UFC Releases Former Bantamweight Champ Renan Barao and Former Title Contender Liz Carmouche

Two notable fighters were released by the UFC today, one of whom was a former champion. Per Combate, one of the releases was former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao. Meanwhile, ESPN reports that former two-time UFC title contender and nearly seven-year veteran Liz Carmouche was also released.

Barao’s release come off the heels of a five-fight losing streak and going 2-8 in his last 10 UFC fights. Barao is a former UFC bantamweight champion. He won the interim title at UFC 149 in July 2012 after beating Urijah Faber by unanimous decision. In 2014, he later became the undisputed champion and defended the title against Urijah Faber again before later losing the belt to TJ Dillashaw. He later received one more title shot against TJ Dillashaw, which he lost by knockout in the fourth round. At one point, Barao was unbeaten in his career from 2005 to 2014 and boasted a record of 32-1 and 1 NC in MMA.

Renan Barao last fought at UFC on ESPN+ 22, where he lost to Douglas Silva de Andrade by unanimous decision.

Liz Carmouche made her UFC debut at UFC 157 in 2013 in the first women’s UFC title fight in history. She lost to Rousey via submission. Her manager, Kyle Stoltz, informed ESPN of her release. She last fought at UFC on ESPN+ 14, where she was defeated by flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in an unanimous decision in a title bout.

According to the report, Carmouche was given her release while she was doing promotional work for the company in Washington, DC before Saturday’s UFC 245.