I know its the done thing to slaughter a fighter after they lose, but has anyone ever really thought Barao was all that? Ive never seen any great technique or speed everytime ive watched him. He does have that killer instinct I will say that but I never felt he was ever a truly outstanding fighter. TJ just done what Dominic Cruz would've done to Barao had they met.
Almost everybody did including myself, thats why he was ranked #3 in the world p4p, and many people thought he was #2 or #1. (I thought he was #2, basically tied behind Jones) If you want to talk shit about Barao sucking now, please post a link to your previous posts saying he was overrated before the TJ fight please. To be fair, I did see a few, but mostly it was Barao nut huggers like myself.
No great technique? The guy may have the best spinning back-kick in all of MMA. Dominic Cruz was out for like 2 years when he was scheduled to return and fight Barao. Who was to say that he could have returned and just annihilate Barao the way Dillishaw did?
That fight was all about how good TJ is not about how overrated Barao is. Barao is a stud but TJ just flat outworked him.
TJ shows power Cruz doesnt have. Cruz I think would have the wrestling edge on Dillashaw. Barao I think got caught up in his own hype and overlooked TJ like most people did. He didnt throw leg kicks he just came in head hunting. I'm pretty sure Tylor hit more leg kicks than Barao did. After Renan got caught in round one it was only survival mode he never recovered. Im sure Jose and Mendes are both going hard today.
....nahhh, not even close... he's quick with it but doesn't really set it up well and only throws it with one leg. his back kick on wineland was more like a spinning push kick, eddie wasn't even hurt by it there are better back kicks from barboza uriah hall siver cruickshank etc. even JDS set up his back kick KO of mark hunt better and that one was basically in slow mo
Undefeated for 9 years, faced the best in the BW division and made it look easy. Lose once and apparently you're overrated and never that good.
I kinda see what you're saying but also disagree a little. Barao's striking is far from perfect but he does have some reliable tools in his arsenal. His jab for one is quicker and sharper than most in MMA and his leg kicks are obviously killer. His problem as I see it is when he gets into exchanges and starts swinging wildly he starts looking real amateurish real fast. His hooks loop reallllllll wide and he drops his non-punching hands very low when he gets into that mode. Also, to say that TJ basically did what Cruz would've done is undermining both their skillsets. True, TJ played the in/out game and stayed light on his feet, switching his footwork constantly in the same way that Cruz does, but he also planted for power punches when he had the opportunity, which Cruz rarely does as he is constantly taking and attacking from unorthodox angles. All are obviously world class fighters, but all their flaws and perfection, differences and similarities just go to show that this sport is still evolving
Vitor's got the power but if you watch his technique its a little shoddy. When you're juiced like Vitor though, technique comes second to simply making contact with a body part
Apparently Barao sucks now that he lost.... Dillashaw was the right kind of animal for Barao and looked better than ever. His speed, technique, movement were all on point. I was very impressed and stunned. But, performances and upsets like that is what makes MMA so great. I like when MMA Odds take a seat once in awhile...
That punch TJ floored him with in the first coupled with Barao's weight cut were what took him out of the fight. Not taking anything away from Dillashaw, he dominated and left no doubt who the better man was last night. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Barao at FW when he comes back though. I was shocked that he looked so sluggish out there and just couldn't seem to recover from that first round.
