Dillashaw credits Cruz as inspiriation for win
TJ Dillashaw a great striking arsenal and amazing footwork to keep the champ guessing, something he credited to be inspired by former champion Dominick Cruz.
TJ Dillashaw put on the performance of his life at UFC 173, dominating champion Renan Baroa to take the UFC bantamweight title. Dillashaw a great striking arsenal and amazing footwork to keep the champ guessing, something he credited to be inspired by former champion Dominick Cruz:
I tried telling Urijah [Faber] when I was cornering him the first time he fought Barao that he needed Dominick Cruz footwork to beat the champ, Dillashaw revealed on UFC Tonight. I thought that Cruz could beat Renan Barao if they were to fight. It’d be a tough fight, but if he was going to beat him, it was going to be because of his footwork.
So by telling Urijah what I wanted him to do, I just kind of copycatted it and used that movement and that footwork to get out of the way and create my angles to keep myself elusive.