Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao has announced his withdrawal from the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 card against fellow UFC veteran Sean Soriano, stating he was in talks but never officially agreed to the bout despite the event’s announcement.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao has shattered expectations by choosing not to make his return to action in September as previously expected. Despite being regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC, Barao was announced to be a participant for the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 card lined up against fellow UFC veteran Sean Soriano in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 8. In a surprising turn of events though, Barao indicated he will not be competing.
According to Barao, he was never fully committed to the bout even though the company officially announced his participation back in June. He confirmed being in talks with the promotion, but was never in total agreement to the match. His fans are anxiously awaiting his official announcement regarding a comeback to MMA. Meanwhile, the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 event is set to be headlined by Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum.
Since parting ways with the UFC after losing eight of his 10 matches between 2014 and 2019, Barao’s record stands at 34-9, 1 NC. He’s had a streak of cancellation of at least four battles, not taking into account the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA contest. The 36-year-old fighter’s last appearance was in a featherweight bout against Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Sao Paulo in 2019, capping off an impressive 33-fight unbeaten streak, during which he defeated renowned fighters such as Urijah Faber (twice), Eddie Wineland, Michael McDonald, Scott Jorgensen, and Brad Pickett.