Renan Barao Moves to 145 Pounds, Meets Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night on May 29

Former bantamweight king Renan Barao will make his featherweight debut against Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night on May 29.

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking on Thursday. It is the first bout revealed for the UFC Fight Night event, which does not yet have a location or a venue.

Barao has struggled getting to 135 pounds in the past, most notably pulling out of a title shot against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177 when he passed out cutting weight the day before their matchup. The Brazilian competed just once in 2015, falling to Dillashaw via fourth-round TKO at UFC on Fox 16.

Stephens, meanwhile, is a former lightweight who has found a home at 145-pounds. “Lil’ Heathen” went 1-1 last year, stopping Dennis Bermudez in the third round at UFC 189, before dropping a unanimous decision to Max Holloway at UFC 194.