What’s Next For UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao?
Renan Barao cemented his status as the number one UFC bantamweight with a quick first round finish over Urijah Faber at UFC 169. Regardless of Herb Deans error, Barao was just better than Faber on that night in Newark. In beating the resurgent ‘California Kid’, Barao not only solidified his place as champ, but also tied up the division somewhat.
It was a complicated place to be when 135-pound kingpin Dominick Cruz was injured and Barao was the interim boss, but in beating Faber for the second time has Barao cleared out the division? Wins over Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland and Faber x2 certainly make it difficult to find the next challenger.
BW number three Raphael Assuncao is currently booked to face Pedro Munhoz (?) at UFC 170 after #11 Francisco Rivera was injured, and number five TJ Dillashaw has only just rebounded from a 2013 loss to Assuncao with a UD over Mike Easton. It would seem illogical for ‘The Viper’ to get a shot before Assuncao.
That being said, Assuncao welcomes the unranked debutant Munhoz at 170, and will likely earn few brownie points with a win. Brad Pickett sits at number six in the rankings, but only lasted four minutes against Barao at 138 and was submitted by Michael McDonald mid-2013. So who is there left to challenge Barao’s title?
Takeya Mizugaki is on a four-fight promotional win streak, but that includes three split decision wins over mid-level or unranked names. A realistic way of looking at it; If Assuncao extends his streak to seven, he gets the shot. It doesn’t really matter that his next opponent is an unknown, as the UFC really has no one else to offer as a legitimate contender.
If Assuncao is unsuccessful at UFC 170, Barao may find himself either moving weight, sitting out, or fighting an undeserving can in his next title defense. Out of the three, a move in weight would probably be the best idea, that or a public execution of Bryan Caraway?
Another view to consider is that Barao is simply too good for the division. Anderson Silva was a cut above the rest at middleweight for years, Jon Jones could be used in comparison, as could BJ Penn in his prime. Perhaps it wouldn’t matter who you put in front of the Nova Uniao savage, only time will tell.
Photo: Tom Szczerbowski for USA TODAY Sports
