Dana White spoke about Barão's situation at the UFC 177 press conference. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube
One of the most scathing critics of Renan Barao After his sudden departure from UFC 177 just hours before the event's official weigh-in, president Dana White decided to call a truce. During the press conference that followed the fight night, last Saturday (30), Dana stated that Barão suffered the harsh consequences of what happened and asked for an end to the pressure on the former champion.
“Of course, all this bothered us a lot, but he is going home without a penny. Barão hasn't fought since May, he paid a lot to prepare for months and no one knows when he will fight again. Believe me when I say that the penalties in MMA are worse than in any other sport. Barão reached a point in his career where he started making real money. He's finally making a lot of money and lost his scholarship after a whole period of training. That’s enough for me,” White said.
Despite the speech, however, the manager once again stated that he considers that the responsibility for the situation lies with Barão and his team. “We are all upset that he didn't make weight, but you can't treat the boy as if he wasn't a human being. He's a good kid, not a bad guy. Only he and his team know the reason why he didn't make weight. They now need to sit down, talk and make a serious decision about what happened. There is no excuse for what he did. You can't come here and not make it, but he's already paying for what happened. You can't penalize him any more than this kid has already been penalized. He went through real hell. And hell is not over for him, because he goes home without receiving his scholarship”, he assessed.
Last Friday (29), a few hours before the official weigh-in for UFC 177, in which he would face TJ Dillashaw by the rooster belt, Renan Barao ended up being removed from the event after fainting, falling and hitting his head during his weight cutting process. The Brazilian was hospitalized. Due to the sequence of events, Barão did not receive his payment for participating in the event and, also according to the organization's management, he lost his position as number one challenger for the title, having to win a few more fights before fighting for the belt again.
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