Doo Ho Choi and Renan Barao won’t be trading leather on April 15 after all.
Yesterday, the official website of the Sprint Center claimed that Choi and Barao would headline the April 15 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) card in Kansas City. News of the match-up was debunked when a UFC official informed John Morgan of an error:
UFC official tells me Choi-Barao is not happening despite the web posting that was apparently made in error.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) February 12, 2017
We now know some more details. Flo Combat is reporting that Choi vs. Barao was targeted for the April 15 card, but “The Korean Superboy” pulled out of the bout for unknown reasons. “The Baron” is left without an opponent.
Choi is coming off what many consider to be the 2016 “Fight of the Year.” He went to war with Cub Swanson at UFC 206. While Choi lost the fight by unanimous decision, he certainly gained an abundance of new fans for his efforts.
Barao has seen better days inside the Octagon.
The once dominant bantamweight champion has gone 1-2 in his last three outings. After suffering back-to-back losses to T.J. Dillashaw and Jeremy Stephens, Barao got back in the win column against Phillipe Nover. While he hasn’t looked like the fighter he once was, a win over Choi would’ve put him in a more favorable position in the featherweight rankings.
