Many people had TJ Dillashaw written off before this fight even started. They assumed that TJ would get picked apart on his feet while trying unsuccessfully to be the first person to ever wrestle Barao down to the ground in the UFC. In what was perhaps one of the biggest upsets in the history of the UFC (GSP vs Serra comes to mind as well), TJ Dillashaw flat-out dominated Renen Barao for 5 rounds before getting the finish.
TJ Pretending To Be Renen
Here’s an interesting fact. During training camp as Urijah Faber was preparing for his rematch against Renen Barao, it was Dillashaw’s duty to imitate Barao for sparring. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and it’s also an amazing way to prepare for an opponent. In order to help his coach and mentor Urijah prepare, Dillashaw had to do his best to learn every subtlety of Renen Barao’s game and that likely had a lot to do with TJ Dillashaw’s ability to completly pick apart Barao inside of the octagon. He hasn’t just been studying Barao for a few months leading up to the fight, he had been going deep on the Brazillian’s style for ages and it really paid off.
So What’s Next?
It’s unclear who will get the next title shot against TJ, but it almost certainly won’t be an immediate rematch since the first fight wasn’t even competitive. Urijah Faber still sits at the top of the pack, but it’s very unlikely that him and TJ will fight, which means Faber may have to change weight classes. Next up is Raphael Assuncao who holds the #2 contender spot, with Michael Macdonald rounding out the top 3. Mizugaki had a good performance that could put him in talks. Interestingly enough, Dominic Cruz still holds the number 9 spot on the Bantamweight rankings despite such a long stretch of inactivity (Yet Nate Diaz was taken off just a few months after his most recently fight?)
What do YOU want to see?
Who do you think should get the next crack at the ever-competitive Bantamweight belt? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Page 1 of 1:
