On Saturday night from the “windy city” Chicago, Illinois, T.J. Dillashaw (12-2) successfully defended his bantamweight championship with a rematch against Renan Barao (33-3). Similar to the first fight, T.J. used his angles to tear apart the brazilian. Unlike the first fight, he was able to stop Renan in the fourth round instead of the fifth. Regardless, we can no longer call T.J. a wrestler as the the Alpha Male product has no issues winning on his feet and stopping Barao not once but twice.
Renan started the fight off with some ample footwork of his own and it took a while for T.J. to find his spots. There were a few leg kicks thrown by Renan that landed and took Dillashaw off his feet. T.J. was able to regroup and win the first three rounds, even though the first one could have went either way. By the end of the third he hurt Barao a few times which ultimately lead to a stoppage in the fourth. Clearly T.J. has the Brazilian fighters number and more than likely Renan will have to go and win about three more fights before we see this one entertained again. For T.J. he is in a weird position with the next number one contender Dominick Cruz shelved with an injury. The next fight for T.J. will probably be around the new year, and could possibly be against the last fighter he lost to, Raphael Assunção. Many feel Raphel should have gotten the opportunity earlier but his own injury issues has kept that fight at bay. Regardless, T.J. Dillashaw is the undisputed bantamweight champion and only time will tell who his opponent will be next.
In a fight that many fans knew was a number one contender eliminator between Jessica Eye (11-3) and Miesha Tate (17-5), Cupcake put on an impressive performance. One of the things that immediately stuck out is how Miesha won the striking between the two. The volume was on the side of Eye, who seemed to be in control of the fight early. Miesha was able to drop Jessica with an overhand right that seemed to be there all night. Once she hit the mat, Eye just wasn’t the same fighter. It seemed as if Tate felt no effects from the strikes of Jessica as she waited patiently to find her spot. Tate cruised for the next two rounds, but Jessica slightly regrouped to finish the third strong but didn’t do enough to win. This keeps Miesha in the number one contender spot for the women’s bantamweight division, and unfortunately has both the men and women’s 135 rankings looking the same. We will see if she entertained the fight with Cyborg or waits for the outcome of next weekend. Regardless, it does not look like anyone is taking Cupcake’s spot anytime soon.
Paul Felder (10-1) was game against Edson Barboza (16-3) in a highly technical striking affair. As Joe Rogan explained, this fight was more of a Muay Thai bout with MMA gloves on. Paul took a low blow early in the fight that most men would not recoup from. Paul slowed down during the course of the fight while Barboza seemed to improve each round. The flash and accuracy of the kicks from Edson is what won the fight for him as each fighter gave it their all. It was a tough close loss for Felder, but he will return better than ever. For Edson it would make sense that he is matched up with either Myles Jury or former champ Anthony Pettis next to make some sense of the top-10 in the 155 pound division.
Joe Lauzon (25-10) kicked off the main card with a swift victory over Takanori Gomi (35-11). Most experts assumed Joe would win if the fight went to the ground and one mistake allowed that to happen. A jab by Joe kept Takanori at bay and never allowed him to get started. A quick level change by Lauzon allowed him to shoot for a takedown that Gomi could not escape from. Joe held onto the ankle and transitioned from a potential leg lock to quickly grab the back of Takanori and ride him for a ground and pound. With Joe it’s all about finishing fights, and for the Japanese legend one will wonder how much longer he will go in the sport.
Up next for the UFC, is UFC 190 Rousey - Correia from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on August 1st.
The full results from UFC on Fox 16 are listed below.
Main Card:
T.J. Dillashaw def. Renan Barao via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 0:35
Miesha Tate def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Edson Barboza def. Paul Felder via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Takanori Gomi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:37
Prelims:
Tom Lawlor def. Gian Villante via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:27
Jim Miller def. Danny Castillo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Ben Saunders def. Kenny Robertson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bryan Caraway def. Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
James Krause def. Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:27
Andrew Holbrook def. Ramsey Nijem via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Elizabeth Phillips def. Jessamyn Duke via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Zak Cummings def. Dominique Steele via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:43