Who will be wearing the Bantamweight title at the end of the night?
Tale of the tape
Renan Barao
Age: 26
Nationality: Brazilian
Height: 5’7″ (1.70m)
Weight: 135lb (61kg, 9st 9lb)
Reach: 70in
Fighting out of: Rio de Janeiro
MMA record: 33-1-1 (7 wins by knockout, 14 by submission and 10 by decision)
Urijah Faber
Age: 34
Nationality: American
Height: 5’6″ (1.68cm)
Weight: 135lb (61kg, 9.6st)
Reach: 69in
Fighting out of: Sacramento, California
MMA record: 31-6 (8 wins by knockout, 17 by submission, 5 decision)
Without a doubt deserves another shot at the gold in the UFC bantamweight division, and the fact he is showing up this weekend on just three weeks preparation, says much not only about Faber’s commitment to the sport but also his eagerness to get back Renan Barao for how their first fight panned out.
That fight went the distance as the two battled it out for the Interim Bantamweight title at UFC 149, with Barao winning the unanimous decision, dripping the ‘California Kid’ to 26-6 for his career at that time.
Since then Faber has been on a tear, making a mockery of his 34 years of age winning his next four fights in a row impressively, as Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen, Iuri Alcantara and Michael McDonald all tasted defeat, three of which came via submissions.
After Dominick Cruz was again put on the shelf through injury, the UFC had little trouble getting Faber to agree to fight a man who many think could be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Bararo.
And despite just having a fraction of the time he would normally have to prepare for a world title fight, the Team Alpha Male member says it is more about fine tuning what was already there.
People in the sport have known for a long time how dangerous a fighter Barao can be on his day, and since joining the UFC in 2011, the rest of the world has caught up.
Undefeated in the past eight years, which is in itself a stunning record in a sport where losses can come from left-field, Barao has redefined what was thought possible in the 135lb division.
A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and blessed with some of the best leg kicks in MMA today, Barao will be tough from the first round through to the end of the fight.
Hear from Barao about being handed the belt rather than beating former Champion Dominick Cruz for it.
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