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On May 24th, 2014, Renan Barao, the reigning, defending, undisputed UFC bantamweight champion was riding a 32-fight win streak as he headed into his latest title defense against 8-1 underdog T.J. Dillashaw. In the lead up to the fight UFC president Dana White called Barao the best pound for pound fighter in the world ahead of Jon Jones and Jose Aldo. People were talking about him potentially surpassing Anderson Silva as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. Nobody gave Dillashaw a chance. Nobody. Then came the knockout that stunned the world. Midway through the 5th round, Dillashaw connected with a head kick and followed it up with a series of punches knocking out the champion. This Saturday, the two finally face off in the much-anticipated rematch.We preview that fight:
#1 Bang Muay Thai
Barao is notorious for his ability to stop fighters. He is training partners with Jose Aldo and a stand-up specialist. The wise thing for Dillashaw to do would have been to out-wrestle Barao. A tricky game given how good Barao’s Jiu Jitsu is. However, Dillashaw had a secret weapon up his sleeve. He had been training with Duane Ludwig and earned a black belt in Bang Muay Thai. Dillashaw blitzed Barao with his punches and kicks. On the odd occasion that Barao managed to throw a punch, Dillashaw not only got out of the way, but moved so quickly that he ended up behind Barao.
He dropped Barao in the first round and could have finished the fight there itself but the champion wasn’t going down so easily. In between rounds, Barao’s coaches were telling him to whether the storm. There was no way Dillashaw could keep this pace up for 4 more rounds. They were wrong
Dillashaw dominated rounds 2, 3 and 4 after rocking Barao in round 1. He was up 4-0 and was coasting to a world championship. Before the final round, Barao’s coaches, looking as stunned as their fighter, told him to abandon his Muay Thai. Dillashaw was too good on his feet. He needed to be taken to the ground. However, Dillashaw would knock Barao out before the fight reached the ground.
Not only did the underdog beat the champion, he dominated him. This wasn’t Chris Weidman catching Anderson Silva while he was clowning, this was a clinic. T.J. Dillashaw was unrecognizable from the man who lost to John Dodson in the Ultimate Fighter finals. He had elevated his game to a new level adding high-level Muay Thai to his arsenal. This was no fluke, this was an exhibition by a great martial artist.
#2 The weight cut
This fight was meant to happen at UFC 177. Everything was in place, everyone was ready. Then a day before the fight, Renen Barao had to be rushed to the hospital. He was having a tough weight cut and his body couldn’t handle losing more water. His coaches called an ambulance and just like that he was out and the fight was off. Soto would step up to replace him but Dillashaw dispatched of him with ease.
A huge question hanging over this fight is whether Barao will even turn up. Yes, he has had a fight at 135 pounds since then but he just about made the weight. Dana White insisted that he change his nutritionist and get his act together. Is 135 too low a weight for Barao to reach? Especially now that he is getting older, can his body handle it? And if it does and he makes the weight, how much does such a tough weight cut take out of him? He does not want to go up to 145 because his team mate and good friend is Jose Aldo, the champion at that division. We all want to see this fight, but will Renen Barao even show up?
#3 The cardio game
In their championship bout, Dillashaw was so dominant because he didn’t tire out. Barao held back after enduring a beating early on, hoping Dillashaw would wear himself out. However, that tactic backfired. Not only did Dillashaw not slow down, he actually got faster as the fight got longer. Dillashaw danced around Barao, who struggled to get his hands on him. Even a few shots to the stomach, in an attempt to gas out his challenger, did not help Barao.
Barao’s coaches after the fight admitted that Dillashaw having superior cardio played a huge part in the way the fight went. In the build up to the rematch, Barao has said what happened in the first fight won’t happen again. How will Barao counter Dillashaw’s superior cardio? Will throwing leg kicks and mid kicks to slow down the new champion leave him vulnerable to the take down? Will Dillashaw set the same pace from the get go? It’s all very intriguing but waiting till Saturday is the only way we’ll know.
