Renan Barao: T.J. Dillashaw Is ‘Too Cocky’

When UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) took the 135-pound strap away from Renan Barao (33-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in May of last year, it was considered among the biggest upsets in UFC history. When betting lines opened last month, however, Dillashaw was a favourite with many bookmakers. So, what happened in the last ten months?

For Barao’s part, he was unable to participate in the pair’s scheduled rematch at UFC 177 in August when he was hospitalised ahead of the bout due to complications surrounding his weight cut. He went on to defeat Mitch Gagnon in December but did not look particularly impressive in victory. Dillashaw meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength, adding another victory to his resume, and seemingly growing in confidence with each passing day.

In a nutshell, Dillashaw has blossomed while Barao has drifted into the background. Now, ahead of their rematch next month, people seem more interested in discussing a theoretical bout between Dillashaw and 125-pound champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson than the scheduled fight with Barao.

So, how does Barao feel about all this?

“It’s a lot of nonsense,” Barao told MMAjunkie. “He’s boasting a lot about himself and this is not going to be good for him in the fight. He’s way too cocky. He just got the belt. He thinks he’s already defended the belt against me and he’s speaking about fighting other people. He’ll see what happens. Just wait.”

The former champion’s descent from someone UFC president Dana White once described as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, to an underdog who people are overlooking in favour of inter-divisional concept match-ups, does not sit well with him. He is clearly irked by the fact that he feels he is being discounted but remains focused on the fight ahead and is grateful for the opportunity to regain the title.

“The objective is to get back the belt and that was the first step,” Barao said. “I’m very happy about that and I was very happy to have the opportunity to fight for the championship again.”

Despite entering the fight as a heavy favourite, Barao was dominated from start to finish by Dillashaw last year. He got rocked in the first round and never recovered, losing every subsequent round, and getting knocked out in the fifth. So what does “The Baron” intend doing differently this time?

“We are doing a lot of excellent work on foot movement and head movement,” Barao said. “This is a very important thing. The objective is to fight with every piece of my skill and use all the possibilities to move forward.

“I learned a lot (from the first fight). We have studied a lot with my team in all the fields of fighting. I’ve been training very hard for this fight. It’s a very different situation now.”

Before losing to Dillashaw, Barao held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history, recording 33 straight fights without a loss over a nine-year period. Winning had become habit. Being champion had become natural. Now, “The Baron” describes the idea of being the champion again as “a dream”.

Barao will have the opportunity to make that dream a reality next month when he enters the cage opposite Dillashaw at UFC 186 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.