Renan Barao books MMA return for October event in Kuwait

Renan Barao is scheduled to make his return to MMA in October, MMA Fighting has learned. The former UFC champion will face Peter Ligier in the main event of Fera Championship’s debut card Oct. 7 in Kuwait.

Barao (34-9, 1 NC) hasn’t fought since his final UFC bout in 2019, a loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade. He was booked to compete multiple times since then, but it never came to fruition.

Most recently, Barao was announced on the card of Gamebred Bareknuckle for a no-gloved MMA bout with Sean Soriano but told MMA Fighting he never agreed to the contest.

Barao was once seen as the best bantamweight on the planet, defeating Urijah Faber to claim the UFC title and defending it against Michael McDonald, Eddie Wineland and Faber before eventually losing to T.J. Dillashaw. The Brazilian challenged once again for the gold, but suffered another loss to Dillashaw.

Ligier (10-2-1) fought once under the Bellator banner, losing a decision to Michael McDonald in December 2017. The French fighter will fight for the first time since 2018, when he scored back-to-back finishes in the European circuit.

The card will also feature Ronny Markes (22-10), a veteran of the UFC, Bellator and PFL, opposite Argentina’s Lucas Chiumiento (6-2-1). Check the complete lineup below.

Renan Barao vs. Peter LigierRenzo Martinez vs. Italo TrindadeLeonardo Rodriguez vs. Carlos SilvaLucas Chiumiento vs. Ronny MarkesEbrahim Mohammed vs. Al AdwaniZeyad Belgoute vs. Al HajriJuan Pablo Ayala Otta vs. Abdullah Al Saleem