Thanks to a start as impactful as his style, Natal, Brazil native Renan Barão has finally caught the MMA world’s eye. Brazilians are looking to him as a future national hero. To the pundits, a likely future champ. The average fan sees, at the very least, a fighter with style worth the price of the ticket, maybe even a bantamweight José Aldo.
To the market, though, with dollar signs in its eyes, the Nova União bantamweight is a beacon of hope, perhaps the front man to inject excitement into a stagnant division.
Dominick Cruz, the current bantamweight champion, has cleaned out the weight class, and there are those in the press who say he doesn’t get the fans too excited. But the blame is not with Dominick, who speaks his mind. Could it be he just needs a worthy nemesis?
“Of course the UFC title is every MMA fighter’s dream. When the opportunity comes around I’ll grab it tooth and nail,” said Renan after overwhelming Brad Pickett at UFC 138, in Birmingham, England, having dominated the standup game before finishing with a rear-naked choke on the ground.
Yesterday, Dana White confirmed what GRACIEMAG.com readers already thought was a given: Anderson Silva’s next fight will be against Chael Sonnen. White has yet to confirm the date for the middleweight title rematch.
