Though awarded crown, UFC champ Renan Barao plans long title reign

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

NEWARK, N.J. – UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao never wanted to be handed a title belt. He wanted to earn it in the cage.

But now that the former interim titleholder has been awarded full champion status, the 26-year-old Brazilian doesn’t plan on letting that belt go.

“I wanted so much to be the linear champion, and I had that chance to be the true champion of the division,” Barao told USA TODAY Sports through an interpreter. “But I’m also sad because just like every fan of MMA, I would have liked to have had this fight against Dominick Cruz.”

Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) earned the inaugural UFC bantamweight title in December 2010, when the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion added a 135-pound division to its ranks. He successfully defended the belt twice, but hasn’t competed since October 2011 while battling through a pair of knee injuries and surgeries.

In the meantime, Barao (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) utilized a 31-fight unbeaten streak to ascend to the top of the division, and he defeated Urijah Faber (30-6 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a July 2012 bout to claim an interim title, which he has since defended twice.

Cruz and Barao were set to unify the two belts at Saturday’s UFC 169 event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET), but Cruz suffered a groin injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the card.

With Cruz’s layoff now well past the two-year mark, UFC officials elected to strip him of the title and award Barao the belt. Barao admitted the process was bittersweet, but said he takes solace in reaching his ultimate goal.

“My goal never was to beat Dominick Cruz,” Barao said. “My goal was to become the true champion of the division, and I’m very proud to be that champion. I want to keep the belt for a long time, and if anybody has any doubt, we can have that fight with Cruz in the future – that’s no problem for me. But my goal is to remain champion.”

With Cruz removed from the card, the UFC turned to Faber, who has won four straight since his failed bid for the interim belt. Victories over Michael McDonald, Iuri Alcantara, Scott Jorgensen and Ivan Menjivar saw Faber make a strong bid for 2013 “Fighter of the Year” honors, and “The California Kid” now meets Barao in the revamped UFC 169 headliner.

While Barao controlled nearly all 25 minutes of their initial meeting, he’s expecting to face a different opponent this time around.

“I watched Faber’s latest fights, and I do think he changed a lot,” Barao said. “He improved his game. I do think he’s much better now, so I had to change a little bit of my own training because of that. But I’ve done that, and I’m well-prepared.

“The first time, I was very anxious because we know that he always comes to fight. He’s good standing and on the ground. I definitely didn’t think another fight with him would happen so fast, but I’m excited.”

UFC President Dana White believes Barao deserves recognition as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Whether or not the Nova Uniao fighter will ever get that acknowledgement will largely depend on how he performs as champion now that the interim tag has been removed.

Barao knows he may still need to one day face Cruz to silence any doubters, but he’s satisfied with his current position.

“I still want to have that fight eventually, but I am happy to be the champion now,” Barao said. “I just want to make sure you all believe that I’m well-prepared for this fight. I’m going to keep my belt.”

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