Un-gloved MMA bouts organized by Jorge Masvidal's Gamebred FC, renowned fighters such as Fabricio Werdum and Junior Dos Santos will feature.
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Bareknuckle combat has emerged as a destination for former MMA icons, serving as an arena for their post-MMA careers. This includes ventures into boxing-related pursuits and, in the specific instance we’re discussing, un-gloved MMA bouts organized by Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred FC. Renowned fighters such as Fabricio Werdum and Junior Dos Santos, who are set to headline the Gamebred Bareknuckle event on September 8th, as well as Roy Nelson and Luke Rockhold, have all transitioned to the world of bareknuckle combat in recent times.
Joining Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum on the upcoming Gamebred card in September will be a lineup of UFC veterans, including Brandon Jenkins, Anthony Njokuani, Irwin Rivera, Joshua Weems, Brandon Davis, and Maki Pitolo. Additionally, there were reportedly plans to include another former UFC champion in the event.
In late June, MMA Fighting unveiled the preliminary roster for the Gamebred fight card. In addition to confirming the previously speculated heavyweight main event, they revealed a matchup between Renan Barao and Sean Soriano. For Barao, this bout seemed to be yet another endeavor to revitalize his career in the world of combat sports.
Although Renan Barao hasn’t competed professionally since 2019, he has been enlisted as a participant for five different promotions. A scheduled 2020 clash with UFC veteran Bobby Moffett under Taura MMA had to be scrapped due to COVID-related limitations. In 2021, a headline bout with Premier FC was called off when Barao’s opponent failed to appear at the event. Additionally, planned fights for 2022 with Eagle FC and Ares FC both failed to come to fruition.
The sole recent instance of Barao stepping into the cage was during an exhibition match against Brazilian politician Simao Peixoto. It was glaringly apparent that the fight was entirely scripted, and to add to the surprise, Barao even ended up on the losing side, succumbing to a submission in the third round.
In contrast to Jorge Masvidal’s post-UFC endeavor, the Kazakh promotion Alash Pride has openly announced Renan Barao’s association with their organization. Alash Pride 89 is scheduled for September 9th in Astana, Kazakhstan, with the main event featuring former UFC bantamweight Diego Brandao facing off against the 12-3 featherweight Karshyga Dautbek. Renan Barao’s participation was confirmed for a bout against the 14-4 featherweight Bagdos Olzhabay.
However, as of August 31st, there is no indication that Barao has expressed any interest in participating in Kazakhstan. The 36-year-old’s most recent appearance was in July when he competed in the International Master’s circuit at an IBJJF event. Currently, Olzhabay is scheduled to face former UFC bantamweight Dileno Lopes instead.
