(Barao’s success in MMA has caught the attention of Hollywood. He’ll be appearing in the next ‘Fast & Furious’ movie, playing the part of a dead raccoon lying by the side of the road. / Photo via Getty)
Already the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history in terms of time holding the belt, bantamweight phenom Renan Barao could become the first UFC fighter to defend an interim belt twice when he takes on Eddie Wineland later this month at UFC 165. But being an interim champ isn’t exactly something that Barao takes pride in.
“No disrespect to [Dominick Cruz], but from the moment I won this belt, and I have defended it once, I considered myself the champion,” Barao said yesterday during a UFC 165 conference call.
We can see how Barao might be confused, considering that he does in fact own a championship belt, and the real champ is nowhere in sight. Cruz, of course, has been sidelined for nearly two years due to a blown ACL and resulting complications. And although the UFC has been patient with “The Dominator”‘s long absence, the promotion may finally be setting an ultimatum on his return. As UFC president Dana White said during the conference call:
(Barao’s success in MMA has caught the attention of Hollywood. He’ll be appearing in the next ‘Fast & Furious’ movie, playing the part of a dead raccoon lying by the side of the road. / Photo via Getty)
Already the longest-reigning interim champion in UFC history in terms of time holding the belt, bantamweight phenom Renan Barao could become the first UFC fighter to defend an interim belt twice when he takes on Eddie Wineland later this month at UFC 165. But being an interim champ isn’t exactly something that Barao takes pride in.
“No disrespect to [Dominick Cruz], but from the moment I won this belt, and I have defended it once, I considered myself the champion,” Barao said yesterday during a UFC 165 conference call.
We can see how Barao might be confused, considering that he does in fact own a championship belt, and the real champ is nowhere in sight. Cruz, of course, has been sidelined for nearly two years due to a blown ACL and resulting complications. And although the UFC has been patient with “The Dominator”‘s long absence, the promotion may finally be setting an ultimatum on his return. As UFC president Dana White said during the conference call:
“I hope this is the last time it’ll be an interim title fight. [Cruz] came in here a few weeks ago and had lunch with me and Lorenzo (Fertitta). He was very confident that he would be ready to go at the beginning of the year. If he can’t return at the beginning of the year, then we’re going to have to make a decision.”
The only logical “decision” at that point would be to strip Cruz and award the unified belt to Barao, who has done a fantastic job sustaining the division in Cruz’s absence. Not that we don’t appreciate Cruz’s fancy footwork and Norman Bates-esque good looks, but enough’s enough. Hell, if it were up to us, Barao would receive the unified belt right there in the Octagon if he manages to beat Wineland on September 21st. Anybody see it differently?
When bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was forced out of his scheduled bout at UFC 148 against Urijah Faber, the promotion moved quickly to introduce an interim titleholder.
The UFC knew at the time that Cruz would be out for the better part of a yea…
When bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was forced out of his scheduled bout at UFC 148 against Urijah Faber, the promotion moved quickly to introduce an interim titleholder.
The UFC knew at the time that Cruz would be out for the better part of a year after tearing the ACL in his knee, and reconstructive surgery plus rehab equaled a lot of time that the 135-pound title would not be defended.
So with Cruz on the shelf, RenanBarao claimed the interim bantamweight belt with a dominant win over fellow contender Urijah Faber in July 2012. The plan was for Barao to then unify the belts with Cruz when he returned from knee surgery.
The only problem is Cruz suffered another setback and had to undergo another major reconstructive surgery on the same knee, which sidelined him for another long stretch of time.
In the meantime, Barao stayed busy and successfully defended his belt against Michael McDonald earlier this year, winning by fourth-round submission. Now on the cusp of yet another title defense against Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on September 21, Barao is faced with the prospect of potentially facing Cruz in early 2014.
There are still no definitive plans, however, so if Barao can defend his bantamweight title for a second time, should he be considered the true king at 135 pounds?
“Certainly, Dominick’s been out awhile. It’s going to be two years now,” Barao said on Tuesday. “I mean no disrespect to him, but from the moment I won this belt, and I have defended it once, I’ve considered myself champion for certain.”
With a win next weekend over Wineland at UFC 165, Barao will match the number of title defenses that Cruz had as UFC bantamweight champion. Cruz has been the recognized No. 1 fighter at bantamweight for much longer, however, as he was also the champion in the WEC, where he defended the title twice.
Still, with Cruz not expected to return until the first part of 2014, which would mean he’s been out of action for well over 24 months, it’s hard to ignore Barao‘s work in the division.
The expectation is that Cruz will come back and face Barao to unify the titles, but the Brazilian is happy to call himself bantamweight champion, whether that happens or not.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
When bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was forced out of his scheduled bout at UFC 148 against Urijah Faber, the promotion moved quickly to introduce an interim titleholder.
The UFC knew at the time that Cruz would be out for the better part of a yea…
When bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was forced out of his scheduled bout at UFC 148 against Urijah Faber, the promotion moved quickly to introduce an interim titleholder.
The UFC knew at the time that Cruz would be out for the better part of a year after tearing the ACL in his knee, and reconstructive surgery plus rehab equaled a lot of time that the 135-pound title would not be defended.
So with Cruz on the shelf, RenanBarao claimed the interim bantamweight belt with a dominant win over fellow contender Urijah Faber in July 2012. The plan was for Barao to then unify the belts with Cruz when he returned from knee surgery.
The only problem is Cruz suffered another setback and had to undergo another major reconstructive surgery on the same knee, which sidelined him for another long stretch of time.
In the meantime, Barao stayed busy and successfully defended his belt against Michael McDonald earlier this year, winning by fourth-round submission. Now on the cusp of yet another title defense against Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 on September 21, Barao is faced with the prospect of potentially facing Cruz in early 2014.
There are still no definitive plans, however, so if Barao can defend his bantamweight title for a second time, should he be considered the true king at 135 pounds?
“Certainly, Dominick’s been out awhile. It’s going to be two years now,” Barao said on Tuesday. “I mean no disrespect to him, but from the moment I won this belt, and I have defended it once, I’ve considered myself champion for certain.”
With a win next weekend over Wineland at UFC 165, Barao will match the number of title defenses that Cruz had as UFC bantamweight champion. Cruz has been the recognized No. 1 fighter at bantamweight for much longer, however, as he was also the champion in the WEC, where he defended the title twice.
Still, with Cruz not expected to return until the first part of 2014, which would mean he’s been out of action for well over 24 months, it’s hard to ignore Barao‘s work in the division.
The expectation is that Cruz will come back and face Barao to unify the titles, but the Brazilian is happy to call himself bantamweight champion, whether that happens or not.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
(…and until then, we’ll just have to settle for awkward fist-pose photos. / Props: @RenanBaraoUFC)
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was a dominant one before he became an absent one. It has been nearly two years since Cruz has fought, thanks to two consecutive ACL tears in his knee, but the injured champ hopes to return early next year.
“I’m looking to be back the beginning of next year is what it’s looking like from what the doctors have told me, so that’s my goal. Unfortunately, the doctor hasn’t even released me, so I couldn’t even make a date if I wanted to,” Cruz recently told MMA Junkie.
“It’s like when you got knocked out and you get put on suspension. It’s the same type of deal with this injury. There’s a set time and stipulation with a knee injury that I’ve gone through, especially doubled. So I’m just listening to the doctor so I stay back and don’t just come back.”
So, the up-side is that Cruz, who probably knows his own body better than anyone, is optimistic at this point. The bad news is that when he returns isn’t completely up to him.
When he does return, however, Cruz says it will be in a title fight. He scoffed at the notion that he’d vacate his title and take a “warm-up” fight first. If someone wants his title, they’ll have to take it from him in the Octagon.
“First of all, it’s silly to think that a champion would ever willingly give away the belt that he’s worked for,” Cruz explained.
(…and until then, we’ll just have to settle for awkward fist-pose photos. / Props: @RenanBaraoUFC)
UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was a dominant one before he became an absent one. It has been nearly two years since Cruz has fought, thanks to two consecutive ACL tears in his knee, but the injured champ hopes to return early next year.
“I’m looking to be back the beginning of next year is what it’s looking like from what the doctors have told me, so that’s my goal. Unfortunately, the doctor hasn’t even released me, so I couldn’t even make a date if I wanted to,” Cruz recently told MMA Junkie.
“It’s like when you got knocked out and you get put on suspension. It’s the same type of deal with this injury. There’s a set time and stipulation with a knee injury that I’ve gone through, especially doubled. So I’m just listening to the doctor so I stay back and don’t just come back.”
So, the up-side is that Cruz, who probably knows his own body better than anyone, is optimistic at this point. The bad news is that when he returns isn’t completely up to him.
When he does return, however, Cruz says it will be in a title fight. He scoffed at the notion that he’d vacate his title and take a “warm-up” fight first. If someone wants his title, they’ll have to take it from him in the Octagon.
“First of all, it’s silly to think that a champion would ever willingly give away the belt that he’s worked for,” Cruz explained.
“I’ve defended it four times — not once, not twice, not three times. Four times if you count the WEC. Not just that, but boxing is the only sport where you can get an easy fight before you fight for the title. That’s the difference between boxing and mixed martial arts, and that’s why mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world and not boxing.”
Cruz’ champion spirit certainly has not waned at all, it seems. Eddie Wineland will challenge interim champ Renan Barao next at UFC 165. If Cruz can fight in early 2014, chances are he’ll face the winner. Do you think Cruz will be ready to take on the likes of Barao or Wineland in his first fight in over two years, Nation?
Eddie Wineland is a throwback to a different era.
The former WEC bantamweight champion and current UFC interim title contender moves along to the beat of his own drum and has proven to be a difficult man to shake from his course. As his decade-long tra…
Eddie Wineland is a throwback to a different era.
The former WEC bantamweight champion and current UFC interim title contender moves along to the beat of his own drum and has proven to be a difficult man to shake from his course. As his decade-long track record has shown, Wineland has been susceptible to stylistic mismatches and savvy game plans, but his ingrained drive to bring the scrap has never been in question and is what sets him apart as one of the toughest men in a sport filled with “tough guys.”
Where other fighters find their zone competing in the hectic environment of prize fighting, the Indiana native gives off a vibe which leads one to believe he would be just as comfortable sorting things out down on the waterfront or in an abandoned rail yard.
Then again, it could very well be the mustache that is giving off that vibe.
After his victory over Brad Pickett earned an interim title showdown with current strap-holder RenanBarao, the fighter/fireman committed himself to a full-blown campaign to the grow a handlebar mustache. It was Wineland‘s hat-tip to the hallowed days of bare-knuckled boxing and became an avenue of motivation as he prepared for his title fight.
But mixed martial arts is an ever-changing and uncertain landscape, and before Wineland could make good on his efforts to claim championship gold, an injury to the Brazilian phenom took the title fight clean off the table.
Rather than hang his head, shave his mustache or trade in his leopard-print training tights (he also owns tiger, cheetah and python prints) due to indifference or depression, the 29-year-old Chesterton-based fighter kept his focus on his task, despite the possibilities of his shot at gold having disappeared into the ether.
With the current state of the bantamweight division’s title-tier teetering on the verge of chaos, Barao‘s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Champion Dominick Cruz is rumored to be gunning for a return later in the year, and if the interim champion’s layoff turned out to be of any length, Wineland‘s position as No. 1 contender would have been nonexistent.
Nevertheless, Wineland kept his focus intact, stayed on the training grind and hoping Barao would return to give him the title shot he’s been working diligently towards. And as things turned out, the Nova Uniao product received a clean bill of health and the interim title clash was rescheduled for UFC 165 on September 21 in Toronto.
It was the news Wineland had been waiting for and immediately reignited the flames of motivation.
“It was awesome,” Wineland recalled to Bleacher Report about the fight being rescheduled. “My fiance and I were out to dinner, and I never leave my phone in my car. We got back and my phone just went nuts. My manager was trying to get in touch with me, Sean Shelby, and everyone was trying to contact me and it was nuts.
“I knew they were talking about the fight happening, but whether or not it was actually going to happen wasn’t set in stone. At first they were saying it could happen in October, but the more I thought about it I knew the more and more this fight got pushed back the less likely it was actually going to happen.
“I touched base with Sean and he was talking about October, and that changed to late September. Then he asked me if I was in and obviously I was. I’m excited, man.”
While the bout becoming official has Wineland fired up and ready to go, there were several indicators leading up to the announcement that gave him reason to get excited. After Barao took to Twitter to announce his return from injury, the two surging bantamweights engaged in a back-and-forth Twitter campaign as each fighter jockeyed to lock down the fight in their respective backyards.
With the UFC committing to two cards in Brazil in the fall and the Milwaukee card approaching at UFC 164, the lobbying to lock down the fight showed the interest both fighters held to make the throwdown official. Ultimately neither location landed the fight, but Wineland was still appreciative of his opponent’s participation in the exchange:
“I think that was good on his part,” Wineland said. “He just wants to fight. Yeah, he’s interested in fighting Dominick, but he’s more interested in staying busy and defending what is his. All the respect to Renan, and I’m very grateful he took the fight.”
With the interim title clash now official, there is now a possibility that the disrepair of the bantamweight division could be sorted out in the near future. In addition to Wineland and Barao squaring off in September, Cruz is steadily moving towards his return, and a handful of potential contenders are stepping into action in the coming months, which is precisely what the 135-pound division needs to turn itself around.
“It was kind of falling apart there for a while,” Wineland offered in regard to the bantamweight fold. “I know there is talk about Dominick coming here soon, and hopefully by the time the year is out we will have a unified champion at bantamweight. I think it will be back in order, and I’m always happy to be up there at the top and right in the mix.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
By comparison, Eddie Wineland’s two-fight win streak is much less impressive, although he did score wins over perennial contenders Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett last year. So, will Eddie just be another notch on Barao’s bed-post, or does he legitimately stand a chance here?
(Pfft. Clearly, the UFC is just trying to protect their pretty-boy interim champion. / Photo via Getty)
By comparison, Eddie Wineland’s two-fight win streak is much less impressive, although he did score wins over perennial contenders Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett last year. So, will Eddie just be another notch on Barao’s bed-post, or does he legitimately stand a chance here?
Eddie