The next chapter in Renan Barao‘s career will begin on December 20. Following a disappointing withdrawal from a rematch with TJ Dillashaw, Barao has been booked to meet Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58.
MMAJunkie.com reported the matchup on Wednesday.
Scheduled to battle Dillashaw in an immediate rematch during August, Barao encountered issues while cutting weight the day prior to his title shot. That forced Barao to pull out and UFC brass to replace him with Joe Soto, who went on to lose to Dillashaw.
Before he gets another shot at the 135-pound championship, Barao is going to have to earn the trust of UFC leaders again. The Brazilian will obviously be a significant favorite over Gagnon, who is ranked No. 15 among bantamweight contenders, so his biggest test heading into the matchup could be weight cutting.
Steep upgrade in competition for Gagnon in drawing Renan Barao, after bouts with Tim Gorman and Roman Salazar.
— Chuck Mindenhall (@ChuckMindenhall) October 16, 2014
While Barao will be a huge step up in competition for Gagnon, the Canadian has earned this opportunity. Since losing to Bryan Caraway in his UFC debut, Gagnon has won four in a row.
It’s a huge test, but Gagnon could leapfrog several contenders and become a leader in the race for a shot at the bantamweight belt should he find a way to upset Barao.
At 27 years old, it seems inevitable that Barao will eventually get another chance to claim the 135-pound title that was once his. He has lost his spot in line, though, as another former titleholder, Dominick Cruz, appears to be Dillashaw‘s next challenger.
UFC Fight Night 58 will be held at Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The following bouts are currently scheduled to appear on the fight card:
- C.B. Dollaway vs. Lyoto Machida
- Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon
- Igor Pokrajac vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
- Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Patrick Cummins
- Charlie Brenneman vs. Leandro Silva
- Rashid Magomedov vs. Elias Silverio
- Leandro Issa vs. Yuta Sasaki
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