Is little Renan Barao really the best fighter on the planet?

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

LAS VEGAS – Nothing about him intimidates at first glance, and yet Renan Barao may be the baddest man on the face of the planet.

On a good day, and with a bit of attention to his posture, Barao can stretch his frame out to 5-6. Find him on the streets of his native Brazil, and you’ll likely catch him wearing flip-flops, shorts and a T-shirt. If you were asked to recount his most memorable feature, you’d probably describe the wide, toothy grin that is seemingly ever-present.

Yet in the cage, Barao is something completely different.

“Renan Barao has done everything,” UFC President Dana White tells USA TODAY Sports. “He’s knocked people out with knees, with punches, with kicks. He’s won with every submission you can do. He’s beat people just about every way you can beat somebody, with both submissions and striking.

“He’s never been taken down in the UFC, ever. He’s got the most bantamweight finishes in UFC and WEC history. Even after how great Jon Jones looked at UFC 172, the more I start to dig into this thing and look at it, I think you have to say that Renan Barao is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.”

Barao (born Renan do Nascimento Mota Pegado), 27, grew up humbly in Natal, Brazil. One of 11 children, Barao’s parents divorced when he was very young, and his grandparents played a major role in his upbringing.

His grandmother gave him the nickname “Barao,” Portuguese for “Baron,” after her favorite soap opera character. His mother sold vegetables at a produce stand to help pay the bills. The work was relentless, and the efforts made an impression on her son.

Barao didn’t consider himself a particularly gifted athlete, but he began martial arts training at 12 and knew immediately what his destiny held.

“I could feel the adrenaline, and I knew this is what I wanted for my life,” Barao says through an interpreter.

Barao began his professional fighting career at 18, training with the highly respected Nova Uniao fight team’s Natal branch. Within two years, he was invited to relocate to Rio de Janeiro and train at the camp’s flagship facility.

The team’s founder, Andre Pederneiras, says it was instantly evident Barao had the potential for greatness.

“The first time he arrived in my gym and I saw him train, I saw a lot of future in this kid,” Pederneiras says. “He had a big heart. He was so small compared to some of my other guys, but he trained equal to them. I told my friend, ‘He has a lot of talent. One day, he’ll be a champion, for sure.’”

It took five years for the prediction to become a reality. Barao defeated Urijah Faber at UFC 149 in 2012 to claim the promotion’s interim bantamweight title. He successfully defended the temporary belt twice before shedding the interim tag when then-champ Dominick Cruz was forced to the sidelines with a string of injuries that left his targeted return date uncertain.

Barao registered his first defense of the official title in February at UFC 169.

Along the way, Barao has racked up 32 consecutive victories (with one no-contest), a run that includes eight knockouts and 14 submissions. Pederneiras believes it’s Barao’s work ethic that has served as the key to his success.

“He’s so talented,” Pederneiras says. “His technique is growing, and he learns so fast. He loves to train. After every fight, he’ll only take two or three days off and then he’ll come right back to train.”

Success at the sport’s highest stage has begun to offer Barao the type of financial success for which his family long yearned. Still, he prefers to live a simple existence. He now owns a modest apartment in Rio de Janeiro and says the only luxury purchase he’s made so far is a house for the mother, who worked so hard to support her son’s dreams.

Keeping his friends and family close remains a top priority, and Barao’s familiar grin is always biggest when relaxing with his loved ones.

“I have every reason to be happy because I have people that I love supporting me every day,” Barao says. “I have people that believe in me, and I want to give them back all the happiness and trust that they’ve given me. Until there’s a day that it doesn’t make me happy, I’ll continue living the simple life.”

Best pound for pound in MMA?

Barao’s winning streak is among the longest in MMA history, and his recent title defenses – which include stoppage wins in a rematch with Faber, as well as in victories over standouts Eddie Wineland and Michael McDonald – have led White to call him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. In recent times, that’s a label that’s generally been reserved for UFC light heavyweight champion Jones.

“Pound-for-pound means if everybody was the same size, who would win,” White explains. “This kid has got the stats to prove it. Barao and Jones are both 27 years old, but Jones doesn’t have as many fights as (Barao) has. Now, you can make that up with the number of known guys that Jones has beat, but they’re just known because that’s always been a marquee division in the UFC. The bantamweight division doesn’t necessarily have the same star power, but it doesn’t mean they’re not knocking off the same quality of fighters.”

Jones and his reps declined to comment on White’s analysis. However, prior to his record seventh light heavyweight title defense in April, Jones said he thinks he’s just a few wins away from being the greatest fighter in MMA history.

However, Reed Kuhn, a fight analyst and author of “Fightnomics: The Science of MMA,” says there’s a deeper statistical reason to believe Barao could be better than Jones. Most noticeably, Barao’s strikes earn knockdowns with more frequency, and his work in the grappling game is higher-rated, as well.

“Barao and Jones have very similar striking profiles, although one could argue that Barao is more dangerous than Jones for his weight class,” Kuhn says. “Barao is a little more aggressive and powerful while Jones is slightly more reserved and accurate. But Barao literally punches above his weight: He’s a bantamweight, but his calculated knockdown rate of 3.7 percent is on par with most welterweights. Jones is actually below average for his weight class at just 2.6 percent.

“On the ground, Barao’s stats are more impressive than Jones, as well. Both have been absolutely dominant because they’ve both been nearly impossible to take down. They’re both almost always the one in control. But Barao has, ever so slightly, more impressive stats than Jones with his takedown success rate and his advances per takedown landed.”

On Saturday, Barao (32-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC) returns to action against Team Alpha Male fighter T.J. Dillashaw (9-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the main event of UFC 173 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET).

Dillashaw impressed by his opponent

Dillashaw, a finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 14? reality-competition series in 2011, enters the fight as a nearly 6-1 underdog. Despite being slightly older than Barao, Dillashaw is sorely trailing in experience, and while he’s a confident challenger, the Californian admits he’s facing a tall order.

“I wouldn’t say Renan Barao has weaknesses, but there are parts of his game where he’s not as good,” Dillashaw says. “I wouldn’t call them weak areas, but there are aspects where he’s better. I’ve got to go for the weaker points in his game.

“It’s going to be a tough fight. He’s a great fighter, well-rounded, and I’ve just got to implement my game to the fullest and be as well-rounded as he is.”

Dillashaw’s description of his opponent may be the easiest way to recognize Barao’s greatness. The Brazilian’s foes have finally realized there aren’t any holes in the game, only places where Barao may have to settle for being really, really good instead of truly great.

And it’s not just that Barao wins but how he wins that’s most impressive. All three of his title defenses have ended inside the distance, with the Brazilian finishing his foes in impressive fashion. Former champ Cruz was only able to muster two decision wins during his reign. Barao’s teammate, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, has needed the judges to decide four of his six title defenses to date.

“Looking for the knockout and the submission is my way of fighting,” says Barao, whose sometimes-violent performances are prominently featured in UFC highlight reels.

Despite his accomplishments to date, Barao has thus far flown largely under the radar of mainstream consciousness. Jones and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey are currently considered the promotion’s biggest superstars, at least while injured ex-champs Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre sit on the sidelines.

But as Barao fights in a UFC main event for just the fourth time, White believes he’s destined to become a superstar. The Brazilian may not necessarily appear to be the world’s best fighter at first glance, but pay attention to the accomplishments, White argues, and the greatness is undeniable.

“If you’re a fight fan and you like fighting, Renan Barao is the whole package,” White says. “I love guys that try to finish fights. I love guys that are just hungry, mean, nasty dudes who want to dominate the world. Renan Barao is one of those guys.”

For the latest on UFC 173, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.