Former UFC bantamweight champ Renan Barao moving up in weight

          • Brett OkamotoMar 17, 2016, 03:21 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is moving up in weight and will fight Jeremy Stephens on May 29, according to a report out of Brazil.

          Brazilian news outlet Combate reported the 145-pound matchup on Thursday. The fight is expected to take place during a UFC Fight Night at a Brazilian location to be determined.

          Barao (33-3) has fought his entire UFC career as a bantamweight. Fighting out of Nova Uniao in Rio de Janeiro, Barao holds notable wins against Urijah Faber, Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland inside the Octagon.

          He lost the bantamweight title to TJ Dillashaw in May 2014 and came up short in a bid to recapture it in July. ESPN.com still ranks Barao as the No. 3 bantamweight in the world.

          Stephens (24-12) will look to break out of a 1-3 skid in his past four fights. The 29-year-old has suffered recent decision losses to some of the best names in the division: Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway. Fighting out of San Diego, Stephens has 16 career knockouts.