Dillashaw (photo) hopes to be the man who dethrones Barão. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
TJ Dillashaw will have the most important fight of his MMA career on May 24th, when he will face Renan Barao for the UFC bantamweight title. In addition to trying to unseat the Brazilian, undefeated for over nine years, the North American will have to deal with the fact that he is the absolute underdog for the fight, which will be the main attraction of UFC 173, in Las Vegas (United States).
To get an idea of Barão's favoritism, some bookmakers pay five times the initial amount if Dillashaw wins. For example, according to the website “Betboo”, anyone who bets R$100 on the North American would receive R$575 if he wins. The same amount bet on Barão would yield just R$111.
In an interview with the website of the North American broadcaster “FOX Sports”, Dillashaw said he was motivated by this scenario. “No matter what the circumstances are, there will always be people who doubt you. I want to prove everyone wrong. I can’t wait for this, I can’t wait to shut your mouths”, promised the fighter.
Dillashaw believes his rivalry with Barão will be one of the most popular topics after the fight. “It will be a very talked about fight when I beat him,” he concluded.
Barão and Dillashaw will be in the main fight of UFC 173, which will mark the Brazilian's second defense of the category belt. He received the title at the beginning of the year, when the then champion, Dominick Cruz, got injured. Before, Barão was the interim champion of the category, having beaten Urijah faber, Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland.
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