Dana White (photo) said that Barão is the type of fighter he likes to see perform. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
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Since Anderson Silva lost the UFC middleweight belt to Chris Weidman and later fractured his left leg in the rematch against the North American, Brazilian MMA has a gap in terms of national stars. But in the opinion of president Dana White, this vacancy has everything to be occupied by another Brazilian champion: Renan Barao. During a conversation with journalists during the half day of UFC 173, this Thursday (22), Dana compared Barão to Spider and stated that it is just a coincidence that the native of Rio Grande do Norte is not as recognized as other names in the organization.
"Renan Barao is one of those guys like Anderson Silva. We forget that there was a time when no one was saying all the wonderful things they say about him today. This took a long time. It took a long time for Chuck Liddell too. These things don't happen overnight. There are some guys who appear from one moment to the next and steal the show, like Conor McGregor, but others take longer. When you look at the numbers and the struggles of Renan Barao, it's all there. He's the type of guy I like to watch fight. Renan is a killer, he gets in there and tries to finish you. He hasn't lost in almost 10 years, has never suffered a loss in the UFC and has finished 70% of his last 35 fights and his success as champion is 100%. It’s impressive,” said the director.
Asked about the reasons why Barão is not as recognized, from his lack of command over English to his appearance, White once again cited the example of Anderson Silva to deny the propositions. “Anderson Silva he won over more fans when he hit Vitor in the face with that kick. If he didn't speak English from that day until today, it wouldn't change anything. How much English does Anderson Silva really speak? 'I'm back everybody. I'm back' (imitating Spider's voice). That's a sentence in English for him”, said the director, remembering an interview in which the former champion publicly stated that he would fight again (and whose correct construction would be “I'll be back”).
Finally, Dana stated that Barão has essential characteristics for any great fighter and that is what will make him gain notoriety. “At the end of the day, it’s great to have a guy like Chael Sonnen, which is not only well spoken but also entertaining. He can go out there and host TV shows, he has a bright future in television. But this is a fighting business. The reality of having multiple guys like Chael doesn't exist. There are a lot of things I love about Barão, but when you look at someone like me, who is a hardcore fight fan, it's different. I like guys who go out there and try to finish, I like guys who go out there and do what the Renan Barao do”, concluded the agent.
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