Cruz-Barao takes top billing at UFC 169 with Aldo-Lamas as co-main event

Because of its champion vs. champion nature, the bantamweight title unification bout between Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao will serve as the main event of UFC 169.

The featherweight title fight between champ Jose Aldo and Ricardo Lamas, previously thought to be taking the main-event slot, will be the co-main event. Sources close to the promotion on Tuesday confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com, and the UFC later made it official.

UFC 169 takes place Feb. 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The UFC’s annual Super Bowl weekend show typically is in Las Vegas, but this year heads to New Jersey, which hosts the NFL’s title game the next day at MetLife Stadium in nearby East Rutherford.

Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been on the sidelines the past two years due to a series of knee injuries and surgeries. His most recent fight was a title defense against Demetrious Johnson in October 2011. While he’s been out, Barao (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) won the interim 135-pound title by beating Urijah Faber, then defended it with wins over Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland, the latter coming in September at UFC 165.

Barao is ranked No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA bantamweight rankings. Cruz, however, dropped out of the list from his previous perch at No. 1 when he hit two years of inactivity.

Aldo (23-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), the only 145-pound champion in UFC history, is riding a 16-fight winning streak, which includes a perfect 5-0 mark in the octagon following his win over “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung, in August at UFC 163. Lamas (13-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will have gone a little more than a year between fights when he steps in against Aldo. He thought he had become the top contender with a win over Erik Koch in January, but Anthony Pettis slid into his spot by dropping down to featherweight. But that fight never happened because of a Pettis injury, and instead Jung got the shot.

Aldo is ranked No. 1 and Lamas No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA featherweight rankings

For the latest on UFC 169, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dominick Cruz)