Former bantamweight champion Renan Barao will face off against Brian Kelleher at UFC On FOX 28 on February 24th in Orlando, Florida.
Once the most dominant fighter at 135lbs and riding a nine-year unbeaten run, the past few years have seen Barao’s form slide dramatically, with just two wins from his past six fights.
During that period Barao moved up to featherweight after losing twice to TJ Dillashaw, but that didn’t improve his fortunes, and last time out he dropped down to 140lbs for a catchweight fight with Aljamain Sterling, which also ended in defeat.
Now ‘The Baron’ faces an unranked fighter in the 31-year-old former ‘Ring Of Combat’ champion Kelleher, who has so far compiled a 2-1 record in the UFC.
That includes a submission win over Iuri Alcantara in his promotional debut in June of last year, followed by an armbar loss to Marlon Vera and then a rebound win against Damian Stasiak by TKO.
The UFC On FOX 28 fight card is growing rapidly now, but though it has a number of other notable fights, including Yoel Romero Vs David Branch, Jessica Andrade Vs Tecia Torres and Sara McMann Vs Yana Kunitskaya, it still remains with a confirmed headliner at this stage.
