Renen Barao to Defend Bantamweight Title Against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173

Renan Barao will defend his UFC bantamweight title against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173, according to multiple reports on Thursday evening.

The Barao-Dillashaw title fight will headline the May 24 card, which is scheduled to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Barao (33-1, 1 NC) comes into the fight having not lost a professional fight since his debut in 2005. The Brazilian fighter earned the interim bantamweight belt with a win over Urijah Faber at UFC 149, while then-champion Dominick Cruz recovered from injury.

Cruz has continued to struggle with more injuries and has not been able to fight since October 2011. As a result of his extended absence from the Octagon, Barao was awarded with the undisputed title leading into this last fight, a second win over Faber at UFC 169 last February.

Dillashaw (9-2) was scheduled to meet Takeya Mizugaki on the UFC 173 card, but was shifted into the main event spot in the organization’s scramble to find a featured bout. It is unknown at this time if Mizugaki will remain on the card.

The May pay-per-view was originally supposed to be headlined by a middleweight title fight between 185-pound champ Chris Weidman and challenger Lyoto Machida, but Weidman sustained a knee injury and the fight was pushed back to July 5.