The main event of UFC 173 will feature Renan Barao, current UFC bantamweight champion, against TJ Dillashaw of Team Alpha Male, in a report by MMA Kanvas.
Team Alpha Male is comprised of formidable fighters like Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez. In 2004, Urijah Faber started the gym and it has continually grown through the years by acquiring new talent. Dillashaw joined in 2009. Team Alpha Male was awarded "Gym of the Year" in 2013 as well as garnering a couple of WEC championships.
A battle between Faber and Barao happened before for the UFC crown, but Barao won by a controversial first round stoppage. Faber is an ex-WEC featherweight champion.
If 28-year-old Dillashaw takes the title away from Barao, he will become the first UFC champion from Team Alpha Male. However, he has to use a variety of techniques to overcome the highly favored Barao. Currently, Dillashaw is less preferred six-to-one among bookmakers. Faber's mentorship will be the key to his success.
According to Dillashaw, he has thoroughly studed the stand-up moves of Barao. Barao is known to be a powerful striker. He knocked out Eddie Wineland at UFC 165 with a spinning back-kick.
Dillashaw said of Barao's fighting style, "For Faber's second fight with him, I actually played the part of Barao in sparring, so I had to mimic the way he fights in our sparring sessions." Also, Dillashaw's wrestling skills can also provide him the advantage to ground and pound. However, the Brazilian champion is also highly skilled in grappling. It is very likely that Barao may try to win by submission, considering how 14 of his victories were by submission.
UFC 173 will happen in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25. Experts predict that it will be difficult for Dillashaw to defeat Barao, even with the guidance of Faber. Faber has twice already been beaten by Barao. Dillashaw will be forced to play defense to avoid Barao's powerful stand-up game as well as keep himself from submitting on the mat. Other experts speculate that Barao will win in the first three rounds of the fight, writes SB Nation.