Renan Barão facts for kids

Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado (born January 31, 1987), known as Renan Barão, is a professional mixed martial artist from Brazil. He used to be the UFC Bantamweight Champion. From 2005 to 2014, Barão had one of the longest winning streaks in MMA history. During his time as champion, he was seen as one of the best fighters in the world.

Early Life and Nickname

Renan Barão grew up in Natal, Brazil, in a large family. His parents divorced when he was young. He was mostly raised by his mother, aunt, and grandmother.

When he was a teenager, Barão met his father, who was a skilled boxer. This inspired Renan to start training in combat sports. His nickname, Barão (which means "baron"), was given to him by his grandmother. It came from a character in a Brazilian TV show called Sinhá Moça.

Starting His MMA Journey

Renan Barão began his fighting career at a sports school in Natal, Brazil, called Kimura Nova União. He became a professional fighter in 2005. He competed in smaller organizations in Brazil, like Shooto Brazil.

He trained with famous fighters like José Aldo at the Nova União gym. In September 2011, he earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt from his coach, André Pederneiras. He was the 100th person to receive a black belt from Pederneiras. In 2010, a sports website called Sherdog named him one of the top young fighters to watch.

Fighting in the WEC

Barão made his first big appearance in North America in the WEC league.

• On June 20, 2010, at WEC 49, he fought Anthony Leone. Barão won by making Leone give up using an armbar move.
• On December 16, 2010, at WEC 53, he defeated Chris Cariaso. He won by making Cariaso give up with a rear-naked choke.

Moving to the UFC

In October 2010, the WEC joined with the UFC, which is the biggest MMA organization. All WEC fighters, including Barão, moved to the UFC.

• Barão's first UFC fight was on May 28, 2011, at UFC 130. He won against Cole Escovedo by a unanimous decision (meaning all judges agreed he won).
• At UFC 138 on November 5, 2011, he fought Brad Pickett. Barão won in the first round with a rear-naked choke. This fight was so exciting that it won the Fight of the Night award.
• On February 4, 2012, at UFC 143, he beat Scott Jorgensen by unanimous decision.

Becoming Interim Bantamweight Champion

Barão was set to fight for the Interim Bantamweight title against Urijah Faber at UFC 149 on July 21, 2012. He won the fight by unanimous decision, becoming the Interim UFC Bantamweight Champion.

• His first defense of the interim title was on February 16, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald against Michael McDonald. Barão won in the fourth round with an arm-triangle choke. This win also earned him the Submission of the Night award.
• He defended his interim title again on September 21, 2013, at UFC 165 against Eddie Wineland. Barão won with a spinning back kick and punches in the second round. This earned him the Knockout of the Night award. He made history as the first fighter to defend an interim title more than once in the UFC.

Becoming the Undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion

On February 1, 2014, at UFC 169, Renan Barão was supposed to fight Dominick Cruz to combine their titles. However, Cruz had to pull out due to an injury. Because of this, Barão was officially made the undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion.

• He defended his new title against Urijah Faber at the same event, UFC 169. Barão won in the first round by TKO (technical knockout).
• His next title defense was against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. Barão was expected to win easily, but Dillashaw surprised everyone. Dillashaw won in the fifth round by TKO, becoming the new champion. This was considered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. The fight also won the Fight of the Night award.

After Losing the Title

After losing his championship, Barão had a rematch scheduled with Dillashaw. However, Barão had to pull out of the fight because of problems with cutting weight.

• On December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 58, Barão faced Mitch Gagnon. He won by arm-triangle submission in the third round. This earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
• He had another rematch with Dillashaw at UFC on Fox 16 on July 25, 2015. Barão lost the fight in the fourth round by TKO.

Changing Weight Classes

After his bantamweight fights, Barão moved up to the featherweight division.

• On May 29, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 88, he fought Jeremy Stephens. Barão lost by unanimous decision, but both fighters received Fight of the Night honors.
• He won his next fight against Phillipe Nover by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 95 on September 24, 2016.

Barão later returned to the bantamweight division for some fights, but he struggled with making the correct weight. He then moved back to featherweight. In December 2019, it was announced that Barão was no longer fighting for the UFC.

Post-UFC Career

After leaving the UFC, Renan Barão signed with other fighting organizations like Taura MMA and Premier FC. He also had some fights cancelled. In 2024, it was announced that he signed with Global Fight League.

Grappling Achievements

Besides mixed martial arts, Renan Barão also competes in grappling, which focuses on wrestling and submission holds without striking.

• On June 24, 2023, he won a gold medal in the master 2 lightweight division at the IBJJF Fortaleza International Open.
• He also announced a grappling match against fellow UFC fighter Charles Oliveira for a future BJJ Stars event.

Championships and Awards

Renan Barão has achieved many honors in his career:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
    • He successfully defended this title once.
  • Interim UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
    • He successfully defended this interim title twice.
  • Fight of the Night (Three times)
  • Performance of the Night (One time)
  • Knockout of the Night (One time)
  • Submission of the Night (One time)
  • He is tied for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC Bantamweight history (3).
  • He holds the record for most title defenses as an Interim Champion in UFC history (2).
  • He is tied for the second longest winning streak in UFC/WEC Bantamweight history (9).

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids.

See also

In Spanish: Renan Barão para niños

• List of current GFL fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists