Dillashaw promises progress for rematch and guarantees: 'Barão will be surprised'

Dillashaw (photo) meets Barão again, now as champion, at the end of August. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

In May, TJ Dillashaw surprised Renan Barao, shocked the MMA world and staged one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport by beating the Brazilian Renan Barao in the bantamweight title fight. With a rematch scheduled against Barão for UFC 177, on August 30th, the North American guarantees another surprise for his rival, this time due to the even greater evolution of his skills since the first meeting between them.

“What I’m doing is continuing to improve. I didn't take a vacation after beating Barão, I went straight back to the gym. I saw some parts of my game where I could improve and learned new techniques. I can't wait to face him again. My jiu-jitsu coach, Fabio Prado, is fantastic and is improving my game. The Baron will be surprised”, analyzed Dillashaw, in an interview with the website of the “Combate” channel.

Despite recognizing that the knockdown applied in the first round was important in the victory that earned him the belt, the Team Alpha Male athlete stated that the triumph only came due to a consistent performance during the five partial rounds. “I managed to land a great punch, that's what MMA is like. He should have hit me first (laughs). I don't think he was defeated because of that punch. I think he was defeated because he had no idea what I was doing, because I was the better fighter for five rounds,” he concluded.

On August 30th, Renan Barao and TJ Dillashaw face each other again for the bantamweight belt just four months after their first meeting. The duel is the main fight of UFC 177, which takes place in Sacramento (USA), home of Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male. In the co-main fight of the night, Demetrious Johnson puts the flyweight title on the line against challenger Chris Cariaso.