Dillashaw (photo) defended the bantamweight belt for the second time. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
It felt like a replay of the first fight between TJ Dillashaw e Renan Barao. Just over a year and two months after the original meeting between the rivals, the North American repeated his dominant performance, didn't give the Brazilian a chance and defended the bantamweight belt in the main fight of UFC on FOX 16, on Saturday night. (25), in Chicago (USA).
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Much faster and more dynamic than Barão, Dillashaw controlled the distance in the duel and, as he had already done the night he stole the belt from the Brazilian, he used his sharp striking at the hands of Duane “Bang” Ludwig to get the better of the fight with a knockout at the beginning of the fourth round.
Barão, in turn, despite having shown progress in some crucial points in his defeat in May last year, was no match for Dillashaw's intense movement and suffered a lot from the precision of his rival's strikes, while he presented clear difficulty to connect your own attacks.
Another fundamental point for Dillashaw's triumph was the athletes' energy. Although the American also showed signs of wear throughout the fight, Barão seemed completely exhausted in the second round, fatigue that was intensified by TJ's strategy in the clinch.
With the triumph, TJ Dillashaw expanded his record to 12 wins and two losses in MMA. Already Renan Barao, suffered his third setback as a professional, the second for Dillashaw.
The fight
Right away, Dillashaw tried to destabilize the Brazilian mentally, with his guard down and a lot of movement. Barão quickly tried to make his presence known and hit his rival with a front kick. However, the North American managed to impose himself in the exchange and connected at least hard blows, which shook the native of Rio Grande do Norte. In the final stretch of the round, the champion abused the provocations and called Renan to fight, but ended up suffering some blows in the frank exchange.
In the second stage, Dillashaw started again with accurate jabs to Barão's face, who quickly accepted the clinch and took the fight to the cage. Back to the exchange, Barão managed to land a good low kick, which destabilized the champion, taking him down. When the bell sounded, the two did not let go of each other and the North American landed a blow on the Brazilian after the sound signal.
In the third round, visibly tired, Barão had difficulty finding his footing and attempted a desperate takedown, favoring Dillashaw, who managed to land on top of the Brazilian. Back on his feet, the champion continued with a lot of lateral movement, while Barão insisted on a lower volume of strikes, but more powerful attacks. At the end of the partial, TJ went up and was close to getting the knockout, but Renan was saved by the bell.
But Dillashaw decided to end the fight at the beginning of the fourth round. Sensing the good moment, and realizing his rival's condition, the North American placed Barão against the railing and, with a barrage of blows, managed to knock out the Brazilian on his feet, who was saved by the intervention of referee Herb Dean.
In his interview after the triumph, the champion was economical in his words, but praised his performance and the Brazilian Renan Barao. “I was more aggressive at the beginning. I'm very proud of my performance, but it's very good too”, he said to commentator Joe Rogan. Di
Without difficulty, Miesha dominates Eye and gets closer to the belt
Miesha (photo) scored her fourth consecutive victory in the Octagon. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
At the beginning of the fight, Miesha was having a huge disadvantage in her striking and was being frustrated by Eye, to the point of insistently looking for the ground game. However, surprisingly, the former Strikeforce champion achieved a knockdown very tough with less than two minutes to go before the end of the round and spent the end of the round attacking her rival in the ground and pound.
In the second round, Miesha touched Eye's face again, with hard blows, which guaranteed another knockdown for the former challenger. Once again on top on the ground, Tate was close to getting the submission with a guillotine, but, with little time on the clock, Jessica was saved by the bell.
With the advantage, Miesha did just enough to manage the third round. Having a slight disadvantage in the stand-up fight, Tate quickly managed to take down Eye and only got up again after the intervention of referee Yves Lavigne. In the final seconds, his girlfriend Bryan caraway he used wrestling to waste time on the clock and confirm his triumph.
After the duel, all three judges scored it 30 to 27 for Miesha Tate. Although it has not been confirmed by the Ultimate organization, it is likely that Miesha will be the next challenger for the bantamweight belt, which will be contested between Ronda Rousey e Beth Pitbull, next Saturday (1), in Rio.
Check out the UFC on FOX 16 results below:
TJ Dillashaw won Renan Barao by technical knockout (punches) at 35s of R4;
Miesha Tate won Jessica Eye in a unanimous decision by the judges (30×27, 30×27 and 30×27);
Edson Barboza won Paul felder in a unanimous decision by the judges (29×28, 29×28 and 29×28);
Joe lauzon beat Takanori Gomi by technical knockout (punches) at 2:37 of R1;
PRELIMINARY CARD
Tom Lawlor won Gian Villante by technical knockout (direct to the chin) at 27s of R2;
Jim Miller beat Danny Castillo in a split decision from the judges (30-27, 28-29 and 29-28);
Ben Saunders beat Kenny Robertson in a split decision (29-28, 28-29 and 29-28);
Bryan caraway won Eddie Wineland in a unanimous decision by the judges (29-28, 29-28 and 30-27);
James Krause submitted Daron Cruickshank with a rear naked choke at 1m27s of R1;
Andrew Holbrook beat Ramsey Nijem by split decision (29-28, 28-29 and 29-28);
Elizabeth Phillips beat Jessamyn Duke by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28);
Zak Cummings defeated Dominique Steele by TKO (punches) at 43s of R1.
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