A contest with major implications for the UFC bantamweight belt has been added to the fight card of UFC 143. On Friday promotion officials confirmed former title challenger Scott Jorgensen (13-4) has agreed to fight streaking youngster Renan Barao (27-1) at the February 4th event. The winner of the bout will likely be propelled into title discussion.
Jorgensen, MMA Nation's No. 5 bantamweight in the world, has rebounded effectively from a loss to reigning champion Dominick Cruz at WEC 53. Since merging into the UFC, "Young Guns" has rattled off consecutive victories over Ken Stone and Jeff Curran, pushing his current run to seven wins in his last eight bouts.
While the mark is impressive, it pales to that of Barao, MMA Nation's No. 7 bantamweight in the world. The 24-year-old has ripped through an incredible streak of 27 straight wins since losing his professional debut. The Brazilian last fought at UFC 138, storming to a first-round finish over Brad Pickett that earned "Fight of the Night" honors.
UFC 143 takes place Super Bowl weekend, February 4th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada. An interim welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit is the night's main event.
UFC 143 fight card:
Interim Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Featherweight: Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier
Bantamweight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao
Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper
Bantamweight: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Welterweight: Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah