When Renan Barao faced T.J. Dillashaw in the UFC 173 main event, it was expected to be another blowout win for the reigning bantamweight champion. Barao came into the bout on the heels of a TKO win over Urijah Faber, which extended his unbeaten streak to 33 straight bouts. Dillashaw wasn’t really supposed to fight Barao, as he was set to fight Takeya Mizugaki while Barao would fight Raphael Assuncao. But with Assuncao injured, Dillashaw got the call-up in the new main event after Chris Weidman/Lyoto Machida was pushed to UFC 175.
Betting odds had Barao as high as a -1215 favorite, with Dillashaw available at +765. Barao looked like one of the top P4P fighters in the world, while Dillashaw was just an up-and-coming fighter who wouldn’t quite be ready to face someone of Barao’s caliber.
This was incorrect thinking.
In the 1st round, Dillashaw showed great footwork and crisp striking, and with 1 minute left in the opener, a hard right hand decked Barao. Renan survived that, but Dillashaw kept pounding away and even went for a choke to seal it. He didn’t get it and the round ended with Barao clearly and badly hurt. It was wall-to-wall domination from then on, with Dillashaw soundly outstriking the Brazilian and showing off his vast improvement under the training of Duane Ludwig. After a few more rounds of punishment , Dillashaw emphatically vanquished the champion with a head kick, followed by more punches, a left hand that put Barao down, and then ground-and-pound to force the stoppage. It will stand the test of time as one of the great performances ever put together by such a heavy underdog.
You can watch the full video of this mauling at the top of the page by pressing the play button.
This is Tim Burke’s play-by-play of rounds 1 and 5:
Round 1 – Dillashaw with a leg kick. And another, after he missed with an uppercut. He missed with a variety of other things but scored with an uppercut the second time. Body kick from Barao, and a leg kick. Straight left and uppercut from Dillashaw. Counter straight right scored for Barao. Straight right from Dillashaw. The Team Alpha Male fighter looked very good over the first four minutes. Two leg kicks from Barao. Overhand right drops Barao! Dillashaw pounding away! Barao recovered and went for a leg lock. Dillashaw got out and pounded away! He took Barao’s back and tried to sink a choke. No hooks though and Barao got back to his feet. The horn saved Barao. He looks pretty alert as he gets up though. 10-9 Dillashaw.
[..]
Round 5 – Barao obviously needs a finish. Leg kicks from Dillashaw. Left hook to the chest from Barao. Right hook and left head kick from Dillashaw. Step-in jab and head kick! Straight left and Barao is down! Dillashaw pounded out! We have a new champion!
T.J. Dillashaw defeats Renan Barao by TKO (punches), 2:26 of round 5
Here’s how the Bloody Elbow community reacted to Dillashaw’s 1st round knockdown.
And then the finish.
Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao by 4th round TKO last year in yet another sublime performance. He will defend his belt vs. Dominick Cruz next Sunday in the UFC Boston main event, while Barao is likely moving up to featherweight.