Former UFC bantamweight champ Renan Barao and Team Nova Uniao had little to say following the Brazilian’s stunning TKO loss to Team Alpha Male’s T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 173 on May 24 in Las Vegas.
Barao spoke briefly with Joe Rogan in the Octagon following the setback, before skipping the post-fight press conference to head to a Las Vegas hospital.
It wasn’t until Team Alpha Male posted an antagonizing picture on Instagram that a member of Team Nova Uniao spoke out on the matter.
The Team Alpha Male Instagram photo was posted on May 29 and includes a list of names that would have signed up for in-limbo Team Alpha Male head coach Duane Ludwig’s seminar on May 31. At the bottom of the list, Renan Barao‘s name can be seen scratched out in black marker.
Aldo said the following regarding Barao‘s mental state heading into UFC 173, during an interview with radio show No Mundo da Luta, via MMAFighting.com.
Renan was well prepared, and of course he knew that [Dillashaw] was also well trained, but Dillashaw surprised him. Barao could have been better physically, mentally, everything, but he didn’t expect the way Dillashaw fought. Let’s say Barao was more relaxed than the other fights, he thought he would get in there as the champion, throw a punch and get the knockout. … He didn’t have his feet on the ground, a good head.
Aldo, who brutalized Team Alpha Male founder and Dillashaw‘s mentor, Urijah Faber, at WEC 48 in April 2010, responded to the photo posted on Instagram on May 29.
By their logic, how many times would we have to sign Urijah Faber in an MMA seminar at Nova Uniao? It was lack of respect. We always defeat them, Faber always lost to us and we never did that. We always respected them. We always tried to help them, like when they came here to the gym. We never disrespected them. But it’s cool. Let’s be patient, we will meet again. I have a fight coming up with Chad [Mendes], and Barao, God willing, will fight Dillashaw again and we will get the payback.
Barao handed Faber two of his seven career losses. The former bantamweight champ first defeated “the California Kid” by unanimous decision at UFC 149 in July 2012. He then TKO’d Faber in a controversial bout at UFC 169 in February 2014.
Aldo arguably served Faber the most devastating defeat of his career in their featherweight title fight at WEC 48. Aldo outstruck Faber 77-20 and passed his guard four times.
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