Renan Barão, Rory MacDonald, and Fighter Purgatory

The past month has seen two viable contenders, both worthy of their title shots and both deserving of the opportunity, fall to the better foes for a second time.

Both Rory MacDonald, dubbed the future of the welterweight division, and Renan Barão, a former champion clinging to his validity as a title contender, took on their respective champions in rematches they previously lost, and both came up short again.

For MacDonald, challenging Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 was an opportunity to prove the pundits right and the naysayers wrong. For the most part, the odds agreed that now was his time to dethrone the champion and begin his own legacy in the division. Despite having defeated MacDonald in…