A prodigious talent toiling in anonymity lacks the same cachet in UFC circles that it has in, say, folk music circles. And that’s unfortunate, because if there were cool points to be found in octagonal obscurity, Renan Barao could be on the level of, like, a Dave Van Ronk. That’s the kind of analogy we could be spinning right now.
But there aren’t, and he isn’t. He’s just Renan Barao, UFC bantamweight champion and Brazilian destructor of things. The guy who hasn’t quite gotten around to learning fluent English yet because he’s too busy arguing his case over in pound-for-pound kingpin discussion land.
The young man’s talented, but he ain’t no star. But does it matter? Saturday night at UFC 173, Barao will try to mow down yet another would-be star who doesn’t have the fierce wattage to contend with the champ. Will T.J. Dillashaw be able to pull off that stunner?
In the co-main event, how much longer can Old Man River Dan Henderson just keep rolling along with that right hand, and that right hand alone, propelling him through the water? Or instead, will Daniel Cormier eat him for lunch and spit out his bones on the canvas? It’s an open question.
What about the rest of the main card? How will all of those various, uh, doings transpire? We’re here to fill you in. Riley “Kobra” Kontek. Sean “The Salmon” Smith. James “Athlete” MacDonald. Craig “Tiny Violin” Amos. And myself, Scott Harris. Let’s get it on.