Renan Barao to Defend Interim Belt Against Eddie Wineland in UFC 161 Main Event

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Renan Barao will defend his interim bantamweight title against Eddie Wineland in the main event of UFC 161.

UFC officials confirmed the booking Wednesday following an initial report from ESPN.

UFC 161 marks the organization’s first trip to the Canadian province of Manitoba and takes place June 15 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. In addition to the evening’s headliner, the pay-per-view card will also showcase a pair of light heavyweight confrontations pitting Rashad Evans against Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Barao, 26, has tasted defeat just once in 32 professional appearances and has not lost since his pro debut back in 2005. The Brazilian has rattled off five straight wins to start his Octagon career, capturing the interim bantamweight title by outpointing Urijah Faber last summer. Most recently, Barao defended his belt for the first time at UFC on Fuel TV 7, submitting challenger Michael McDonald with a fourth-round arm-triangle choke last month.

The inaugural World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion, Wineland, 28, joined the UFC in 2011. Despite suffering consecutive defeats in his first two Octagon appearances, the Hoosier rebounded to post victories over Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett last year. Nearly a 10-year pro, Wineland holds 15 career finishes to his credit and has been stopped just five times in 29 outings.