The UFC, throughout its legendary journey, has given the world of combat sports some of the greatest names in its history. And in between these legendary forces of nature, a few names get lost and remain unrecognized. One name in that category of greats is the featherweight and bantamweight icon Renan Barao. He was once the carrier of a staggering 33-fight win streak across promotions in MMA, which even led to his bantamweight glory in the UFC. But since his loss to UFC legend TJ Dillashaw, ‘The Baron’s career took a huge dive.

Just four days ago marked the 11th anniversary of the day when Renan Barao’s 33-fight undefeated streak ended, after which the Brazilian could never reach the same heights again. After his exit from the UFC in 2019, Barao went through a series of losses in an attempt to rejuvenate his MMA career. But despite multiple attempts to return to the cage, Barão faced several setbacks, including canceled bouts and promotional issues.

Yet recently, the 38-year-old found his way in a grappling contest at Alash Pride 108 against the Russian, Arman Ospanov. But controversy and bad luck followed ‘The Baron’ here, too. After their fight went the distance, both fighters were told to compete in an extra-time round. Upon hearing the news, Barao and his team walked out of the fight, leading the bout to be concluded as a draw.

The news was revealed through a post on X by an account named Caposa, the post read, “After his grappling match with Arman Ospanov went the distance, Renan Barao and his team walked out of the cage when an OT round was announced. Match was declared a draw.”

Now, the official outcome of the match has still not been announced, but walking out of a fight, even in an exhibition contest, will leave his fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. His career has only been taking damage for the past few years, and fans can only wonder how long it can go on for.

So while ‘The Baron’ awaits the decision for this bout and plans his future, we have to consider the greatness he has achieved in the sport. Till this day, his iconic run at the UFC bantamweight division is still cherished by the MMA community. So, let’s take a look at his stellar career. One that ended on a tragic note, but is still one of the greatest ever.

MMA legend Renan Barao’s intricate UFC contender run.

Renan Barão entered the UFC in 2011 with an impressive 26-fight unbeaten streak. His technical prowess and relentless pace quickly established him as a top contender in the bantamweight division. His UFC career is a compelling narrative of meteoric rise, a dominant reign, and a subsequent yet surprising decline.

In 2012, he captured the interim UFC bantamweight championship by defeating Urijah Faber at UFC 149. Then he successfully defended the title twice, including a notable knockout victory over Eddie Wineland at UFC 165. Yet his glory began because of Dominick Cruz‘s prolonged absence due to injury. Following Cruz’s inactivity, Barão was promoted to undisputed champion in early 2014.

But his days of glory in the UFC weren’t as long as his career record, as Barão’s reign ended at UFC 173 in May 2014. He suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to T.J. Dillashaw in a major upset. A rematch at UFC on Fox 16 in July 2015 saw Dillashaw once again defeat Barão, this time via fourth-round TKO. And after this loss, Barao’s career could never recover again. 

Following those defeats, Barão struggled to regain his momentum, garnering only two wins in his next ten fights. His notable losses during this period included bouts against Jeremy Stephens, Aljamain Sterling, and Brian Kelleher. His final UFC appearance was a decision loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade in November 2019. Subsequently, the UFC released him after a five-fight losing streak. 

His unfortunate career days have continued since his UFC stint to this day. Yet ‘The Baron’ continues to try to find his stride again. We have to admire his hunger for glory and redemption. The question is, does he still have a chance to do it at the age of 38? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.