T.J Dillashaw vs Renen Barao 2 - Rematch of the Greatest upset of all time
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.