The fight game has not been all that kind to former bantamweight champion Renan Barao lately. At one point, the owner of a 33-fight unbeaten streak – as well as a piece of UFC hardware – Barao has gone 3-4 since 2014.
Two of those losses came in attritive wars to current champion T.J. Dillashaw, and since then the Brazilian just hasn’t seemed the same. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous decision loss to Aljamain Sterling. A bout he was winning, early, before succumbing to Sterling’s pace and pressure in round 2.