Fighter Profile: T.J. Dillishaw

With an impressive 12-4 record T.J. Dillishaw has been to the pinnacle to the pit in terms of MMA and has climbed to the cusp of the top again and many think Dillishaw should get the next title shot in the UFC Bantamweight Division. He definitely has an amazing redemption story and I’m glad he is back fighting in the UFC beating top level competition like Cory Sandhagen.

Dillashaw was born February 7, 1986 in Sonora, California. Dillishaw would grow up in Angels Camp, CA where he’d attend Bret Harte High School. While in High School Dillashaw would wrestle under Coach Jan Schulz. He was a standout in wrestling with a record of 170–33. He’d go on to wrestle in College at Cal State Fullerton. After college Dillishaw turned his focus towards MMA. He’d start striking and training Jiu Jitsu to add to his wrestling he’d achieve a Black belt in Bang Muay Thai under Duane Ludwig and a Purple Belt in Jiu Jitsu under Philipe “Furão” Della Monica

Dillishaw would make his professional debut against Czar Sklavos winning the bout by Unanimous Decision. He would then face off against Brandon Drucker in May of 2010 winning the bout by Submission (rear-naked choke.) Mike Suarez would be next for Dillishaw he’d win the bout again by rear-naked choke. Taylor McCorriston would be next for young Dillishaw winning the bout by TKO (punches.) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller would be next for Dillishaw on the show he secured three victories, but ultimately lost to John Dodson in the finale.

Dillishaw’s Next fight would be against Walel Watson in Febuary of 2012 he’d win the bout via Unanimous Decision. He’d then get his first Submission victory against Vaughn Lee winning by a Neck Crank. He’d then get back to back Knockout victories against Issei Tamura and Hugo Viana. Raphael Assunção would be next for Dillishaw in October of 2013, unfortunately for Dillishaw he lost the tough Split Decision. He’d then fight Mike Easton in January of 2014 winning the three round bout by Unanimous Decision.

Dillishaw would win the UFC Bantamweight title in his next bout when he faced off against Renan Barão at UFC 173 in May of 2014. He’d defend the belt twice the first successful title defense was against Joe Soto at UFC 177 his second successful defense was a rematch against Renan Barão. He’d then lose his belt to Dominick Cruz losing on the judges scorecard in a Split Decision. Dillishaw would win his next two fights against Raphael Assunção and John Lineker.

Dillishaw would then face Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 for the UFC Bantamweight title he’d win the bout and the belt and would face Garbrandt again in his next outing securing his title defense. Dillishaw would then make his Flyweight debut against Henry Cejudo For the UFC Flyweight Championship he’d lose the fight by TKO. Dillashaw would get popped though as he tested positive in pre and post-fight drug screening for erythropoietin. Cory Sandhagen would be his comeback fight on July 24, 2021 Dillishaw would win the five round contest by Split Decision

What’s Next For Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera?

Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera and Massachusetts native Rob Font Gave UFC fans an amazing performance on Saturday when they faced off against each other in the UFC Octagon. We think that there are some clear fights that make sense for Vera. One fight I think makes a lot of Sense is a bout with Cory Sandhagen. Another matchup that makes sense for Chito is with Russian Striking ace Petr Yan would also make sense as Yan. A matchup I think the fans would love to see would be a rematch between Vera and Jose Aldo. The Bantamweight Division is full of interesting matchups.

Sandhagen Is coming off a loss to Petr Yan for the interim UFC Bantamweight Championship at UFC 267 which won him Fight of the Night honors. Sandhagen is a striker but also holds a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I think this matchup makes sense for Chito as he’d be able to bring it to the ground and hopefully get a submission as he is a grappler and 8 of his 19 mins have come from his submission game.

Petr Yan is a very good matchup for Vera. Yan looked very uncomfortable on the ground in his rematch Championship bout against current Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling. Chito holds the advantage in the grappling department, but on the feet Yan could make things interesting, all MMA fights start on the feet. Seven of Yans victories come by way of Knockout making this one of those striker vs. grappler matchups that the UFC loves to make, it’s one of the most entertaining fights I think makes sense.

Two fights that I think fans would like to see, and matchups that Vera has called for. One is a rematch with former Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo. The other is with former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Aldo is an interesting matchup for Vera as they both have already met in the Octagon so they know each other well. Both have amazing submission skills so this may actually stay on the feet. The matchup with Dominick Cruz actually makes more sense for Vera in my opinion, Vera has a huge advantage on the ground with years of grappling experience.

It’ll be interesting to see what is next for Vera. We think he is climbing his way to the top of this stacked division.

Interview: UFC Bantamweight Kris Moutinho

Kris Moutinho returns after Sean O'Malley battle, faces Aaron Phillips in second UFC assignment on Oct. 23 - MMA Fighting

Yesterday I sat down with UFC Bantamweight Kris Moutinho. Check it out here! We talk about his Debut in Las Vegas at UFC 264, his next fight at the UFC Apex, and being From Massachusetts and how it breeds tough guys. Moutinho is one of the nicest people ever and his relaxed vibe would surprise you that he’s a cage fighter. We wish Moutinho luck when he faces off against Guido Cannetti.

What’s Next For Cody Garbrandt?

Cody Garbrandt is a fan favorite, but Garbrandt fans may have come to realize that maybe Garbrandt’s best days are behind him. The former Bantamweight Champion has a rough decision ahead of him, he has now lost five of his last six contests and just doesn’t look right and the move down to Flyweight definitely did Garbrandt no favors. Now I’m not Dana White and I certainly don’t think that I know everything that goes into the decision whether or not to keep a fighter on the UFC Roster. I think we need to look at how we got here in the first place.

Garbrandt made his UFC debut at UFC 182 Jones vs. Cormier against Marcus Brimage in 2015. From this point Garbrandt would keep winning, and eventually would earn a title shot against Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. Garbrandt would beat Cruz and win the UFC Bantamweight Championship.Garbrandt would then lose the belt to T.J. Dillashaw in his next fight marking the first loss of Garbrandt’s career. Garbrandt would lose the immediate rematch at UFC 217.

After losing to Dillashaw twice he faced Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235. Garbrandt would lose by KO (Punches.) He’d then go on to face Raphael Assunção he’d win by KO and win Performance of the Night. His woes were temporarily over but would return. He’d face Rob Font next, and would lose by unanimous decision. His rough patch would continue on Saturday night when he’d drop down to Flyweight. He looked unhealthy at 125 pounds at the weigh in and rumors are his weight cut was really tough but he hired a good chef to make him his meals and did the weight cut healthily but it was not successful as he lost to Kai Kara-France by TKO (Punches.)

Garbrandt is a fan favorite, but I think it’s time for him to take a step back and evaluate his career. It’s hard for anyone let alone himself to admit it, but it seems like time has caught up to him and his chin hasn’t kept up to the demands of being an MMA fighter. Maybe it’s time for him to fight in a smaller promotion like Bellator or PFL. Or maybe for Garbrandt its time to fight someone that’s unranked in the UFC, but honestly it might be time to hang up the gloves.

FIGHTER PROFILE: ROB FONT

UFC news: USADA clears Rob Font after investigation into cosmetics — Photo credit Zuffa LLC

Rob Font is the fourth ranked Bantamweight in the UFC and he will make his return to the UFC Octagon on Saturday December fourth when he’ll face Featherweight G.O.A.T. Jose Aldo who has moved down to Bantamweight. Font, who’s been with the promotion since 2014 has been on a four fight win streak and he hopes to add another W to the win column when he faces off against Aldo on Saturday. The former CES Featherweight Champion will have his work cut out for him.

Font was born Robert Spencer Font on June 25, 1987 in Leominster, MA. Font is of Puerto Rican descent and is one of three children. Font was raised by his mother who was his biggest motivator Font started training MMA in 2009 to get in shape. From there he was having so much fun that he decided to compete in the sport. He started fighting amatuer bouts at this time. His first amateur fight was against Nate Oses at Cage Titans 3 – Mayhem. Unfortunately for Font it was a loss, but he had caught the bug and decided to keep fighting. He’d win his next three bouts and would finish his amateur fighting career 3-1.

Font would make his professional debut in December 2011 his fourth fight that year. His opponent would be Matt Tuthill and it would be for the Premier FC promotion. Font would win by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke.) Font’s next outing for the promotion wouldn’t be as successful as he’d lose to Desmond Green by Unanimous Decision. Font’s next fight would be against Thane Stimson, Font would win by KO (punch.) This would be Font’s first win by Knockout.

Font would go on to win his next four fights earning him a title shot in the CES MMA promotion. He’d win the title against Chris Foster by TKO (punches.) Font would defend that title one time, but would catch the attention of UFC brass who signed Font in 2014. Font would make his UFC debut at UFC 175 against George Roop. Font would win by KO (punches) this would be Font’s first fight at Bantamweight, where he remained for the next seven years. In those 7 years in the UFC Font has compiled wins against names like current Bellator Champion Sergio Pettis and former UFC Champion Cody Garbrandt.

We hope that Font is close to a title shot with a win on Saturday. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt will have his work cut out for him!

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FIGHTER PROFILE: HOLLY HOLM

Holly Holm is one of MMA’s biggest stars who’s faced some of the biggest names in the sport. Holm who started off as a boxer and transitioned to MMA has produced some of the sports wildest moments including an upset victory against Ronda Rousey. Holm is always training and even at forty is producing some great fights and is second in the UFC Women’s Bantamweight division, an impressive feat for any athlete especially in a sport whose athletes have a short shelf life.

Holm was born on October 17, 1981 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her father is a Church of Christ preacher and her mother is a massage therapist. Her parents divorced when Holm was in High School. Holm always was an athlete; she competed in gymnastics, swimming and diving. Holm also played soccer when she was younger. When Holm was 16 she was taking an aerobics class and her cardio kickboxing teacher Mike Winkeljohn noticed her abilities and encouraged her to train, which Holm did and was a natural.

Holm would win the International Rules Adult Women’s Welterweight Division championship at the International Kickboxing Federation (IKF) USA National Amateur Championship Tournament. Holm would finish her amateur kickboxing record career with a 6–0–2 record. Holm would then go on to start a professional boxing career. Holm held several boxing world titles and is considered to be one of the best female boxers of all time. Holm finished her boxing career in 2013 while fighting MMA at the same time.

Holm started her MMA career in 2011 when she beat Christina Domke by TKO (leg kicks.) for the Fresquez Productions promotion which was owned by her Boxing Promoter, Lenny Fresquez. From there Holm Would move on to Bellator and then Legacy FC before signing with The UFC. Her first fight in the UFC would be against Raquel Pennington, Holm would win via a split decision. From there she’d face Marion Reneau in July of 2015 she’d win by unanimous decision. Holm would then go on to face Ronda Rousey for the Bantamweight title she’d win by KO (head kick and punches.) In her next fight she’d lose the title to Miesha Tate.

Since losing her title Holm has gone on to face some of the toughest names in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions including tough loses to Cris Cyborg, Amanda Nunes, and Valentina Schevchenko. She is a great fighter and is currently ranked second in the Bantamweight division and sixth in the women’s pound-for-pound rankings and is riding a two fight win streak with victories against Raquel Pennington and Irene Aldana.

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FIGHTER PROFILE CODY ‘NO LOVE’ GARBRANDT

UFC 269 is right around the corner and fighting on this loaded card is Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt is currently ranked in the seventh in the UFC Bantamweight division and will be facing Kai Kara-France. It should be a great fight and hopefully Garbrandt, a fan favorite will pull through with a W as he has lost four of his last five.

Garbrandt was born in Uhrichsville, Ohio on July 7, 1991. Garbrandt is ten months younger than his brother and was raised by his mother as his parents were separated due to domestic violence. His father was not very present in Garbrandt’s life and was in and out of jail straining their relationship even further.

Garbrandt’s uncle was a boxer and introduced Garbrandt to the sport at a young age, but his mother was concerned about the effects of the sport. Thus Garbrandt was introduced to Wrestling and would compete in the sport at Claymont High School where he would win a state championship his freshman year and would come in second the following year. He would gain a love for fighting and would start training in boxing with his mother’s eventual support. Garbrandt would eventually have an amazing amatuer boxing career compiling an undefeated record of 32–0.

Garbrandt would start MMA in 2009 when he started training. He took a fight and made his amature debut in July of that year. It would unfortunately be a loss for Garbrandt, but he was not deterred and would keep fighting, winning his next four fights. Garbrandt finished his amatuer MMA career with a record of 4-2.

Garbrandt would start his professional MMA career in December of 2012. He’d face Charles Kessinger and win by TKO (Punches.) He’d win his next four fights for various promotions before he made his UFC debut at UFC 182 Jones vs. Cormier against Marcus Brimage in 2015. From this point Garbrandt would keep winning, and eventually would earn a title shot against Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. Garbrandt would beat Cruz and win the UFC Bantamweight Championship.Garbrandt would then lose the belt to T.J. Dillashaw in his next fight marking the first loss of Garbrandt’s career. Garbrandt would lose the immediate rematch at UFC 217.

Garbrandt has lost two of his last three fights, but is still a fan favorite and will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 269. Hopefully He brings home the much needed W.

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