UFC 165 results and photos: Renan Barao stops Eddie Wineland with spinning kick

TORONTO – With a highlight-reel finish of Eddie Wineland, Renan Barao is now the first UFC fighter to twice defend an interim title.

Barao also become the third to earn a TKO via spinning back-kick, which he used to floor Wineland in the early moments of the title fight’s second round.

The interim bantamweight title bout was the co-main event of today’s UFC 165 event at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and Facebook.

The official time of the stoppage came at the 0:35 mark of the second frame. As the two began to engage, Wineland ducked at the same time Barao threw his kick, which slammed through Wineland’s guard and knocked him down. Unable to recover as Barao continued to land punches, referee Yves Lavigne called off the bout.

“I’m just waiting for Dominick Cruz now,” Barao said afterward through a translator.

In the first round, Wineland showed promise in the striking department, putting Barao on the defensive with fast and hard punches. Barao utilized leg attacks less than usual and appeared to be slightly out of step with the full-time firefighter, though he was able to score with a well-placed right straight-left hook combination.

Barao said the attack he used to finish the fight was one he didn’t often attempt in practice because it could hurt training partners.

The Brazilian champion (31-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) extends his winning streak to 21, which is tied with Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of two fighters he was tied with for the longest streak among active UFC fighters.

Prior to the fight, UFC President Dana White said undisputed champ Cruz, who’s been benched for over two years due to a knee injury, is targeted to defend his title in early 2014. Barao’s win sets up a title unification bout, assuming Cruz’s timeline for return remains the same.

Wineland (20-9-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) goes back to the drawing board after wins against Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett in his previous two outings. Since transitioning from the now-defunct WEC, where he once held the bantamweight title, and the UFC, he is 2-3 in the octagon.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 165 results include:

• Renan Barao def. Eddie Wineland via TKO (kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:35
• Brendan Schaub def. Matt Mitrione via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 4:06
• Francis Carmont def. Constantinos Philippou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Myles Jury def. Mike Ricci via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Wilson Reis def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28
• Stephen Thompson def. Chris Clements via KO (punches) – Round 2, 1:27
• Mitch Gagnon def. Dustin Kimura via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 4:05
• John Makdessi def. Renee Forte via KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:01
• Michel Prazeres def. Jesse Ronson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Alex Caceres def. Roland Delorme via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Daniel Omielanczuk def. Nandor Guelmino via KO (punches) – Round 3, 3:18

For complete coverage of UFC 165, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

John Morgan, Ben Fowlkes and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on-site in Toronto.