Interim champ Renan Barao 'probably' out of UFC 161 main event with injury

UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao (30-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is likely out of next month’s UFC 161 pay-per-view headliner with Eddie Wineland (20-8-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) due to a foot injury.

A UFC official today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) Barao “probably” will be unavailable for the event. Tatame initially reported Barao as a definite no-go.

It’s not clear what the UFC would do as its Plan B. According to sources close to Barao, the fighter will undergo a medical exam on Monday, and it’ll ultimately determine his availability for the event.

UFC 161 takes place June 15 at MTS Centre in Winnipeg and is the promotion’s first visit to the Manitoba province in Canada. Already booked for the event’s main card are Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson.

Barao looked to defend his interim title for a second time as champion Dominick Cruz recovers from a knee injury. The fighter, who’s won 30 straight fights (and five straight in the UFC), defended it for the first in February with a submission win over Michael McDonald.

Wineland, a former WEC champion, recently fought his way back into title contention with back-to-back wins over veterans Scott Jorgensen and Brad Pickett.

The latest UFC 161 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)

• Eddie Wineland vs. TBA
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
• Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson
• Patrick Barry vs. Shawn Jordan
• Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)

• Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley
• Sam Stout vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
• Stipe Miocic vs. Soa Palelei
• Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 6 p.m. ET)

• Yves Jabouin vs. Dustin Pague
• Sean Pierson vs. Kenny Robertson
• Mitch Clarke vs. John Maguire
• Roland Delorme vs. Edwin Figueroa

For the latest on UFC 161, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Renan Barao)