There’s no word yet on exactly why T.J. Dillashaw is leaving Team Alpha Male, but it’s pretty easy to speculate what some of the motivations behind the change might be. Most notably, the ongoing war of words between Duane Ludwig and Urijah Faber have become something of an ugly stain on conversations surround the current men’s UFC bantamweight champion. Faber went as far as to suggest that the relationship between Ludwig and Dillashaw has been strained at times, due to Ludwig “bleeding” the champ of money over private training sessions.
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If there’s any truth in those allegations, it doesn’t appear that they’re forefront in Dillashaw’s decision making at the moment, as MMAFighting confirmed a report from Combate, that the champ had upped stakes and headed off to Colorado to make Elevation Fight Team his new home.
“In regards to my upcoming fight camp, I will be doing my training in Colorado.” Dillashaw told MMAFighting. “The last six years at Team Alpha Male have been irreplaceable and my brothers there will forever be family to me. I thank each and every one of them for helping me along the way and being a part of this journey we’ve shared. This is not the end of being a part of the Team Alpha Male family, but a new chapter in my career.
“I will be spending my next full training camp with Team Elevation as they’ve offered me an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, with an incredible coaching staff and state of the art facilities.”
“I want to thank everyone for the continued support as this has not been a decision I’ve taken lightly.”
Formed back in 2013, around Nate Marquardt, Cat Zingano, and Brandon Thatch, Elevation fight team is headed by Leister Bowling. The team trains out of the Muscle Pharm Sports and Science Center in Denver, Colorado with a focus on targeted camps for individual athletes. It was built around a specific credo of avoiding gym politics and the problems that athletes can encounter when their career becomes tied to the gym’s “brand.” So, maybe just the right fit for Dillashaw right now.
Reportedly, Duane Ludwig is not going to be a part of Dillashaw’s new day-to-day camp, but the champion will still be training with him regularly, especially since Ludwig lives in the area. Dillashaw is getting ready to take on Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night Boston, on January 17th.
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