UFC legend Renan Barao recently revealed that he was supposed to have a grappling match with Charles Oliveira at a BJJ Stars event but the match has had to be postponed. It’s an interesting idea and one that’s bound to attract the attention of fans around the world, as both men have reached the highest level in their respective MMA careers. Barao was the UFC bantamweight world champion at one point in time before retiring from the sport, while Oliveira held the UFC lightweight world championship and is still currently competing.
Barao recently revealed in an interview with Canal Do Marinho that he had been given the opportunity to meet Oliveira on the mats:
“When our friend Fepa, who is the head of BJJ Stars, called me with this proposal, I was very happy. Charles had also accepted, a gi match with the weight to be agreed upon later. Just the fact that he contacted me got me even more excited for gi training.”
Barao has actually been active in IBJJF competition recently, and it appears as though he’s interested in testing his grappling skills against an elite athlete now that he’s returned to the sport. Oliveira on the other hand is still focusing on his MMA career and he’s just been booked to challenge for the lightweight title in a rematch against Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. With Charles Oliveira having such an important fight booked, that’s actually why his BJJ match with Renan Barao has had to be delayed:
“We were waiting for the UFC’s decision, but since Charles is fighting now, the UFC did not release him. But we will wait for another opportunity, so that this fight can happen and further enhance our Jiu-Jitsu.”
The full interview with Renan Barao where he announced that he was going to have a grappling match with Charles Oliveira was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of Canal Do Marinho:
