Renan Barao has been booked for his first mixed martial arts bout since November 2019.
The former UFC bantamweight champion is slated to face William Gomis in a featherweight matchup at Ares FC 7 on June 25 in Paris. The promotion announced the booking via Instagram.
Barao was supposed to make his return on three other occasions in recent years. A matchup with Bobby Moffett at Taura MMA 12 in November 2020 fell through when the entire event was canceled; a fight against Tyson Duckworth at Premier FC 32 in November 2021 was scrapped when Duckworth withdrew and a proposed clash against Horacio Gutierrez at Eagle FC 44 this past January was also canceled.
Once regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound talents in the sport, Barao ended his UFC tenure on a five-fight losing streak. In his last outing, “The Baron” fell to Douglas Silva de Andrade via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 164. He notably went unbeaten in 33 consecutive bouts from 2005 to 2014 before relinquishing the 135-pound belt to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173.
France’s Gomis enters the bout on a seven-fight professional winning streak and is coming off a first-round TKO victory over Arip Yakubov at UAE Warriors 28 “International” on March 26.
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