Luke Sanders scored the biggest win of his MMA career, stopping former world bantamweight champion Renan Barao in the second round.
Barao, who came in overweight for the bout at 138 pounds, had a strong first round, using kicks to the legs and body to set up power shots upstairs, including a big right hand with a minute left that rocked the Nashville product. But Sanders made the necessary adjustments before round two, and in that second stanza, he lowered the boom, dropping Barao with a 1-2 that ended with a left hand, setting up three final right hands on the mat that prompted referee Al Guinee to halt the contest at 1:01 of the frame.
Sanders moves to 13-3 with the win. Rio de Janeiro’s Barao, who has lost four straight, falls to 36-8 with 1 NC.
