Tag: Renan Barao

UFC on Fuel TV 7: Renan Barão Win Sets Up Epic Showdown with Dominick Cruz

A title unification is afoot in the UFC bantamweight division.After Renan Barão took care of Michael McDonald in the fourth round (via Yahoo! Sports) of the pair’s interim title fight at UFC on Fuel TV 7, he set up what will be an epic showdown …

A title unification is afoot in the UFC bantamweight division.

After Renan Barão took care of Michael McDonald in the fourth round (via Yahoo! Sports) of the pair’s interim title fight at UFC on Fuel TV 7, he set up what will be an epic showdown against currently injured Dominick Cruz for the full title of bantamweight championship.

The potential title fight hasn’t gained as much press with Anderson Silva‘s name in the news for both Georges St-Pierre and Jon “Bones” Jones and Cain Velasquez taking the world by storm in the heavyweight division.

Attention, UFC fans: It should.

For starters, Barão moved to 30-1 in his MMA career and is currently riding a 20-fight win streak that now includes title-fight wins over Urijah Faber and McDonald.

He and McDonald traded jabs for most of the afternoon on Saturday, but Barão managed to get McDonald in position for an arm-triangle that ended things with three-minutes-and-change left in the fourth round.

UFC president Dana White was asked about the potential match, and he responded positively to what could be one of the better UFC title fights in recent memory (from MMA Weekly via Yahoo! Sports).

“Hopefully Cruz is healing up well and we can do that fight,” said UFC president Dana White when asked what was next for Barão. “That’s the fight I want to do and hopefully we can do that this summer.”

Cruz has had a long absence from competition. 

He hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he defended his title against Demetrious Johnson. Since then, knee surgeries and delays from a potential return have clouded Cruz’s future in the UFC.

If the company can get this fight together, it will be a potentially huge match.

Cruz (19-1 in his own right) has plenty of pedigree, and his last loss came as a member of the WEC. Since then, he won the title outright from Faber and then defended it against Johnson in late 2011. However, knee injuries threaten to claim his existence and have allowed Barão to take over the division.

From the Brazilian’s dominance to the comeback story Cruz would provide, this is a cash-cow for a potential pay-per-view showdown. Barão defended the title on Fuel on Saturday, but he likely won’t have another fight on cable TV as long as he’s the champ.

The one with Cruz certainly wouldn’t be, and as long as the rehab and therapy continue along the right way, the UFC has an epic title fight on its hands.

 

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4 Takeaways from UFC on Fuel 7

UFC on Fuel 7 has come and gone. The card looked quality on paper, but it produced the most decisions on one card in UFC history with nine.Renan Barao retained the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship with a fourth-round submission victory over Michae…

UFC on Fuel 7 has come and gone. The card looked quality on paper, but it produced the most decisions on one card in UFC history with nine.

Renan Barao retained the Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship with a fourth-round submission victory over Michael McDonald. The competitive fight came to a close with an arm-triangle. If Dominick Cruz can return soon they will battle it out to determine the undisputed champion of the 135-pound weight class.

The card looked great on paper, but that is why they step inside the cage. The main event and co-main event saved the evening from being marred by an underwhelming undercard.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s event.

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Barao vs. McDonald: Interim Brazilian Champ Staking Claim as One of UFC’s Best

UFC on Fuel TV 7 was headlined by Renan Barao and Michael McDonald’s clash for the bantamweight championship.After Barao reigned victorious following a fourth-round arm triangle submission (via ESPN), one thing became painfully clear (especially for Mc…

UFC on Fuel TV 7 was headlined by Renan Barao and Michael McDonald’s clash for the bantamweight championship.

After Barao reigned victorious following a fourth-round arm triangle submission (via ESPN), one thing became painfully clear (especially for McDonald): Barao is one of the UFC’s best—interim titleholder, or not.

He’s proved that with a 5-0 record in Dana White‘s league, taking his career record to 30-1 (1) (20 straight wins in the process) and placing the “interim” part of his title as an afterthought before remembering that Dominick Cruz is actually the current titleholder. It was the first official defense of the title after defeating Urijah Faber to win the interim belt.

If Barao performs like he did on Saturday in any match against Cruz, we’ll get to remove the “interim” part for good.

The Brazilian announced that he hoped Cruz’s current knee rehab was going well, and proclaimed to the entire London crowd that he was ready for that fight when the right time comes.

Although Barao was clearly the big winner on Saturday, McDonald performed quite well. He managed to keep the fight very competitive through the first three rounds by showing some nice moves to avoid keeping the fight on the ground, but Barao took hold in the fourth round and ended up submitting the challenger for the victory.

That was that for the card, and it brings about a fierce debate that is really flying under the radar in the UFC right now. Sure, Jose Aldo is dominating, Jon “Bones” Jones and Georges St. Pierre both will likely get a shot at Anderson Silva and Cain Velasquez has been impressive in the heavyweight division.

But Banao vs. Cruz is a storyline that isn’t getting enough press right now in the UFC airwaves.

Cruz managed to throw some fuel on the fire during his match commentary on Saturday, saying that he presents an entirely different fighting style to what other opponents have done in losing to Banao (via Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports):

I’ll tell you the difference: I fight different than anybody else. I’m not going to stand in front of you. I’m not just looking to counter you, and I’m mixing things up. On top of that, you take away range with angles. That beats range every day of the week. And I can wrestle. I’m going to wrestle this guy.

That’s all true, but if Cruz can’t return from his knee injury in the near future, Banao could remain on top.

It’s a conclusion that Ariel Helwani noted on Twitter following Banao‘s victory:

For now, Banao is the best bantamweight fighter on the planet. Cruz will eventually have a chance to dispel that theory, but rising through the ranks is a hard thing to stop when you get on a roll.

Banao is on a roll.

While we heap praise on Jones, Silva and the rest of the UFC roster for winning in dominating fashion, make sure to notice what the current bantamweight titleholder is doing while holding the “interim” designation.

If he’s not careful, he might do something crazy and unify this thing in his favor in the process.

 

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UFC on Fuel 7: What Went Right for Renan Barao

Renan Barao was able to leave the UFC on Fuel 7 main event still the interim bantamweight champion after defeating tough challenger Michael McDonald via arm-triangle in the fourth round.Barao started the fight off well by landing a takedown and moving …

Renan Barao was able to leave the UFC on Fuel 7 main event still the interim bantamweight champion after defeating tough challenger Michael McDonald via arm-triangle in the fourth round.

Barao started the fight off well by landing a takedown and moving into side control early on. Barao also began hitting McDonald with some nice hook combinations as the young challenger moved in.

The second round came and went with Barao starting to utilize his fast and powerful leg kicks. He also managed to hit McDonald with a solid shot before the round finished up.

The third round began with both fighters throwing some leather. Barao continued to find his timing and got the better of the exchanges.

With a few minutes left in the round, Barao hit McDonald with a big right that stunned the younger fighter. Shortly after being clipped by a McDonald uppercut, Barao landed a nice spinning back-kick that sent his opponent backwards.

The fourth round started with Barao attempting to land a leaping hook. After a few striking exchanges and a failed takedown, Barao began to work his leg kicks. He also followed those kicks with a spinning back-kick to the chest of McDonald.

Barao then tied McDonald up against the cage and secured a body lock. He succeeded in dragging him to the canvas and landed some nice knees on the way down for good measure.

Once on the mat, Barao was able to take his opponent’s back. He saw McDonald trying to improve position and, displaying his Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, he locked in an arm-triangle choke that won him the fight.

Barao showed some excellent hands and kicks throughout his fight. He was able to avoid the knockout power of McDonald’s right hand and use his experience to earn him the win over a very good challenger.

McDonald fought a great fight and should be commended for it, but Barao was much more experienced—and this was what won him their bout and allowed him to retain the bantamweight belt.

Tweet me @FuscoNation16.

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UFC Bantamweight Mega-Bout Brewing: Renan Barao vs. Dominick Cruz

Dominick Cruz was antsy as Renan “Barao” Pegado entered the Octagon and defended his interim UFC bantamweight title. Sitting on the set back in Los Angeles, broadcasting live on Fuel TV, Cruz was shadow boxing throughout the four-round fight.You can fo…

Dominick Cruz was antsy as Renan “Barao” Pegado entered the Octagon and defended his interim UFC bantamweight title. Sitting on the set back in Los Angeles, broadcasting live on Fuel TV, Cruz was shadow boxing throughout the four-round fight.

You can forgive him.

After all, the man in the cage who took on rising star Michael McDonald shouldn’t have been Barao. In a perfect world, it would have been a happy and healthy Cruz, the rightful champion who has never tasted defeat in nine fights as a bantamweight.

We don’t, alas, live in a perfect world. Cruz, unfortunately, tore his ACL preparing for a fight with Urijah Faber last May. In December, we learned that his body rejected a cadaver’s ACL, setting his recovery back another six months or more.

That left Barao to pick up the pieces and the bantamweight belt, first beating Faber to earn the interim title and now defending that belt against McDonald, utilizing a combination of raw athleticism and startling skill that reminded many of teammate Jose Aldo.

“He looked like a champion,” UFC president Dana White told Fuel after the fight. Cruz, too, was impressed, citing the young fighter’s strength and upper body clench as key factors in the fight.

“(McDonald) had the same problems I thought Barao would give him,” Cruz said on Fuel TV’s UFC Postfight Show. “He can’t take down Barao, which gave him more chances to win and he could go for the takedowns. He can stay on the outside and strike. On top of that, McDonald was looking for the power shots, and was not looking to set them up. He was looking to counter them or force them. And, as I thought, Barao was able to keep the distance and keep McDonald from landing the big shot. He was able to dictate the range, keep the distance and score the takedowns that won the fight.”

Cruz’s analysis, as always, was spot-on. Of course, with his broadcast partners Jay Glazer and Chael Sonnen egging him on, Cruz couldn’t resist explaining why fighting Barao is an entirely different proposition than fighting McDonald.

“I fight differently than anyone else,” the champion said. “I’m not going to stand in front of you. I’m not just going to counter you and I mix things up. You take away range with angles. I can wrestle. I’m not going to just stand in front of him and strike the whole time. Feints ruin the entire game of Barao, in my opinion. You take away the range by taking away the jab. He’s going to be confused when he gets in there looking for me.”

Barao, to his credit, recognizes that he will never truly be the champion as long as Cruz lurks outside the cage with his own version of that shiny gold belt. He called Cruz out immediately after the fight and wished him a speedy recovery.

“I will train very hard,” Barao told Fuel TV. “I’m looking forward to the fight and I want to give a great show and beat him. I wish Dominick a quick recovery so he can come fight and give a great fight to the fans.”

The bantamweight division, featuring fighters who weight just 135 pounds, has struggled to create demand among any but the most hardcore MMA fans.

But with two different dominant champions, the upcoming Cruz vs. Barao fight could be something the division has never seen in its short history—a legitimate box-office and television attraction.

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UFC Targeting Summer Date for Dominick Cruz vs. Renan Barao If Cruz Is Healthy

Renan Barao became the first non-heavyweight in UFC history to defend an interim title with his win over Michael McDonald in the UFC on Fuel 7 main event. While interim titles have popped up from time to time in UFC history, rarely does the promotion l…

Renan Barao became the first non-heavyweight in UFC history to defend an interim title with his win over Michael McDonald in the UFC on Fuel 7 main event.

While interim titles have popped up from time to time in UFC history, rarely does the promotion like to use them or much less have them defended if they can help it.

Only in times of injury when a champion has been sidelined for extended periods of time has the UFC opted to introduce interim titles, like the one that Barao currently holds after bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz shredded his knee and required two separate surgeries to repair the damage.

UFC President Dana White hopes to eliminate the interim bantamweight title sometime this summer if Cruz can return healthy and finally face Barao to determine the undisputed 135-pound champion.

“As soon as Cruz is healthy,” White answered when asked when he would like to unify the titles when speaking to Bleacher Report after the UFC on Fuel 7 press conference. “I hope this summer.”

Cruz suffered the knee injury prior to his scheduled matchup with Urijah Faber in July 2012, but the had a setback when the ligament didn’t hold and his doctors had to go in and essentially redo the surgery for a second time. The setback forced Cruz back into the operating room and out of action once again.

The last time Cruz fought was when he defeated Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Versus in October 2011.

The champion has been sitting on the sidelines since then just waiting on his knee to fully heal so he can get back in action.

If his rehabilitation goes well over these next few months, the hope is for Cruz to get cleared and return to full training, and then meet Barao during the summer months to unify the titles.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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