Renan Barao says he's ready, hints Brazil; Eddie Wineland suggests Milwaukee

WINNIPEG – MMA would be much less interesting without a little drama and some guessing games.

A day after UFC President Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) he was unsure on a timetable for the return of injured interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao (30-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), Barao said he’s ready to get back to training – and hinted that he could be ready to fight on the UFC’s next trip to Brazil.

But the man he was scheduled to fight, former WEC bantamweight champ Eddie Wineland (20-8-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has his own thoughts on where they should throw down since they won’t be scrapping Saturday in Canada. And like Barao, Wineland would love to fight close to home.

“Hello @danawhite @ufc! I’m back and I’m very excited to fight again. You can schedule my new fight now. I’m 100%. And could be in Brasil…,” Barao wrote on his official Twitter account.

Barao was scheduled to fight Wineland in an interim title fight to headline UFC 161, which takes place Saturday at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. But this past month, a foot injury knocked him off the card, and that put his fight with Wineland in limbo.

Champ Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been out of action since his most recent fight about 20 months ago following back-to-back knee surgeries. Wineland’s concern has been that if Barao is out for too long, he could be ready to return the same time as Cruz is – and they’d fight to unify the belts, leaving him out in the cold.

But Barao apparently being ready could keep the door wide open for the title shot Wineland was supposed to have this week. Barao’s tweet referenced Brazil, and the UFC returns there for UFC 163 in Rio on Aug. 3. That card was supposed to feature a featherweight title fight between Brazilian champ Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis, but just today White announced a knee injury will shelf Pettis and “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung,” will get that shot – moving from a contenders fight with Ricardo Lamas scheduled for UFC 162 next month.

Wineland, however, countered with a tweet of his own sent in Barao’s direction: “Since barao claims he’s better now let set this up so I can take my belt back @danawhite @seanshelby Milwaukee?”

UFC 164 takes place Aug. 31 in Milwaukee – much closer to Wineland’s Northwest Indiana home base just outside Chicago. Like UFC 163, that card already has a headlining title fight between lightweight champ Benson Henderson and T.J. Grant.

Wineland followed his initial Twitter post with a second Milwaukee suggestion: “I’m ready if you are @RenanBaraoUFC come on over to Milwaukee and we will get it done! Glad to hear ur ankle is better!”

Wineland then told MMAjunkie.com that, naturally, the same way Barao would love to fight in his home country of Brazil, he’d love to fight at home, too.

“I would prefer Milwaukee just because it’s close to home and it’s a fun city,” Wineland said Friday afternoon. “(But) I just want that fight.”

Barao then took to Twitter one more time to say he’d take the fight wherever the UFC wanted it.

“@EddieWineland Thanks, bro. Let’s do this by fans! Could be in Milwaukee, Brazil, UK, Canada, Natal… Anywhere!! So, @danawhite ??”

It remains to be seen, of course, just where the fight will wind up – and even if it will remain the fight that is next for each of them. The UFC has yet to issue any official word on it. But of the promotion’s upcoming cards without any fights attached, a Sept. 4 date exists – without an announced location – as UFC on FOX Sports 1 3. That event will lead into the 18th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Renan Barao)