Barão (left) will defend his belt against Dillashaw (right) at UFC 173. Photo: Produção MMA Press (Disclosure/UFC)
After the injury followed by surgery Chris Weidman, the UFC was forced to find a new main fight for event number 173, on May 24th. And the organization managed to maintain a title fight in the attraction. The rooster champion, Renan Barao, will make the second official defense of his title against TJ Dillashaw.
At 27 years old, Barão is on an impressive streak of 31 undefeated fights in professional MMA, including seven wins in the UFC. The Brazilian won the bantamweight belt at the beginning of the year, when the then linear champion, Dominick Cruz, gave up his title and passed it on to the interim champion. In his first defense, Barão knocked out Urijah faber at UFC 169 in February.
Dillashaw, a year older than Barão, is not on such a positive streak. The American, Faber's training partner on Team Alpha Male, beat Mike Easton in the judges' decision in January, but before that, he suffered a controversial defeat to the Brazilian Raphael Assunção, in Barueri. In the UFC, Dillashaw has five victories (including over the Brazilian Hugo Wolverine) and two defeats, one in his debut in the organization, against John Dodson.
READ TOO: Assunção says injury prevented him from accepting a fight against Barão at UFC 173
Originally, UFC 173 would have featured a middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman e Vitor belfort. With the ban on TRT in the state of Nevada, Belfort was replaced by another Brazilian, Lyoto Machida. However, Weidman suffered a knee injury and will have to undergo minor surgery, postponing the fight until July. In the co-main event of the night, another Brazilian will be in action: junior gypsy faces the North American of Croatian descent Stipe Miocic.
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