Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting.
Renan Barao walked into the Octagon at UFC 143 as the #7 ranked bantamweight in the world according to the USA TODAY/MMA Nation Consensus Rankings. He beat #5 Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision (30-27 x3) last night and now he's very near the top of the division.
Barao is the highest ranked bantamweight who hasn't already lost to UFC 135 pound champion Dominick Cruz so he should be very close to a title shot. He'll have to wait for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter which features Cruz vs. rival coach Urijah Faber and the third installment of Cruz vs. Faber. So don't be surprised if Barao has to fight again before he gets his shot.
"I have worked very hard and this feels great. I was ready for this moment. The title is my goal. I train every day and I'm ready for it," Barao told a translator after the fight.
"Barao's a tough guy, he's a very well-rounded fighter. I had no sense of urgency and I felt too comfortable in there. It's a tough loss," said Jorgensen.
Barao passed a tough test against Jorgensen, a skilled wrestler who's been lurking around the top of the division for a while. Barao fought very much like his Nova Unaio teammate Jose Aldo last night. He won the striking portion of the bout handily, relying heavily on kicks and used incredible take down defense to keep the fight standing.
It wasn't a spectacular win, but Barao might have the ideal skill set to dethrone Cruz, should Faber not be able to do it in his second attempt.
SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
0 recs | 29 comments
Prob one of the best strikers at 135
Thats not really saying much because it seems like 135 is filled with wrestlers but that might end up being the chink in Cruz’s armor. Id like to see Barao/Cruz
Deim0sRising - February 5, 2012
meh, from what i saw last night from Barao, he has nothing to offer to Cruz in terms of beating Cruz
daftshadow - February 5, 2012
I beg to differ.
The way Urijah was able to slip and counter Cruz, and the way that Mighty Mouse pressed Dominick with punch + kick combos, I definitely think that Barao has the tools to beat Cruz. Barao showed excellent slipping & counter punching, throws stinging low kicks (which I think is an important tool to dulling Dominick’s spring in his step), and has an excellent grappling game.
ElliotMatheny - February 5, 2012
I was just about to post the same thing
Leg kicks are the key to slowing down Cruz. If you can do that, Faber has shown that he is hittable.
discoandherpes - February 5, 2012
Barao showed fantastic takedown defense against Spotty Scotty last night.
He has a very good skillset to give Cruz a helluva fight.
ElliotMatheny - February 5, 2012
Also who knows if Faber comes off with a win against Cruz
I think Barao has the blueprint to beat those Alpha Male guys
AfroSamurai - February 5, 2012
I think he gives Urijah hell.
ElliotMatheny - February 5, 2012
Really, you saw nothing?
I think he’s a bigger threat than mr. California.
unambig - February 5, 2012 via iPhone app
How could he be a bigger threat
Than Faber when that fight was so close and in my opinion and alot of others Faber won?
40 Cal. - February 5, 2012 via Android app
faber has a better gas tank than barao.
i think he will beat cruz this time around, im rooting for him.
carmine99 - February 5, 2012
correct me if I'm wrong but
Didn’t cruz win 50-45 last time
unambig - February 5, 2012 via iPhone app
When has Barao ever showed poor conditioning?
The guy has several 3’rd round stoppages, and has only ever lost 1 decision (split, 1’st fight in his career).
ElliotMatheny - February 5, 2012
for all the talk about how cruz dances and prances and doesn't hit hard
he doesn’t exactly spend most of his fights moving backwards and his opponents don’t seem to like getting hit by him. the guy that beats him will have a good chin, good tdd, good power, and be aggressive. i think barao might be guy. and i’m a cruz fan.
Clifford J - February 5, 2012
Hit the nail on the head
I’d add two things to your list: first, powerful low kicks, in order to cut off Cruz’s angles and slow him down, and second, combination punching on those rare occasions when Cruz is in striking range. Barao does both those things pretty well.
Patrick Wyman - February 5, 2012
I think Barao
Could be the guy to beat Cruz, he looked awesome last night
taptomyarmbar - February 5, 2012
has really good TDD...
standing up i think cruz edges him with speed and footwork. he is explosive like aldo but i think cruz can adapt to that better scotty, also he wont have any reach advantage against cruz whatsoever.
carmine99 - February 5, 2012
Barao looked good last night
But Scotty fought exactly like he did against Cruz, never changed the game plan at all when he was losing.
Our Bovine Public - February 5, 2012
I now believe in Barao
That said his gass tank didn’t look super good and that can’t happen against Cruz
MaZZacare - February 5, 2012
yea
i noticed that too mid rd 2 his mouth was wide open, cruz will also have speed on him, i dont wanna overlook faber tho, this sport is full of surprises.
carmine99 - February 5, 2012
that's the million dollar question in my mind
unambig - February 5, 2012 via iPhone app
Gas Tank Looked Terrible
I mean imagine if he was in a 5 round fight
AfroSamurai - February 5, 2012
Cruz leaves a lot of openings.
His defensive skills are overrated. He got dropped against Faber, and i believe Mightymouse as well. Barao has accuracy, speed and power. I ultimately think Cruz wears him down, but it’s an interesting matchup.
Magaca - February 5, 2012
Mighty Mouse never dropped him or rocked him
SSreporters - February 5, 2012
Am I the only one not on this guy’s bandwagon? He’s definitely looked good in his last two outings, but I don’t see him beating Cruz and becoming the next Jose Aldo.
savik - February 5, 2012
it's either barao or McDonald
I haven’t seen anybody else who looks able to beat Cruz. I’m confused about the point of the trilogy. Faber was soundly defeated last time out.
unambig - February 5, 2012 via iPhone app
So who does he fight next?
dude-1981 - February 5, 2012
torres if he wins his next fight? or bowles?
benten20 - February 5, 2012 via mobile
I thick Scotty could wreck up some shit at Flyweight.
Elitex10x - February 5, 2012
think*
good chin, good endurance, solid wrestling base, decent striking
Elitex10x - February 5, 2012
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