The UFC 177 event scheduled for August 30th in Sacramento, California will feature the Bantamweight title re-match between TJ Dillashaw and Renan Barao. Dillashaw won the title from Barao at the UFC 173 event as a huge underdog, and this will be his first title defense. For Barao, the loss cost him his long earned title and a spot in many of the top pound for pound rankings.
For Renan Barao, the re-match comes quickly. He captured the interim title that became the UFC Bantamweight title during the course of five impressive defenses that had everyone touting him as one of the top fighters in the world. Dillashaw was considered a business as usual title defense for Barao, who was coming off making short work of perennial contender Urijah Faber. What happened however was Barao faced a hungrier opponent who took the fight to him the whole time and took him out deep in the fight.
Dillashaw will likely come in favored for the fight based on the strength of his first bout with Barao. He was focused and was able to strike first throughout the fight and he was strong in the ‘championship’ 4th and 5th rounds, where he was for the first time facing a Barao who had experience in deep fights. That Dillashaw’s performance was a surprise made it that much more impressive. But it will not be a surprise to Barao this second time around, and that should help the Brazilian close the gap in performance.
One note that may factor into the line for this fight is Barao’s preparation. The UFC recently pulled Barao teammate and Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo from his UFC 176 title defense due to an injury. The two men have been sharing training camps at Nova Uniao for years and have helped propel the school as a factory for little men. Though the school is deep with talent, the loss of Aldo will not only affect training, it may also have a psychological effect on Barao.
Dillashaw wont lose any of his hunger in all likelihood. Getting the re-match right out of the bat will help him channel motivations like people who say the win is a fluke, or that he didnt deserve the match in the first place. And in the octagon? All he has to do is do the same thing he did last time.
