UFC
UFC 149: New Interim Champ Renan Barao likely to fight again before Dominick Cruz returns
Jul 22, 2012 - 1:15:10 PM

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Prior to Saturday night's UFC 149 event, Renan Barao and Urijah Faber expressed different ideas on whether or not they'd wait out injured Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz with a win over one another. Faber said unequivocally that he'd fight again with Cruz still on the sidelines, while Barao said he'd prefer to wait.

After capturing the Interim Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, however, Barao took a decidedly more diplomatic approach.

"The decision is up to my coach and the UFC," Barao said on the Fuel TV post-show. "I'll do what they tell me to do. I wish for Dominick to recover fast and well. He's a great athlete and it'd be an honor to fight him in the future."

UFC President Dana White also made it clear at the post-fight press conference that the UFC expects Barao will fight again before Cruz returns.

"Renan's not injured at all," White said. "He'll fight again. He's not hurt, and we'll see what happens."

With Cruz out until early 2013 at the earliest, expect the new Interim Bantamweight Champ to be back in action this fall or early winter.

Penick's Analysis: It would make absolutely no sense for Barao to wait out Cruz. This isn't the same situation as Carlos Condit found himself in this year. The UFC wants to book Condit against Georges St-Pierre, and indeed never offered Condit a different fight; that fight is also a much bigger, more important fight for Condit than Cruz represents for Barao, because Cruz isn't nearly the star that St-Pierre is. I think the UFC will end up booking him against Michael McDonald next, though we'll see what route they decide to go with it in the next couple months.