UFC
Dana White think Renan Barao may not be the same after two losses to T.J. Dillashaw
Jul 27, 2015 - 12:55:55 PM Dana White think Renan Barao may not be the same after two losses to T.J. Dillashaw

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

It was only 15 months ago that UFC President Dana White added Renan Barao's name to his ever-growing list of "best pound for pound fighter in the world." Now, following Barao's second decisive and destructive loss to T.J. Dillashaw, White believes Barao may be forever changed.

"It's weird because there are situations where, when a guy loses a certain fight in a certain way, he's never the same," White said after Saturday's UFC on Fox 16 event (via MMAFighting.com). "It happened to Meldrick Taylor and a million other guys in boxing. And it almost looks like it happened to Renan."

White thinks Barao may have been affected by the weight cut again, and thinks it might be time for Barao to finally make the move up to featherweight.

"It's obviously his decision but I think it would be a good idea to go up in weight," White told the media. "You know, he's been having problems with the weight. He didn't have problems yesterday - he made the weight easy - but he looks really drawn out and dry when he cuts weight. So he should probably move up."

Penick's Analysis: I don't know if the weight is so much a problem, but it's probably not helping him at this stage. He'd made it without issue and looked very impressive for the vast majority of his run at bantamweight. He may be better served trying to fight at 145 lbs., but at this point it's more about T.J. Dillashaw simply being a much better fighter at this stage of their respective careers. Barao may ultimately not be able to recover, but the weight cut itself isn't his biggest issue right now.