Breaking: Former UFC bantamweight champion booked for MMA return in Kuwait

UFC’s bantamweight division has produced some of the greatest yet underrated fighters in MMA history. While some continued with their winning ways, others fell off the cliff in a major way.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao, once considered the pound-for-pound best, is one such fighter. He is set to make a comeback in the main event of Fera Championship’s inaugural card on October 7 in Kuwait. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Renan Barao [34-9-1 MMA] will fight Peter Ligier [10-2-1 MMA] in his comeback fight. The Brazilian fighter has not competed professionally since losing to Douglas Silva De Andrade in November 2019. All four of Barao’s subsequent fights were canceled for various reasons.

It was reported that the 36-year-old would make his bare-knuckle boxing debut against Sean Soriano at Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 in September 2023. However, he later denied having agreed to this fight. According to his social media profile, Barao has been active in BJJ circuit during his time away from MMA.

Meanwhile, Ligier has mostly competed in the regional scene. He has also fought in Bellator Fighting Championships against Michael McDonald. Ligier is riding a two-fight winning streak and defeated Pedro Souza and Francisco Javier Asprilla Martinez in his most recent outings in 2018.

Renan Barao’s steep downfall in the UFC

Renan Barao rose to prominence in the absence of former UFC bantamweight title holder Dominick Cruz. During the prime of his career, the Brazilian fighter amassed a staggering 32-fight winning streak and went undefeated for nearly a decade. He captured the interim UFC bantamweight title by defeating Urijah Faber in 2012 and was later promoted to the undisputed champion’s status.

Barao was famous for ‘not being famous’ in spite of being one of the greatest fighters at the time. However, his style was figured out by Team Alpha male’s Duane Ludwig, who primarily coached TJ Dillashaw. Barao went into the fight against TJ Dillashaw, who was a massive 8 to 1 underdog, with a 32-1 record.

Dillashaw controlled the fight from the get-go and finished Barao via a devastating head kick knockout in round five. It remains one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. The Brazilian never recovered from the loss and went 2-8 in his subsequent career, losing to fighters like Jeremy Stephens, Aljamain Sterling, and Dillashaw again. He was released from the UFC with an overall record of 34-9-1.