Report: After Two-Bout Stint at Featherweight, Renan Barao Planning Return to 135 Pounds

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao will return to the division where he initially made his mark.

According to a report from Brazilian media outlet Combate, Barao will compete at bantamweight in his next Octagon appearance following a two-bout stint at 145 pounds. Barao endured a brutal weight cut prior to his proposed championship rematch against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177. Before he was to hit the scales, Barao said he fainted and hit his head in the bathtub and was transported to a hospital. As a result, Joe Soto was tabbed as a last-minute for Barao in the headliner of the August 2014 card.

Barao would leave the division following a fourth-round technical knockout loss to Dillashaw at UFC on Fox 16. His featherweight debut did not go as planned, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Jeremy Stephens at UFC Fight Night 88. Barao returned to the win column this past September when he outpointed Phillipe Nover at UFC Fight Night 95.

According to the report, Barao has been training at a lighter weight recently and doesn’t expect the cut to 135 pounds to be an issue going forward. The report also mentions that Barao, a longtime Nova Uniao product, is training in the United States. The 30-year-old Brazilian compiled an 8-2 overall record while competing at bantamweight in the UFC.