Last night at UFC 173, TJ Dillashaw dominated UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao en route to a fifth round stoppage victory. Some are considering the performance, throughout which Dillashaw dominated “The Monster” from pillar to post, the biggest upset in the history of mixed martial arts. While I’d like to let the events of Saturday ruminate for a bit before I go that far, there is little doubt in my mind that Dillashaw’s victory is the best thing to happen to bantamweight mixed martial arts since the UFC absorbed the WEC back in 2010.
Most of the prefight hype surrounding the main event focused on how the UFC would be able to market Barao after another dominant victory, the addition of Dillashaw to his resume serving as an afterthought. After 173, that’s all changed, and it’s for the better of everyone not named Renan Barao.
The most popular male fighter in the history of the sub-155 weight classes was, and still is, Urijah Faber, and Dillashaw has all the makings of becoming Faber 2.0. He’s a former college wrestler, a Californian with the All-American good looks. He’s fights out of the Team Alpha Male, the premier fight camp for the lower weight classes, which is run by his head coach and mentor, “The California Kid” himself, Urijah Faber.
While Faber is still a bigger star and can go with the best of them, the UFC would likely prefer their biggest stars to have a belt around their waist, which doesn’t jive with Faber’s 0-6 record in title fights since he first lost to Mike Brown. It will prove to be a boon for the UFC if they can parlay Faber’s stardom into more exposure for his protégé, whom he seemed genuinely overjoyed for last night.
Furthermore, since the UFC insists on running with The Ultimate Fighter until the wheels fall off and then some, it certainly proves fortuitous that they can say 14 seasons in TUF produced arguably the best fighter in the history of the show. If Dillashaw defends his belt successfully, that case becomes almost inarguable.
The UFC also benefits from Dillashaw’s in-cage prowess as well. While his numbers may pale in comparison to Barao’s vaunted streak, he’s an impressive 6-1 in the UFC since he lost to John Dodson at the TUF 14 Finale. His sole loss came in a highly-disputed split-decision loss to Raphael Assuncao. Dillashaw’s also known for putting on exciting fights, finishing his opponent in four of those victories, and as Dana White made sure to point out ad nauseam this past week, he holds the UFC record for most significant strikes per minute.
What it all comes down to though are the fights, and the UFC have a bevy of tailor-made options awaiting their new champion. Of course there’s Barao, whom Dana White indicated might get the immediate rematch. That fight sells itself. If they go another direction, the next two options would appear to be Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao.
Cruz, the first ever UFC Bantamweight Champion, was forced to abdicate his title due to a serious of injuries. Prior to that, he was scheduled to defend his title against his longtime heated rival Urijah Faber. While that match is still viable in its own right, it won’t be with a title on the line. A Dillashaw/Cruz title bout, with Faber in Cruz’s corner of course, has the timeless story of a student fighting to avenge his master. It doesn’t get any more marketable than that.
Assuncao, who many consider the top contender out of the rest of the bunch, is the man who handed Dillashaw his aforementioned split-decision loss. The UFC will be able to state that this is the last man to defeat the current champion, in a bout awarded “Fight of the Night” honors no less, while Dillashaw and his supporters will be able to make the claim that he deserved the nod.
Regardless of where the UFC decided to go from here, one thing is clear. TJ Dillashaw’s victory last night is a windfall for both the promotion itself and for the immediate future of the bantamweight divsiion.
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