Renan Barao makes it 28 in a row, tops Scott Jorgensen via decision



Renan Barao survived arguably the biggest test of his MMA career and scored a unanimous-decision victory over former WEC bantamweight title challenger Scott Jorgensen.

The impressive performance earned Barao his 28th straight win and solidified his status as one of the UFC's top 135-pound contenders.

The main-card bout was part of UFC 143 and aired on pay-per-view from Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center. Prelims aired on FX and streamed on Facebook.

Jorgensen had his moments, but Barao's well-rounded game kept the WEC vet from gaining any momentum in the fight.

Barao appeared to do damage with a spinning back-kick early in the first round, and then he fought off a takedown attempt to land a series of stiff jabs and low kicks. Jorgensen mixed in some straight punches and takedown attempts, but Barao was quicker to the punch and successfully stayed off the mat to win the first round.

Jorgensen quickly worked for takedowns in the second round and mixed in some body punches when he couldn't get it. But Barao's array of kicks and counter-rights did damage. Jorgensen pulled guard and got the fight to the mat midway through the round, but Barao avoided submissions, got to his feet, and won the standup battle to go up two rounds to none.

Jorgensen pressed the action in the third and fired off some stiff punches while ditching the takedown attempts, but he couldn't keep up with Barao's output and power. Low kicks battered Jorgensen's base as he lost most of his explosiveness, and Barao capitalized without the fear of a takedown and went toe to toe with the wrestler in the final minute of the fight.

In the end, Barao earned the unanimous-decision victory via 30-27 scores across the board.

"I came in here to fight three rounds," Barao said before campaigning for a title shot "He was a very tough opponent, but I was prepared for that."

Barao (28-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) remains undefeated since a loss in his 2005 pro debut, and the Brazilian Nova Uniao fighter should garner some serious title consideration. Jorgensen (13-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC), who hoped a victory would propel him to a rematch with reigning champ Dominick Cruz (13-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC, snaps a two-fight win streak and suffers his first UFC loss.