Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland will assume co-main event duties at UFC 165 on Sept. 21 in Toronto, Canada, according to a report from The Star Phoenix.
Originally scheduled to fight Wineland at UFC 161, Barao suffered a foot injury (via MMAfighting.com) which delayed the bout, leaving the event with a weakened main event in Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans.
Now, however, the bantamweight showdown is featured on an even stronger card, and UFC 165 has quickly turned into one of the year’s can’t-miss events.
Barao and Wineland present unique problems for one another, as Wineland will have a power advantage, while Barao will possess an edge in a technical striking match or a grappling contest. Because of this, the fight should provide an interesting clash of styles, with Wineland looking to score a knockout and Barao choosing to expose Wineland‘s ground game.
In eight defeats, Wineland has been forced to tap out four times, which does not bode well for him against the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Barao.
Still, with the ever-present threat of Wineland‘s explosive hands, Barao will need to be sharp and precise to secure his second interim title defense.
Headlining the UFC 165 fight card is another title fight between light heavyweight superstar Jon Jones and Swedish sensation Alexander Gustafsson.
Should Jones emerge victorious in this bout, he will break Tito Ortiz’s UFC record for consecutive 205-pound title defenses with six, adding even more intrigue to an already-scintillating matchup.
With this one-two punch of Barao vs. Wineland and Jones vs. Gustafsson atop the card, UFC 165 is set to shake up the title picture in two of the promotion’s most exciting divisions.
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