TJ Dillashaw Injured, Bout With Renan Barao Off UFC 186
The awaited bantamweight title rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao has fallen apart for a second time.
The bout, which was scheduled to headline April 25’s UFC 186 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, has been scrapped from the card after news broke from The StarPhoenix that Dillashaw had been forced out with a broken rib.
Dillashaw’s manager Mike Roberts told MMAFighting.com that his client suffered the injury during a wrestling practice and is expected to out for six weeks.
After “The Viper” shocked the world by decimating Barao en route to a fifth round finish at last May’s UFC 173, he and Barao were supposed to have their rematch at last August’s UFC 177, but that fight fell apart when Barao passed out in the bathtub cutting weight.
Dillashaw instead took on Joe Soto in the main event, finishing the game challenger with a fifth round head kick.
Barao then rebounded with a submission win over Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58, earning the next shot at Dillashaw after top contenders Raphael Assuncao and Dominick Cruz were both injured.
But the fight just can’t seem to get booked, and the only thing keeping Barao in a perpetual title contender status is the fact that all of the other viable contenders are injured.
The UFC did not say if they would replace the fight with another bout or shift the Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi flyweight title fight into the headlining slot.
