Jose Aldo Says Renan Barao Will Fight With More Caution In Upcoming Bouts

With three straight finishes over some of the top 135-pound talent in the world, UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is arguably the hottest fighter in all of mixed martial arts right now.

His last appearance, a first round TKO of former WEC champ Urijah Faber at UFC 169, only added to the spectacular wins he picked up over Eddie Wineland and Michael McDonald in 2013. The impressive wins have Barao on an incredible 33-fight unbeaten streak, his only loss coming in his first-ever bout back in April 2005.

Barao is on a run like few have ever accomplished in the sport, yet his good friend and Nova Uniao teammate, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo told Tatame (via Bloody Elbow) that Barao may need to dial down his aggressiveness in order to keep the belt:

“The champion has a lot to lose. The challenger can give everything of himself, he has nothing to lose. If he wins, he will be beating the champion. In the future, I think Renan will think one more time before doing some strikes. There’s a part of him that is more cautious and we are always talking to him about how best to win his fights.

I think Renan will be the champion for eight or ten years. He is going to rule his division for a lot of time. He is a young guy and he knows he can’t be in his comfort zone.”

That’s a very interesting set of quotes from Aldo, as the 145-pound kingpin has been highly criticized for coasting to victory in some of his recent bouts. His decision win over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169 prompted UFC President Dana White to comment that Ado could easily have finished the fight, but was content to sit back and win on the judges’ scorecards.

It’s tough to argue with the success of both Aldo and Barao, who enjoy the lofty status of being the No. 2 and 3-ranked pound-for-pound fighters in the world. But Aldo’s current strategy is indeed a far cry from his days as the dominant WEC champion, where his fights were packed with exciting finishes.

“Junior” believes that his win over Lamas was one of his best-ever performances, and that you can’t always finish the best. However, that’s what he and Barao became famous for in the first place.

Playing it cautious may be a safer path to retaining the belt, but it just doesn’t seem like the Nova Uniao style. What do you make of Aldo’s new stance on remaining champion?

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale for USA TODAY Sports