Former bantamweight champion, Renan Barão is fired by the UFC after five consecutive defeats

Barão is fired by the UFC. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook @ufc

The Brazilian's trajectory Renan Barao in Ultimate came to an end this weekend. The former bantamweight champion (up to 61.2 kg.) was released by the organization after accumulating five consecutive defeats. The dismissal was made official after the setback against compatriot Douglas D'Silva in the UFC Sao Paulo, last November.

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Barão debuted in the Octagon at UFC 130, in May 2011, when he beat Cole Escovedo. In a rapid rise, he added two more triumphs and reached the interim bantamweight belt, beating the veteran Urijah faber, in 2012. With the series of injuries to Dominick Cruz, then linear champion, the Brazilian unified the titles without fighting.

The Brazilian was chosen by Dana White, present at the UFC, as the toughest athlete in all of Ultimate in all categories. However, after three title defenses and seven consecutive victories in the Octagon (33 fights without losing in MMA), Barão was defeated for the first time against TJ Dillashaw at UFC 173, in 2014, in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. The North American dealt a harsh punishment to the native of Rio Grande do Norte, who was only knocked out in the fifth round.

Since then, Renan has never performed the same again. In the rematch against Dillashaw, in 2015, he was knocked out again in the fourth round. Adding to the difficulty of breaking the bantamweight category limit, Barão was forced to move to featherweight (up to 65.7 kg.).

After the first meeting with TJ Dillashaw, the history of Renan Barao was quite bad in the UFC, with eight defeats in nine appearances in the franchise.