'Maybe I'll finish him this time', says Dillashaw, about a rematch with Barão

Dillashaw (photo) faces Barão in a rematch. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

TJ Dillashaw gets a rematch with Renan Barao, this Saturday (25), full of confidence. The North American, UFC bantamweight champion, believes that he has all the attributes to dominate the Brazilian again and end the fight even before the judges' decision, even talking about obtaining a submission.

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Dillashaw and Barão faced each other for the first time in May last year, when the American surprised everyone and won by technical knockout in the fifth round. In the rematch, at UFC on FOX 16, Dillashaw hopes to end the fight even faster.

“I will definitely try to end the fight. You never expect a five-round war because you don't want to be caught off guard, but I know I'm the faster fighter, I have better wrestling, I can take the fight as far as I want. But who knows? Maybe I’ll finish him this time,” he said, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Fighting”.

The rematch was originally scheduled for August 2014, just three months after the first duel. However, Barão ended up not making weight and the fight did not happen. Even though the Brazilian has had more time to adjust his game, Dillashaw believes that the outcome of the rematch will be similar to the first meeting between the two. “He probably had more time to cool down, but as soon as the first round starts and I hit him in the head, the thoughts of the first fight will come back to the surface,” he commented.

Dillashaw, in fact, hopes that Barão can make weight this time. “He better not miss weight. It would be ridiculous [if he couldn't do it]. And it would be terrible for the UFC. But that won't happen. It would be ridiculous,” he declared.

To Dillashaw's relief, Barão is already at the right weight for the fight. Thus, the two athletes will face each other in the octagon set up in the city of Chicago, in the United States.

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