Renan Barao out of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5, says he never agreed to bout

Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao won’t be returning to action in September after all.

Once seen as a top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, Barao was announced as participating on the Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 card against fellow UFC veteran Sean Soriano in Jacksonville, Fla., on Sept. 8. However, Barao told MMA Fighting that he’s not competing.

In fact, Barao said he was in talks with the promotion but never fully agreed to the bout, despite the company’s official announcement in June. Barao has yet to announce his return to MMA.

Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 is headlined by Junior dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum.

Barao (34-9, 1 NC) parted ways with the UFC after losing eight of 10 between 2014 and 2019. He’s had at least four fights cancelled since, not including the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA contest.

The 36-year-old fighter, who last competed in a featherweight bout against Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Sao Paulo in 2019, defeated the likes of Urijah Faber (twice), Eddie Wineland, Michael McDonald, Scott Jorgensen, and Brad Pickett during his impressive 33-fight unbeaten streak in MMA.