Renan Barao Believes There Is "Nothing to Prove" Heading into UFC Fight Night 58

There was a lot of hype and expectation the last time Renan Barao's name was on a fight card.

After the Brazilian striking phenom had been shockingly dethroned by surging upstart T.J. Dillashaw in their first meeting at UFC 173 back in May, the Nova Uniao standout was poised for vengeance coming into their immediate rematch three months later at UFC 177. Not only would the 27-year-old Natal native have the opportunity to reclaim championship gold but to even the score for what his camp felt was an unnecessary amount of post-fight trash-talking out of Dillashaw's Team Alpha Male squad.

All of these elements combined to make the rematch a high-profile affair, but the day before the action was set to go down, disaster struck for the former champion. While Barao was no stranger to cutting a lot of weight to make the 135-pound limit, that time around was different, and the former titleholder's body began to shut down on him, which led to a fainting spell that ultimately scratched him from the fight.

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Barao's being pulled from the card for medical reasons unleashed a wave of chaos that saw the UFC remove promotional newcomer and former Bellator champion Joe Soto from his scheduled bout with Anthony Birchak and place him across the Octagon from Dillashaw in a bout for the bantamweight title. All of this happened while Barao was forced to watch from the sidelines, and with UFC President Dana White publicly announcing he would not be paid for his troubles, the young Brazilian had to do so at the complete opposite end of the spectrum than what he had expected from his trip to Sacramento, California.

Nevertheless, four months have passed since the debacle at UFC 177, and Barao is ready to reignite his run back toward the bantamweight throne. He will get his first opportunity to get things back on track when he squares off with surging prospect Mitch Gagnon at UFC Fight Night 58 this Saturday night.

Yet, while his last time out ended in failure before he ever had the chance to compete—and a win over Gagnon would rebuild some of his damaged prestige because of the past incident—Barao isn't spending a single moment dwelling in the past.

He believes what is done is done, and he is only concerned with moving forward.

"I don't think I have to prove anything to anyone anymore," Barao told Bleacher Report. "I just have to go in there and do my job as best as I can. I think [Gagnon] is a tough fighter. He's a dangerous fighter, but I'm not focused on what he is going to do in the fight. I'm very well-prepared for this, and I'm looking forward to getting back in there.

"My main goal is to win this fight and get closer to getting to the title. I want to get back in the title picture, and that is really my main focus right now at this time."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.