Tag: TJ Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw’s Win over Renan Barao Leaves Jose Aldo as the Only Brazilian Champ

TJ Dillashaw dethroned former bantamweight champion Renan Barao at UFC 173, and just like that, Jose Aldo became the last UFC champion waving the Brazilian flag. 
If we go back less than two years to July 2012, there were four Brazilian champions …

TJ Dillashaw dethroned former bantamweight champion Renan Barao at UFC 173, and just like that, Jose Aldo became the last UFC champion waving the Brazilian flag. 

If we go back less than two years to July 2012, there were four Brazilian champions in eight divisions. 

Junior dos Santos ruled the heavyweight division, Anderson “The Spider” Silva was still the greatest fighter in the world at middleweight and Jose Aldo and Renan Barao stood tall above the rest of the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, respectively. 

Dos Santos was the first to lose his strap.

In December 2012, dos Santos was battered for five rounds by Cain Velasquez at UFC 155. He would challenge Velasquez again at UFC 166 in October 2013, but the Brazilian would come up even shorter this time around, getting stopped in the fight’s final frame.  

Between those two heavyweight title fights, Silva was famously knocked out by Chris Weidman at UFC 162. It was a win that nobody saw coming—not like that, at least—and it prompted an immediate rematch. 

Like dos Santos, Silva would fail in his second bid at regaining the title.

That left only Barao and Aldo, and neither man looked remotely vincible during his run as champion. These two guys were here to stay. 

Barao hadn’t lost in nine years going into his UFC 173 showdown with Dillashaw, and even though the Team Alpha Male product had looked good during his UFC career, he didn’t appear to be the man to defeat the inhuman Barao.

Dillashaw had good wrestling and knockout power, so what? The Brazilian had already defeated arguably the hardest puncher in the division in Michael McDonald via submission, and he dispatched one of the division’s finest grapplers and Dillashaw‘s teammate, Urijah Faber, twice, each time with little effort. 

What did Dillashaw have to offer that Barao hadn’t already seen? 

At UFC 173, we found out. 

Dillashaw had a perfect game plan, complex footwork, huge power and the will to succeed. It was too much for Barao to handle, and Dillashaw finished the fight via TKO in the fifth round. 

The win was shocking, and it was equal parts devastating for Brazilian fans, as an American once again snagged one of their coveted titles. 

MMA is an undeniably volatile sport, and in just two years, Brazilians went from owning half of the UFC titles to owning just one out of eight (12.5 percent of them for you math people out there). 

And now Jose Aldo, the last Brazilian standing, is booked to fight another Team Alpha Male product in Chad Mendes at UFC 176 in August. 

Like Dillashaw, Mendes boasts huge knockout power and incredible athleticism. “Money” is, in many ways, a featherweight version of Dillashaw. We haven’t seen the kind of footwork Dillashaw showed against Barao from Mendes, but then again, we hadn’t seen it look that good from Dillashaw himself until he fought for the title. 

There’s no telling how much Mendes has improved since his last fight, and there’s no doubt that he presents a significant challenge to Aldo as they head toward their much-anticipated rematch. 

Aldo won the first fight via knockout in Round 1, but Mendes has won five straight since that time, scoring a knockout in four of them.

If Aldo is not on top of his game, Mendes‘ streak might get pushed to six, and Brazil will lose its last titleholder.

My, how things can change in this sport.  

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Will UFC 173 Force the UFC to Learn Its Lesson About Promoting Fighters?


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Regarding Renan Barao and the bantamweight division, the UFC had a promotion problem. Barao was one of the sport’s greatest fighters, yet he couldn’t fill a bar showing the PPV if they gave away free food and free beer.

Fans didn’t care about Barao, and there was nothing the UFC could do to change that. While Barao’s inability to speak English, rugged good looks, and total apathy regarding the salesman part of being a prize fighter certainly didn’t make promoting him easy, building Barao was still the UFC’s job. And they continuously failed.

MMA Junkie’s Ben Fowlkes analyzed this issue in the days before UFC 173 [Editor’s note: Hilariously, Dana White grilled Fowlkes for the article but admitted to not reading it…]:


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

The UFC had a promotion problem with Renan Barao. He was one of the sport’s greatest fighters, yet he couldn’t fill a bar showing the PPV if they gave away free food and free beer.

Fans didn’t care about Barao, and there was nothing the UFC could do to change that. While Barao’s inability to speak English, rugged good looks, and total apathy regarding the salesman aspect of being a prize fighter certainly didn’t make promoting him easy, building Barao was still the UFC’s job. And they continuously failed.

MMA Junkie’s Ben Fowlkes analyzed this issue in the days before UFC 173 [Editor’s note: Hilariously, Dana White grilled Fowlkes for the article but admitted to not reading it…]:

First Barao was a “monster.” Then he was a “killer.” Now he’s “the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world,” according to White, and just in case you aren’t buying that, he’ll go ahead and bury you with stats. Because nothing gets fans fired up for a title fight quite like math.

It’s hard to blame the UFC too much. On paper, Barao should be a superstar. His unbeaten streak is legitimately impressive, even if the first few years of it came against regional nobodies, and even if White apparently felt the need to fudge some of those numbers when touting Barao’s stats (“The kid hasn’t lost a fight in 35 fights,” said White, which isn’t exactly true, since Barao is 32-1 according to Sherdog and 28-1 according to MMA.tv).

But if Barao’s struggle to go big time tells us anything, it might be that skill doesn’t sell as much as we’d like to pretend it does. Not by itself, anyway. Not if it comes wrapped up in the package of a 135-pound fighter who doesn’t speak much English, doesn’t have much in the way of an identifiable personality, and – let’s just be real here – looks a little bit goofy.

Leading up to UFC 173, The Washington Post ran a story about the UFC. Renan Barao’s name wasn’t mentioned once. Instead, the article was a thinly veiled hagiography of Dana White. The Renan Barao situation, in addition to the above, was also the result of promoting the brand and the figurehead over the fighters. The question most casual fans asked during fight week was “Who the fuck is Renan Barao?”

Furthermore, the “this guy is a pound-for-pound monster, buy our shit” line has been trotted out far too often lately. According to MMA Owl’s Mike Fagan, Dana White—and the UFC’s promotional efforts by extension—have touted as many as five pound-for-pound kings in the last year. Exaggerations lose selling power as they become more common.

But the UFC got lucky last night. Instead of a champion with zero marketability thanks to the language barrier and a lemur-like face, the UFC now has TJ Dillashaw to work with—a conventionally attractive American who won the title via complete domination. Hopefully the UFC has learned its lesson, and will promote Dillashaw as something other than a great fighter, because it has been proven time and time again that greatness alone doesn’t sell.

UFC 173 Results: 3 Fights for T.J. Dillashaw to Take Next

T.J. Dillashaw shocked fans and experts alike Saturday with a one-sided beating that concluded with a TKO of Renan Barao late in their bantamweight title fight at UFC 173 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Dillashaw not only overcame tremendous odds to avenge t…

T.J. Dillashaw shocked fans and experts alike Saturday with a one-sided beating that concluded with a TKO of Renan Barao late in their bantamweight title fight at UFC 173 on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Dillashaw not only overcame tremendous odds to avenge teammate and mentor Urijah Faber’s loss to Barao, he also became the first member of the Sacramento-based Team Alpha Male to win a UFC title.

Of the UFC’s nine champs, only Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey can say they have less experience than Dillashaw, who has just 10 career wins, including six in the UFC.

His future’s not in question, but Dillashaw must now begin the arduous task of attempting to defend his belt in a deeply talented 135-pound division.

Here’s a glimpse at three matchups Dillashaw could entertain in the second half of 2014.

 

 

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T.J. Dillashaw: How the New 135-Pound Champ Dethroned Renan Barao at UFC 173

The handful of pundits who believed T.J. Dillashaw would dethrone Renan Barao at UFC 173 certainly didn’t forecast a brutal TKO win from the Team Alpha Male standout Saturday in Las Vegas. 
Regardless, a confident Dillashaw utilized his many tools…

The handful of pundits who believed T.J. Dillashaw would dethrone Renan Barao at UFC 173 certainly didn’t forecast a brutal TKO win from the Team Alpha Male standout Saturday in Las Vegas. 

Regardless, a confident Dillashaw utilized his many tools, particularly his footwoork, speed and athleticism, to trump the seemingly unstoppable Barao in every facet of the game to become his team’s first UFC champ.

Although Dillashaw, a former NCAA Division 1 wrestler who entered the fight with just nine wins, failed to score a takedown for the first time since his UFC debut, he outstruck the streaking Barao, 169-68 and 140-64 in the significant strikes category.

Dillashaw landed 99 of 260 shots he threw to Barao‘s head, 17 of 21 to his body and 24 of 28 to his legs. He also scored on 19 of the 30 ground strikes he fired.

In contrast, Barao landed just 68 of 277 total strikes, including 64 of 273 in the significant strikes department. And despite the fact that he stuffed each of Dillashaw‘s three shots, Barao failed to muster a takedown or submission attempt.

In his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Dillashaw, the UFC’s fourth-ranked bantamweight heading into the fight, said Barao‘s reputation and resume brought the best out in him.

Barao‘s the best in the world in my eyes…you know what I mean? I’ve been looking up to the guy [and] I felt respect to get in the cage against him. He’s the best in the world and that’s what brought it out in me. That’s what brought the best out in me because I knew I was fighting the best. I had to bring my A-game to be the champion of the world, and it happened baby.

Dillashaw got off to the ideal start and landed 27 of 65 strikes in the opening round while absorbing just seven blows from Barao.

The second round proved the most tightly contested as Dillashaw outstruck Barao, 28-20, all of which were significant strikes.

Dillashaw regained his steam in Round 3 and hit his mark with 39 of 78 strikes compared to Barao‘s 19 of 73.

In the last 7:26 of the bout, Dillashaw landed 75 strikes to Barao‘s 22, including 56-18 in the significant strikes category.

A battered but resilient Barao took all he could handle from a rabid Dillashaw in the fifth round before crumbling and getting saved from further punishment by referee Herb Dean.

The third-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC heading into the bout, Barao tasted defeat for the first time since his pro debut in 2005.

“It was really a tough fight. I have to congratulate him. Tonight was his night, but I’m coming back,” a humbled Barao said to Rogan.

Dillashaw last fell to Raphael Assuncao in a controversial split decision at UFC Fight Night 29 last October. Following that loss, Dillashaw has refined his game significantly under soon-to-be former coach Duane Ludwig.

The 28-year-old Dillashaw brought superior footwork, quickness and cardio to the table against Barao, and that remedy proved too much for the 27-year-old Brazilian.

Barao fell to 9-1 under the Zuffa, LLC umbrella, while Dillashaw improved to 6-2 in the UFC.

All stats gathered via Fightmetric.com. 

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T.J. Dillashaw and the Biggest Title Fight Upsets in Recent Memory

In a sport of upsets, Team Alpha Male stalwart T.J. Dillashaw secured his place in MMA upset history at UFC 173 on Saturday at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Over seven years removed from Matt Serra’s upset win over George St-Pierre at UFC …

In a sport of upsets, Team Alpha Male stalwart T.J. Dillashaw secured his place in MMA upset history at UFC 173 on Saturday at the MGM’s Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Over seven years removed from Matt Serra’s upset win over George St-Pierre at UFC 69, Dillashaw seized his moment and TKO’d former longtime champ Renan Barao to score a monumental upset victory.

Dillashaw overcame overwhelming odds to defeat Barao, who hadn’t tasted defeat in 33 fights heading into the bout.

The win puts Dillashaw in an elite category of MMA fighters who pulled off remarkable upsets in recent memory.

Here’s a short list (which won’t include any classic shockers like Serra over St-Pierre or Maurice Smith over Mark Coleman) of some of the most memorable recent title-fight upsets.

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TJ Dillashaw: New Bantamweight Champ Is Best Team Alpha Male Fighter Ever

Behold TJ Dillashaw, the true alpha male on a team of betas. Okay, so that’s not entirely true, the rest of Team Alpha Male are all excellent fighters in their own right.
But after UFC 173, one would have to assume Dillashaw could be labeled as the bes…

Behold TJ Dillashaw, the true alpha male on a team of betas. Okay, so that’s not entirely true, the rest of Team Alpha Male are all excellent fighters in their own right.

But after UFC 173, one would have to assume Dillashaw could be labeled as the best Team Alpha Male fighter ever.

Now before you scroll down to the bottom to light up the comments section about how Urijah Faber built the featherweight division or was king of the WEC for years, just hear me out.

I’ll start this off with a bit of compromise with the Faber fans; Faber’s time in the WEC is one of the most dominant runs in MMA history. Faber went 21-1 en route to help building the featherweight division to relevancy and virtually carrying the WEC brand on his back.

There’s also his time in the UFC to consider as well. Faber has been the best fighter outside of the champion in the bantamweight division during his time in the UFC. If your name isn’t Dominick Cruz, it goes without saying that you’re not going to win against Faber.

Yet, for all his accomplishments, the one thing that has eluded “The California Kid” is a UFC title. It’s a sentiment shared by many of his teammates as Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez have both fallen short in their previous title bids.

It’s not a feeling currently shared by Dillashaw, however.

That’s because Dillashaw did the impossible at UFC 173 by taking out the seemingly invincible Renan Barao. Dillashaw capped off a great performance by finishing Barao in the fifth round of their UFC 173 headlining bout.

Dillashaw didn’t lose a round the entire fight.

With the win, Dillashaw eclipsed the accomplishments made by his Team Alpha Male counterparts. For all the good Faber did while in the WEC, nobody remembers who wins the AFC/NFC Championship titles each year. It’s all about the Super Bowl.

And for Dillashaw, he has that equivalent to a Super Bowl ring.

He’s also entering the prime of his career at just 28 years of age. His improvements since Duane Ludwig began coaching him have not only shown in terms of wins, it’s shown in his performances as Dillashaw has looked better each time out.

Dillashaw has that signature win now that he’s defeated Barao and has the UFC gold to validate his status as the best of the bantamweight division. He’s also validated his status as the top fighter at Team Alpha Male.

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