This can potentially alter Barao‘s game plan for a couple of reasons; one, because he will need to be wary of the well-timed straight left and, two, because of the left head kick. Don’t let his three submission wins fool you; Gagnon is a more-than-capable striker. 

He dropped Walel Watson, via a left hook, before securing an easy rear-naked choke. Note: Gagnon has rarely, if at all, fought in the southpaw stance in the UFC but has prior to his time with the promotion. 

Like Barao, Gagnon possesses excellent takedown defense and striking defense. Make no mistake about it, when the two battle in Brazil, it’s going to be a stand-up affair. With the pair boasting takedown defensive percentages upwards of 85 percent, it’s unlikely this fight will go to the ground.

Barao is a black belt in BJJ and has only been taken down once in his WEC/UFC career. Gagnon was neutralized by the grappler Caraway back in July 2012, but outside of his debut, he has shown great activity while on his back.

“I definitely think I can (submit Barao),” Gagnon told MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz. “I will put the pressure on him and if he makes any mistake, I’ll definitely [be] getting a submission.”

If the pressure is on any fighter in this tussle, it’s Barao. Figuratively speaking, if he was to lose this bout against a 15th-ranked bantamweight contender, Barao‘s collapse would rival that of the 2004 New York Yankees. One would start to question his desire, motive to fight and overall work ethic. Thankfully, it’s not Dec. 20 yet. 

A win for Gagnon could rocket him into the top 10 of the bantamweight division, or at least have him teetering on the outside of it. Gagnon has a skill set that can cause problems for the former champion. He has also performed well against fighters who have a 70-inch reach or greater, but he has yet to face anyone who is as fast and as technically sound as Barao.

Barao is now in a logjam atop the bantamweight ladder, with Cruz set to fight for the title next year and Raphael Assuncao waiting for his shot. Assuncao defeated Dillashaw previously at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields. With a renewed focus and a noticeable mean streak, it’s up to Barao to put away this would-be challenger and assert himself back in the mix. 

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