UFC
Renan Barao says T.J. Dillashaw rematch at UFC 177 will be different, vows to get his belt back
Aug 27, 2014 - 3:10:32 PM Renan Barao says T.J. Dillashaw rematch at UFC 177 will be different, vows to get his belt back

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"What happened in that fight for me, I entered inside the Octagon on kind of a low mode and not focused. I got that punch [in the first round] and after that punch, I was fighting on automatic mode, I was not there. This time I'll try to be more focused, more quick, starting on the first second of the fight... I was really sad when I lost my belt. I'm really, really happy and thanking the UFC that I have the opportunity to fight back as soon as possible. I didn't have to wait and once I got that news, I was happy and focused on the fight. Dillashaw did a great job and for sure that was his night. It was for sure not my night. This time will be different. It will be completely different... My main goal is to get back the belt. My belt. To be there as champion and everybody looks at me and says he deserves to be champion. That's my goal."

-Renan Barao talks to FoxSports.com about what went wrong in his first fight with T.J. Dillashaw, and why he thinks things will be different Saturday night at UFC 177.

Penick's Analysis: There could be something to the idea of Barao not taking Dillashaw seriously into the first fight, leading to him getting caught off guard by the first round beat down. From there, he was definitely not himself in the fight, and perhaps that could play out differently on Saturday if he avoids getting clipped. That said, Dillashaw more than proved he's got the speed, power, and technique to hit Barao, and to do it often, which means it could still play out very similar to what we saw in May. It's up to Barao to prove something different. Can he? We'll find out soon enough.