Given the current bad blood between champion and challenger for the co-main event of UFC 217, it's amazing to think that little more than two years ago, TJ Dillashaw was the golden child of Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male team. The camp's first UFC champion, Dillashaw's success was the culmination of more than five years of intense training for the ex-NCAA qualifier and collegiate wrestling standout - but it didn't come without its challenges.
As with Michael Bisping and Rose Namajunas, TJ Dillashaw's UFC roots stem from the organisation's reality TV programme The Ultimate Fighter. Even more coincidentally, it would be The Count that would select the young Californian, training his for the duration of the show.
This would prove to be a strong partnership. Driven on by his unwavering confidence and competitive nature, Dillashaw ripped through his opponents to reach the finale, putting his undefeated 4-0 record on the line. It was here that he would suffer his first setback. John Dodson, now best known for his work at flyweight, completing a surprise TKO victory inside one round.
Fighters often say that they learn most from a defeat, something that is certainly shown by the response from TJ in his next few fights. Quickly establishing himself as a contender in the UFC's bantamweight division, he went 4-0 between the start of 2012 and mid-2013 before a razor-close defeat to top-ranked Raphael Assuncao.
Despite this set-back, TJ was handed a shot at the UFC bantamweight title less than nine months later, but few could have predicted the way the bout would turn out. Facing off against Brazilian Renan Barao, it looked a shoo-in. 'The Baron' had not lost in 32 fights - a run spanning more than nine years.
However, this would be the fight where the young pretender made his name. After a strong but cautious start, Dillashaw would drop Barao with a vicious overhand right in the first round, putting the Brazilian into survival mode. With no answer for the unorthodox movement and striking of TJ, Barao crumbled, being picked off almost at will by the American's jab. Despite being way ahead on the scorecards, Dillashaw refused to let up, eventually getting the finish in the final round. He would go on to better this initial display, albeit with less surprise, in his second defence. In another dominant display, the American stopped his challenger in the fourth round, with a similar head kick and punches combination.
It was during his run as UFC champion that his long relationship with Team Alpha Male began to sour. In particular, the strong bond that he had built with coach Duane Ludwig during his time in Sacramento would come back to bite the camp when Ludwig moved away. The exact details differ considerably dependent on who you talk to, which has been the basis for much of the beef between Dillashaw and Garbrandt in the run up to UFC 217, but the facts appear to be this.
As champion, and under the advice of Ludwig, TJ wanted the opportunity to train with other camps and trainers, to better round his game as he looked to build a lengthy title reign. Given the time that Team Alpha Male had already invested in their fighter, and the fact that he was the first champion to come from the camp, this did not sit too well with those at the top, who saw it as an act of treachery and disrespect. Whether you believe the rest of Garbrandt's story that TJ had said he wasn't leaving, or that he caused a serious injury to a training partner is immaterial - ultimately he left to join Ludwig's new camp in Denver, Colorado in October 2015.
But the long title reign he craved never came to fruition. The unexpected return of former bantamweight king Dominick Cruz stalled the development of Dillashaw, with their February 2016 bout resulting in a razor-close decision victory for the former champion. As he himself has said in the run-up to this fight, he has been missing his title since the day he lost it, and as a result used the experience of losing to support and re-double his training efforts. The implementation of a movement style similar to Cruz would be the first step, as well as a greater reliance on his wrestling past.
He would achieve redemption against Assuncao at UFC 200, before beating the streaking John Lineker to solidify his position as number one contender, by which point, his old nemesis Cruz had been dethroned by the rapidly rising Cody Garbrandt - an ex-training partner and a man who claims to have knocked TJ down in sparring.
TJ's UFC career would come full circle, being named as a trainer on the twenty fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter and confirming his opportunity at Garbrandt, initially scheduled for July. Given the strength of Dillashaw's desire for UFC gold, following an injury to the champion, a brief discussion was had with the UFC over a flyweight title shot, though would never materialise, forcing TJ to wait for his moment.
So at Madison Square Garden on November 4, Dillashaw gets the chance to redeem himself. By taking his belt back, he does more than simply rectify a mistake he made 18 months ago, but also confirms his position as the best bantamweight in the world and, perhaps more significantly, justifies his decision to make the move away from Team Alpha Male.
It's being touted as the real main event of the night, but what do you think will happen? Let me know either in the comments or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA.
Showing posts with label MSG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSG. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 November 2017
Friday, 3 November 2017
UFC 217: Career Rundown - Cody Garbrandt
As the curtains opened on 2016, the bantamweight division seemed fairly secure, with much of the buzz coming around the return of Dominick Cruz to MMA action. The bookmakers seemed to agree - according to Sports Interaction, only Cruz and TJ Dillashaw had odds of less than +500 to end the year as champ. At that point, Cody Garbrandt was a relative unknown - nowhere near this list, which went down as far as Johnny Eduardo at +27500. By December 30, 'No Love' had cemented his name at the top of the division, and pulled off one of the most remarkable debut title fights of all time.
The question perhaps most relevant for Garbrandt is 'how do you follow the perfect year?' In terms of fights, No Love has certainly not been as active as 2016, but that is as much due to misfortune, injuries and a lack of legitimate challengers as anything within his control. However, having been thoroughly whitewashed by Dillashaw in an ill-tempered series of The Ultimate Fighter, Cody will be more determined than ever to save his talking for the cage.
This is largely due to the much publicised history between Garbrandt and Dillashaw, which originates before No Love had ever made it to the big leagues. As a youngster, Cody had developed somewhat of an obsession with bantamweight and featherweight pioneer Urijah Faber, and founder of respected gym Team Alpha Male. Despite having just a couple of professional bouts under his belt, Garbrandt was insistent that he wanted to train with Faber, as well as requesting a route into the UFC. Faber's promise - get to 5-0 and I'll get you a shot.
And so he did. A year after the promise was made, Garbrandt had fulfilled his side of the bargain, ruthlessly knocking out four of his five opponents in the first round. It was here that Garbrandt and Dillashaw would first come into contact, with the latter already six months into his title reign. However, the relationship would quickly sour between Dillashaw and the team, leading to the current ongoing feud. In the lead-up to this weekend, No Love has been very vocal about his previous exploits over Dillashaw in the gym - something that TJ has been quick to dismiss.
Regardless of the outside disputes, few can dispute the impact that Garbrandt has had on the bantamweight division is such a short period of time. Before the back injury that delayed his first title defence, No Love had been among the more active fighters in the UFC, racking up three fights in each of his first two years to take him to the summit.
Having blasted through the perennial gatekeeper Marcus Brimage, Henry Briones and Augusto Mendes, it was in early February 2016 where Garbrandt made his name with the majority of UFC fans. In a battle of the prospects, Garbrandt pitted his unbeaten record against the unblemished sheet of highly rated Brazilian star Thomas Almeida, who had been tipped as a future title-holder himself. Less than three minutes later, it was clear who the real prospect of the division was. Having comprehensively outboxed Almeida in the early stages of the round, No Love landed his now patented hammer of a right, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, and Garbrandt into the rankings.
It would take one move fight to prove his worth of a title opportunity, but having breezed past Takeya Mizugaki in a brisk 48 seconds, No Love was handed a date with Dominick Cruz. Most MMA fans, myself included, felt that this was a step too far for the youngster. He couldn't do it. Cruz was unbeaten as a bantamweight, and in all fights in nearly a decade. How wrong we were.
What we saw on December 30th was the execution of a masterful gameplan by a fighter with no fear or pressure and full of confidence. The footwork and movement was something we had never seen from Garbrandt before, and was reminiscent of Cruz himself - but more effective! Despite the champion's jibes about Cody's intelligence in the lead-up to the fight - something that Dillashaw has again played on pre-UFC 217 - No Love was able to keep his head and thoroughly bamboozle the bantamweight legend, earning a deserved unanimous decision win.
A huge contributor to this success has been 11 year old Maddux Maple, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five. From humble, and often rough, beginnings in Uhrichsville, Ohio, the pair made a pact. If Maddux promised to beat his cancer, Garbrandt would stay out of trouble and make his way into the UFC. Remarkably, both sides have held their ends of the bargain - Maddux's cancer is in remission, and Garbrandt has gone on to be one of the organisation's fastest rising stars.
At 11-0, Garbrandt is being talked about as the next Conor McGregor - but is that fair? Outside of Cruz, he has yet to be fully tested in the upper echelons in the bantamweight division. But perhaps TJ Dillashaw is the litmus test. The division certainly suffers from a lack of legitimate challengers at present, so a win over his greatest rival would solidify Garbrandt's legacy as a true champion at 135.
This is being touted - by both of the fighters involved - as the true main event. Do you agree? And how do you think the fight is going to go? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA to share your thoughts.
The question perhaps most relevant for Garbrandt is 'how do you follow the perfect year?' In terms of fights, No Love has certainly not been as active as 2016, but that is as much due to misfortune, injuries and a lack of legitimate challengers as anything within his control. However, having been thoroughly whitewashed by Dillashaw in an ill-tempered series of The Ultimate Fighter, Cody will be more determined than ever to save his talking for the cage.
This is largely due to the much publicised history between Garbrandt and Dillashaw, which originates before No Love had ever made it to the big leagues. As a youngster, Cody had developed somewhat of an obsession with bantamweight and featherweight pioneer Urijah Faber, and founder of respected gym Team Alpha Male. Despite having just a couple of professional bouts under his belt, Garbrandt was insistent that he wanted to train with Faber, as well as requesting a route into the UFC. Faber's promise - get to 5-0 and I'll get you a shot.
And so he did. A year after the promise was made, Garbrandt had fulfilled his side of the bargain, ruthlessly knocking out four of his five opponents in the first round. It was here that Garbrandt and Dillashaw would first come into contact, with the latter already six months into his title reign. However, the relationship would quickly sour between Dillashaw and the team, leading to the current ongoing feud. In the lead-up to this weekend, No Love has been very vocal about his previous exploits over Dillashaw in the gym - something that TJ has been quick to dismiss.
Regardless of the outside disputes, few can dispute the impact that Garbrandt has had on the bantamweight division is such a short period of time. Before the back injury that delayed his first title defence, No Love had been among the more active fighters in the UFC, racking up three fights in each of his first two years to take him to the summit.
Having blasted through the perennial gatekeeper Marcus Brimage, Henry Briones and Augusto Mendes, it was in early February 2016 where Garbrandt made his name with the majority of UFC fans. In a battle of the prospects, Garbrandt pitted his unbeaten record against the unblemished sheet of highly rated Brazilian star Thomas Almeida, who had been tipped as a future title-holder himself. Less than three minutes later, it was clear who the real prospect of the division was. Having comprehensively outboxed Almeida in the early stages of the round, No Love landed his now patented hammer of a right, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, and Garbrandt into the rankings.
It would take one move fight to prove his worth of a title opportunity, but having breezed past Takeya Mizugaki in a brisk 48 seconds, No Love was handed a date with Dominick Cruz. Most MMA fans, myself included, felt that this was a step too far for the youngster. He couldn't do it. Cruz was unbeaten as a bantamweight, and in all fights in nearly a decade. How wrong we were.
What we saw on December 30th was the execution of a masterful gameplan by a fighter with no fear or pressure and full of confidence. The footwork and movement was something we had never seen from Garbrandt before, and was reminiscent of Cruz himself - but more effective! Despite the champion's jibes about Cody's intelligence in the lead-up to the fight - something that Dillashaw has again played on pre-UFC 217 - No Love was able to keep his head and thoroughly bamboozle the bantamweight legend, earning a deserved unanimous decision win.
A huge contributor to this success has been 11 year old Maddux Maple, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five. From humble, and often rough, beginnings in Uhrichsville, Ohio, the pair made a pact. If Maddux promised to beat his cancer, Garbrandt would stay out of trouble and make his way into the UFC. Remarkably, both sides have held their ends of the bargain - Maddux's cancer is in remission, and Garbrandt has gone on to be one of the organisation's fastest rising stars.
At 11-0, Garbrandt is being talked about as the next Conor McGregor - but is that fair? Outside of Cruz, he has yet to be fully tested in the upper echelons in the bantamweight division. But perhaps TJ Dillashaw is the litmus test. The division certainly suffers from a lack of legitimate challengers at present, so a win over his greatest rival would solidify Garbrandt's legacy as a true champion at 135.
This is being touted - by both of the fighters involved - as the true main event. Do you agree? And how do you think the fight is going to go? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA to share your thoughts.
Wednesday, 1 November 2017
UFC 217: Career Rundown - Rose Namajunas
One of the greatest nicknames is on show this weekend at UFC 217, as 'Thug' Rose Namajunas finally gets her second opportunity to compete for the UFC strawweight belt - and the first on pay-per-view.
For many a casual fan, you could be forgiven for not being overly familiar with the Milwaukee native. Whether by design or misfortune, Namajunas has often slipped under the radar, and given her quality, it is perhaps surprising that it has taken her nearly three years to secure a second shot at UFC gold.
A Taekwondo practitioner from the age of five, Rose began honing her trade early. By nine, she had added in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making the move to Duke Roufus' much vaunted camp at just 16 years old. Having racked up a more than impressive 4-0 amateur MMA record, she was called up to the premier womens' MMA organisation Invicta for her first professional bout.
Perhaps interestingly, despite all of her striking skills, it is her brown belt in BJJ that has been most utilised during her MMA career so far. Five of her six wins have come by way of submission, including significant wins over Paige VanZant and Angela Hill.
Unlike the champion, Namajunas was selected to be a contestant on the UFC's reality series The Ultimate Fighter, as it looked to crown the champion of a new womens' division. Coming in with a record of 2-1, Rose was hardly seen as a strong contender, best illustrated by being picked fourth by coach Gilbert Melendez. It would be Hill, Tecia Torres and Emily Kagan that would be picked ahead of Namajunas - having already beaten Kagan, Rose would go on to beat the other two later in her so far fledgling career.
This low ranking would have little impact on the self-proclaimed 'Thug'. Coming through her qualifying round with a first round submission of Alex Chambers, she would complete further tap out victories over fellow UFC veterans Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos. However, the run would end in the UFC's first strawweight title bout, where Namajunas would suffer a submission defeat of her own to Carla Esparza.
It does surprise me that for all of the contenders for Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Namajunas' name has never really been in the picture, despite her stellar wins both in the Ultimate Fighter and the UFC. She has perhaps been the victim of poor timing, with her initial title defeat preventing her from immediately challenging, while her loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz cost her the opportunity for the shot at UFC 205.
Having been a recognisable name since the inception of the UFC's strawweight division, it's easy to forget that Namajunas is only 25 years old. As a result, UFC 217 will not be the defining moment for her, whether she wins or loses, and she can go into the Octagon in New York City with no pressure on her shoulders. Despite her strong striking background, there can be little doubt that the champion holds a distinct advantage in the stand-up, but take the fight to the ground, and it becomes an entirely different ball game.
Understandably the odds going into the fight are considerably in the champion's favour, but how do you see the fight going? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA.
For many a casual fan, you could be forgiven for not being overly familiar with the Milwaukee native. Whether by design or misfortune, Namajunas has often slipped under the radar, and given her quality, it is perhaps surprising that it has taken her nearly three years to secure a second shot at UFC gold.
A Taekwondo practitioner from the age of five, Rose began honing her trade early. By nine, she had added in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making the move to Duke Roufus' much vaunted camp at just 16 years old. Having racked up a more than impressive 4-0 amateur MMA record, she was called up to the premier womens' MMA organisation Invicta for her first professional bout.
Perhaps interestingly, despite all of her striking skills, it is her brown belt in BJJ that has been most utilised during her MMA career so far. Five of her six wins have come by way of submission, including significant wins over Paige VanZant and Angela Hill.
Unlike the champion, Namajunas was selected to be a contestant on the UFC's reality series The Ultimate Fighter, as it looked to crown the champion of a new womens' division. Coming in with a record of 2-1, Rose was hardly seen as a strong contender, best illustrated by being picked fourth by coach Gilbert Melendez. It would be Hill, Tecia Torres and Emily Kagan that would be picked ahead of Namajunas - having already beaten Kagan, Rose would go on to beat the other two later in her so far fledgling career.
This low ranking would have little impact on the self-proclaimed 'Thug'. Coming through her qualifying round with a first round submission of Alex Chambers, she would complete further tap out victories over fellow UFC veterans Joanne Calderwood and Randa Markos. However, the run would end in the UFC's first strawweight title bout, where Namajunas would suffer a submission defeat of her own to Carla Esparza.
It does surprise me that for all of the contenders for Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Namajunas' name has never really been in the picture, despite her stellar wins both in the Ultimate Fighter and the UFC. She has perhaps been the victim of poor timing, with her initial title defeat preventing her from immediately challenging, while her loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz cost her the opportunity for the shot at UFC 205.
Having been a recognisable name since the inception of the UFC's strawweight division, it's easy to forget that Namajunas is only 25 years old. As a result, UFC 217 will not be the defining moment for her, whether she wins or loses, and she can go into the Octagon in New York City with no pressure on her shoulders. Despite her strong striking background, there can be little doubt that the champion holds a distinct advantage in the stand-up, but take the fight to the ground, and it becomes an entirely different ball game.
Understandably the odds going into the fight are considerably in the champion's favour, but how do you see the fight going? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA.
Monday, 30 October 2017
UFC 217: Career Rundown - Joanna Jedrzejczyk
While it is occasionally seen in boxing, going unbeaten in MMA is practically impossible, thanks largely to the wide variety of styles that can be utilised to win. However, every once in a while, a fighter comes along that displays an aura of invincibility. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is such a fighter.
Born in Olsztyn, Poland, Joanna was comparatively late to the martial arts, picking up Muay Thai kickboxing during her teenage years. However, it became pretty evident that she had natural ability. By the time she was 23, she was already a double world champion in Muay Thai, and a world champion in kickboxing. She would add three further world Muay Thai titles by the time she took up MMA professionally, underlining her striking pedigree.
It's worth putting Joanna's rise in the context of the rapidly growing women's mixed martial arts divisions in the UFC. Thanks largely to the popularity and appeal of Ronda Rousey at bantamweight, Dana White's frosty approach to womens' MMA had thawed, with a series of The Ultimate Fighter designed to create a new strawweight division and name a new champion. While the series came too soon for the Polish striker, it would not take her too long to make her mark.
Her breakthrough moment would come against perhaps her greatest rival to date - the Brazilian Claudia Gadelha. Having come through her UFC debut relatively unscathed against Juliana Lima, the Pole was pushed to the limit in her bout against Gadelha, emerging a narrow victor by split decision. While she has since defended her belt successfully against the Brazilian in a far more dominant performance, this was certainly the fight that gave her the greatest difficulty.
After a challenge, the greatest fighters go back to the drawing board to hone their skills, and Jedrzejczyk certainly did that. Undoubtedly one of the most decorated strikers in the UFC, she has continued to work to ensure that she is applying her experience in Muay Thai and kickboxing to better her MMA striking. And this improvement has been continuous and stark.
Just look at her dissection of Jessica Penne in her first defence. For the length of the fight, she landed crisp, clean combinations, playing with her opponent until she became a bloody mess and had no defence to her striking. However, it is perhaps her striking defence that has become most noticeable in recent bouts. Other than a brief knockdown in her second fight against Gadelha, and a more significant period of pressure against Karolina Kowalkiewicz in her last fight at MSG, her UFC career has been a masterclass of defensive fighting.
Nothing says this more than her most recent title defence against Jessica Andrade at UFC 211. The ex-bantamweight was identified as a vicious power striker with a significant advantage in the strength and grappling stakes. However, when it came to fight night, the champion simply shut that down. Working behind her jab effectively, she outlanded the Brazilian by 230 to 94 - the highest significant strike differential in UFC title history. It's probably worth mentioning that she also holds the rest of the top four, as well as the top two in most significant strikes landed!
Such has been her success in recent years, she enters into UFC 217 looking to tie Ronda Rousey's record of six successive title defences in womens' MMA. As I mentioned earlier, there is that veil of invincibility around Joanna Champion at present, but as we have seen with Rousey, that can be taken away in an instant. In fact, you could argue it's simply a case of when and not if. Look at the greatest martial artists of all time - GSP, Hughes, Liddell, Ortiz, Couture, Silva - all of which looked invincible at some point, but all came a cropper at some point.
As the women's strawweight division continues to gain talent and awareness, the quality of challenger will increase accordingly - but is November 4 the day that unbeaten record goes? Let me know your thoughts on this, and the success of Joanna Champion either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA on Twitter.
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