Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao signs with EMC

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao has decided to take his talents to German-based MMA promotion Elite MMA Championship (EMC).

The 34-year-old Brazilian, who has a 34-9, 1 NC overall record in MMA, is now the latest member of EMC, a German-based promotion who made the announcement official on Thursday. Barao is now a member of the Elite MMA Championship bantamweight roster.

🚨 NEW SIGNING! Welcome former UFC Bantamweight Champion @RenanBaraoUFC to the EMC roster! #EMC pic.twitter.com/WsQzvxVFiu

— EMC (@EMC_Promotion) March 11, 2021

Barao was once one of the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighters in all of MMA. He began his career with a 32-1, 1 NC record, winning the UFC bantamweight title along the way and defending it several times. In May 2014, Barao was upset by TJ Dillashaw at UFC 173, snapping his long winning streak and seeing him fall from his place at the top of the sport. Since the loss to Dillashaw, Barao is just 2-8 over his last 10 fights. His only wins over that time came over Phillipe Nover of TUF fame and former UFC fighter Mitch Gagnon. Barao lost five straight fights between 2017 and 2019 before being bounced from the UFC roster.

The Brazilian reportedly signed with several promotions since last being with the UFC, including Taura MMA as well as the Serbian Fighting Championship, but neither of those destinations panned out for him. Now Barao will be taking his talents to Germany. Although he’s not the same fighter he once was and has lost five straight fights according to his record, to be fair to Barao, he mostly only lost to killers. The five-fight losing skid included a decision loss to current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling as well as losses to Brian Kelleher, Andre Ewell, Luke Sanders, and Douglas Silva de Andrade, all of who are still in the UFC. Perhaps Barao can get some wins in Germany and still bounce back.

Do you think we will ever see Renan Barao make a return to the UFC one day?