T.J. Dillashaw Thinks The Pressure Is All On Renan Barao Heading Into Their Rematch
UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw hopes to cement himself as the best 135 pound fighter on the planet this weekend (August 30, 2014) when he faces off against former champion Renan Barao in the main event of UFC 177.
The bout is a rematch of their first clash at UFC 173, which was just over three months ago, where Dillashaw caused one of the biggest upsets in UFC history by handing the Brazilian his first loss in over nine years. In their first meeting “The Viper” battered Barao for four-straight rounds before finishing him off in the fifth with a brutal flurry.
In a recent interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, Dillashaw revealed that he thinks the rematch was booked too soon:
“For me, yes. For them; no I don’t.” Dillashaw said. “ I don’t think it’s a smart move, not only do I think he’s not had enough time to recover but like you said, when I beat him he’s going to take the long road back. It’s a tough situation to put yourself in. I think it’s a lot of pressure for him.
Everyone keeps asking me about all the pressure on myself but I don’t feel like there is any pressure.”
Check out the full interview with Dillashaw below courtesy of MMAFighting’s official Youtube page and stay tuned to LowKick for more updates on UFC 177:
