Team Alpha Male striking coach Duane Ludwig’s name is making headlines left and right after one of his pupils, T.J. Dillashaw, shocked the world and dominated Renan Barao at UFC 173 on Saturday.
Fans, fighters and analysts alike appear to be split on whether or not “The Baron” deserves an immediate rematch.
Nova Uniao teammate Marlon Sandro blames the loss on a tough fight schedule that is nearly impossible to keep up with as a UFC champion, but Ludwig isn’t buying that excuse, based on his comments to Bloody Elbow.
“His last fight was with Faber, and it was a fairly quick fight. It’s not like he came out with injuries. It wasn’t like he came from a hard fight straight into another hard fight … I don’t think it’s fair for Barao to get an immediate rematch. That fight wasn’t even close, but then, who else is T.J. going to fight? Who is the Number 1 contender? It’s still Barao. I know he’s gonna need some time to recover, so I doubt he’ll be the next guy to challenge for the belt.”
Prior to getting outstruck and just plain outworked by Dillashaw, Barao boasted an unheard of 33-fight unbeaten streak, including a 7-0 mark inside the Octagon.
UFC President Dana White hasn’t ruled out the possibility of booking Barao vs. Dillashaw II, but has also acknowledged that contender Raphael Assuncao deserves a crack at the belt, per FOX Sports.
Dillashaw is 6-1 in his past seven fights, with his sole setback being a highly controversial split decision loss to Assuncao at UFC Fight Night 29 in October.
Assuncao, the No. 3 bantamweight in the UFC’s official rankings, has been on a tear since dropping down to 135 pounds, winning six consecutive bouts in his new weight class.
Barao has yet to comment on the stunning TKO loss, but his manager is already calling for a rematch in Brazil at UFC 179 in October, per MMA Fighting.
Does Barao deserve a chance to prove he had an off night? Or should he go to the back of the line and give other contenders a shot at UFC gold?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com