UFC on FUEL TV 7: February 16, 2013 Wembley Arena in London, England UFC Interim Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao (-260) Profile: The man with the longest unbeaten streak currently in MMA, UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao (29-1-1) has forced the MMA world to take notice. Starting his career throughout the independent companies in Brazil such as Shooto, Barao has dominated his competition with 29 wins and 19 finishes with one No-Contest in his last 30 fights. He made his Zuffa debut at WEC 49 in June of 2010 and since then has defeated every man put in his way. The 25-year-old Brazilian went 2-0 in the WEC and is currently 4-0 in the UFC, defeating Cole Escovedo (UFC 130), Brad Pickett (Fight of the Night at UFC 138), Scott Jorgensen (UFC 143) and Urijah Faber (UFC 149) en route to the interim title. UFC Bantamweight Contender Michael McDonald (+180) Profile: A top contender for the interim bantamweight crown is Michael McDonald (15-1), a fierce striker and perfect example of the “new breed” of MMA fighters making their way into the sport. At only 22 years of age, McDonald is a shockingly complete fighter. He has knockout power in his hands and feet (registering nine KO wins in his career), possesses a brown belt in BJJ and knows how to use it (earning four submission victories) to go along with ring-savvy well beyond his years. He is by far the most obvious pick to fight Barao for the interim title with champion Dominick Cruz out for a still undetermined amount of time. The only question remaining is, will he be ready for the interim champ Barao after not fighting in almost 10 months? Opening UFC on FUEL TV 7 Odds Breakdown: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has made Barao a solid -260 favorite (bet $260 to win $100) against McDonald, who opened as a +180 underdog (bet $100 to win $180) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. While McDonald may not technically be the top contender based on the MMAOB MMA Fighter Rankings (he is currently No. 6), it’s hard to argue with this matchup for the interim title based on the fact that both men have a combined two losses between them. McDonald is one of the hottest prospects in the UFC and would become the youngest champion in the organization’s history if he can pull off the upset. The problem is, he has not been tested against an opponent of Barao’s caliber yet. McDonald was essentially a Pick’em in his last fight against Miguel Torres in April of 2012 while Barao is a bigger favorite here than he was when he dominated Faber last July. Faber’s experience was no match for Barao, whose biggest disadvantage in this bout might be the unpredictability of McDonald. Of McDonald’s 15 wins, 13 have resulted in finishes, with nine coming by way of knockout. Barao was clearly the aggressor when he beat Faber, but McDonald is a more dangerous striker who will test him. However, McDonald has only gone the distance twice in his young career, and his endurance could be an issue in the championship rounds. Regardless, these are two of the UFC’s most exciting young fighters, and both figure to be in the title mix for years to come, even when Cruz is finally back in action.
