A 140-pound catchweight bout between former bantamweight champion Renan Barao and Aljamain Sterling took place during tonight’s UFC 214 prelims from Anaheim, California.

Round one begins and Barao opens up with a body kick. Sterling responds with one of his own. Barao leaps in with a left hand and then a leg kick. Sterling presses forward and just misses getting caught with a spinning head kick from Renabn. Barao with a leg kick. Sterling returns fires with one to the body. Barao trips Sterling and winds up on top. Sterling immediately rolls for a leg lock. He sinks it in but Barao catches him with a good shot. Another good punch from Barao and he takes top position. The Brazilian quickly passes to half guard but Aljamain scrambles back to full guard. Barao with a left hand. He moves to half guard and lands an elbow. Renan with a some knees to the body. Sterling scrambes back with full guard. He attempts a sweep but Barao says no. Sterling looks to lock up a triangle but Barao postures up and rains down left. The horn sounds to end round one.

Round two begins and Sterling lands a pair of nice kicks to start. He leaps in with a left that misses. Renana counters with a left and then a nice right hand. Sterling circles and lands another pair of picks. Barao with a hard leg kick that drops his opponent. He locks in a choke but then chooses to let it go. Barao lands a left and circles out. Sterling comes forward and lands left. He presses the Brazilian against the fence and lands a takedown. He immediately takes the back and switches to a leg lock. Barao escapes but Sterling lands an armbar. Barao pulls his arm out and Sterling takes his back. He locks in both hooks and works some elbows. Good shots from the top by Sterling. He lands a huge right hand. Barao explodes but Sterling is able to stay in full guard. Sterling with some huge elbows. Barao locks in a triangle choke. Sterling quickly escapes and work some knees. He lands a hard left and then an elbow. Round two comes to an end.

Round three begins and Sterling lands a low kick. He follows that up with a front kick to the face. Barao looks to be stunned. Sterling continues to press the action and lands a knee. He presses Sterling against the cage and looks for a single leg takedown. Barao defends but remains pressed against the cage. Barao takes in a deep gasp of air. The referee steps in a breaks the men up. Barao comes in and forces a left. Sterling looks to be the fresher fighter. He lands a left hook. Sterling presses forward with another left and press Barao against the cage. He looks for a single leg. It’s not there. Barao looks to sweep but cannot secure the trip. Barao with a shot to the body. The referee steps in a breaks them up. Sterling with a nice left hand. Barao counter with a good left. He presses forward and lands a right hook. A body kick lands for Barao. Renan shoots in and gets a hold of Sterling. He moves to his back. Barao with the takedown. Sterling gets up but Barao jumps on his back. He locks in both hooks. Round three comes to an end.