Behold TJ Dillashaw , the true alpha male on a team of betas. Okay, so that's not entirely true, the rest of Team Alpha Male are all excellent fighters in their own right.
But after UFC 173, one would have to assume Dillashaw could be labeled as the best Team Alpha Male fighter ever.
Now before you scroll down to the bottom to light up the comments section about how Urijah Faber built the featherweight division or was king of the WEC for years, just hear me out.
I'll start this off with a bit of compromise with the Faber fans; Faber's time in the WEC is one of the most dominant runs in MMA history. Faber went 21-1 en route to help building the featherweight division to relevancy and virtually carrying the WEC brand on his back.
There's also his time in the UFC to consider as well. Faber has been the best fighter outside of the champion in the bantamweight division during his time in the UFC. If your name isn't Dominick Cruz, it goes without saying that you're not going to win against Faber.
Yet, for all his accomplishments, the one thing that has eluded "The California Kid" is a UFC title. It's a sentiment shared by many of his teammates as Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez have both fallen short in their previous title bids.
It's not a feeling currently shared by Dillashaw, however.
That's because Dillashaw did the impossible at UFC 173 by taking out the seemingly invincible Renan Barao. Dillashaw capped off a great performance by finishing Barao in the fifth round of their UFC 173 headlining bout.
Dillashaw didn't lose a round the entire fight.
With the win, Dillashaw eclipsed the accomplishments made by his Team Alpha Male counterparts. For all the good Faber did while in the WEC, nobody remembers who wins the AFC/NFC Championship titles each year. It's all about the Super Bowl.
And for Dillashaw, he has that equivalent to a Super Bowl ring.
He's also entering the prime of his career at just 28 years of age. His improvements since Duane Ludwig began coaching him have not only shown in terms of wins, it's shown in his performances as Dillashaw has looked better each time out.
Dillashaw has that signature win now that he's defeated Barao and has the UFC gold to validate his status as the best of the bantamweight division. He's also validated his status as the top fighter at Team Alpha Male.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1ow5wpJ
via IFTTT May 25, 2014 at 08:16AM
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