Looking to pull out of a tailspin, Renan Barao will head back to featherweight against Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Sao Paulo in November.
Former bantamweight champion Renan Barao, having struggled with weight, and struggled period over the last several years, is returning to featherweight. First reported by Brazil’s Combate, Barao (34–8, 1NC) has joined the UFC Sao Paulo card, where he’ll take on fellow Brazilian Douglas Silva de Andrade (25–3, 1NC).
de Andrade will enter the fight coming off a corner stoppage loss to top bantamweight contender Petr Yan. Prior to that, he’d defeated Marlon Vera in a bout that went the distance. Overall, ‘D-Silva’ is 3-3 under the UFC banner.
Like Barao, Douglas Silva de Andrade will be moving up to featherweight for the fight. However, de Andrade’s struggles are nowhere near those of the ex-champ. ‘The Baron’ — once upon a time in the pound-for-pound conversation — never seemed to recover after losing his bantamweight title to T.J. Dillashaw. He’s 2-6 since losing the belt, including a rematch with Dillashaw. Barao has lost his last four, and has not tasted victory since a 2016 decision against Phillipe Nover.
UFC Sao Paulo (UFC Fight Night 164 / UFC on ESPN+ 22) takes place November 16, 2019 at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jacare Souza makes the move to light heavyweight against Jan Blachowicz in the main event.
