What a difference a year has made for T.J. Dillashaw.
Over the past 14 months the Team Alpha Male standout has gone from a highly touted prospect-turned-contender figured to be another step in the title reign of Renan Barao, to a bantamweight champion on the verge of solidifying his place as the king of the 135-pound collective. The 29-year-old set this transformation in motion by pulling one of the biggest upsets in recent memory when he defeated the Brazilian phenom via TKO in the fifth round of their title tilt at UFC 173 last May.
Dillashaw‘s performance en route to winning the bantamweight title was a brilliant display of technique and measured aggression, as The Ultimate Fighter alum flexed his vastly improved striking skills and footwork. His movement and accuracy served to baffle the Nova Uniao representative, and the victory marked a new era in the ranks of the bantamweight fold.
Yet, as has become somewhat of a protocol under the UFC banner, anytime a once dominant champion has been dethroned an immediate rematch is put in motion, and the second go between Dillashaw and Barao was slated for UFC 177 three months later in Sacramento, California. With The Baron chalking his loss to Dillashaw as a fluke in their first meeting—and several barbs being traded between the two fighters and their respective camps—anticipation was high heading into the rematch.
One bad weight cut and an 11th-hour opponent change suddenly took Dillashaw‘s chance to validate his place atop the bantamweight division to the wayside into a spectacle, as he thrashed Barao‘s replacement, Joe Soto, to make the first successful defense of his title. And even though his victory over the former Bellator champion did little to validate his position as bantamweight title holder, the opportunity he’s waited more than a year to capture will finally come to fruition this Saturday night at UFC on Fox 16.
And even though he’s entering the rematch with Barao as champion instead of challenger, Dillashaw insists his focus won’t be any different from the first time he made the walk to the Octagon to throw down with the Brazilian striker in Chicago.
“I’m actually taking this fight with the same mind-set,” Dillashaw told Bleacher Report. “I was confident going into that last fight with him that I was going to win. The only people who believed in me were my team and my family, and that’s all that matters. I’m going in, and I’m nervous about my opponent. If I weren’t nervous then I wouldn’t be ready. I’m respecting what he has, because if I don’t I’m going to get caught. I’m going to treat it as the same kind of fight. I’m not going to overlook the guy and think it’s going to be an easy fight. I’m going in there expecting a five-round war and looking for the finish.”
Despite the history between Dillashaw and Barao, the champion isn’t carrying a grudge into their upcoming title fight. Dillashaw has decided to leave the past in the past, and the only thing on the bantamweight champion’s mind is taking the next step in his reign over the 135-pound division.
“This fight is about proving dominance in my weight class,” Dillashaw said. “If it’s Renan Barao or whoever I fight, it doesn’t make a difference to me. I don’t have a chip on my shoulder that I’m fighting him again. I don’t have anything like that. I’m looking at this fight with him as just another opponent.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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