Faber and Dillashaw's coach says he is obsessed with Barão: 'It consumes me'

D. Ludwig (photo) during training at Team Alpha Male. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

This coverage is sponsored by:

The defeats suffered by fighters from the Team Alpha Male gym against athletes from Nova União created an unpleasant stigma for the North American team. Together, Renan Barao e José Aldo defeated, in valid fights for belts, Urijah faber (twice Baron, once Aldo) and Chad Mendes (Aldo), which makes many consider Alpha Male as the “customers” of Brazilians.

This caused the coach of the North American team, Duane Ludwig, to create an obsession with the UFC bantamweight champion. This Saturday (24), another athlete on the team will have the chance to defeat Barão, with TJ Dillashaw measuring forces with the Brazilian in the main fight of UFC 173, in Las Vegas (USA).

In an interview with the North American website MMA Junkie, Ludwig admitted that the victory over Barão would be a relief for him. “I can't stop thinking about Barão. It consumes me. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder about some things, so it will be good to win the title with TJ and then relax”, commented the American.

According to Ludwig, Dillashaw just needs to follow his outlined strategy to get the better of the fight. “I'll just go there, analyze the fight, give TJ the information I think is correct and we'll get the victory. As long as TJ sticks to his strategy and Barão doesn't change too much, we should win the belt”, he assessed.

If Dillashaw does indeed win the title, it would represent the perfect farewell for Ludwig from Team Alpha Male. After the fight, the coach will leave Sacramento, the team's headquarters, to return to his hometown, Denver, to open his own gym. “It’s a business, but for me, it’s not like that. I'm a passionate, emotional guy, and I don't do this for money. I do it for the camaraderie and to help the guys grow, helping me grow too. If I didn't need money, I would still stay in the same job. But it’s time to go back home, open my own business and run my own thing,” commented Ludwig.

The fight between Renan Barao e TJ Dillashaw will be the main attraction of UFC 173, which will also feature fights between Dan Henderson x Daniel Cormier e Robbie Lawler x Jake ellenberger.