The Ultimate Fighter might be interesting this season…
The Ultimate Fighter isn’t always the most exciting MMA product on television. In recent years the reality show/tournament has become quite miss-able. This season may turn out to be a little different however, as the Team Alpha Male and Team Elevation rivalry begins to really heat up.
Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is coaching opposite his one-time teammate TJ Dillashaw. The two will meet for the bantamweight championship sometime after the show finishes airing.
TJ Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male Rivalry
The rivalry brewing between Garbrandt and Dillashaw is actually an extension of a rivalry that exists between Urijah Faber and Duane Ludwig.
Ludwig, and his Muay Thai training system, was formerly a top coach at Team Alpha Male, but things soured in 2014. When Ludwig left that year to form his own team in Colorado, Faber called his leaving a “breath of fresh air”.
What Faber was probably less thrilled with was that the then bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw, was going with him.
Cody Garbrandt = Urijah’s Protege
What has emerged in the bantamweight division is a team rivalry. Faber and Team Alpha Male’s top bantamweight against Ludwig and Elevation’s top bantamweight. This rivalry has little to do with Garbrandt and Dillashaw by themselves.
25 year old Cody Garbrandt is 11W-0L, 6-0 in the UFC. His rise as a top bantamweight has been quick and impactful. Garbrandt’s convincing victory over the once-dominate Dominick Cruz really solidified that the division is entering a new era.
Garbrandt Attacks Dillashaw While Filming TUF
Amongst other jabs the two have taken at each other recently, are claims from Garbrandt that he once KO’d Dillashaw while the two were training together at Team Alpha Male. Cody has even implied a video tape of the incident exists, and he might release it to the public.
Garbrandt has also called Dillashaw a “fake champion”. TJ has claimed the champion was ducking him when he lobbyed for Cruz to get an immediate rematch. A screenshot from a TUF promotional video seems to show that the rivalry between the two got physical on-set, long before they are set to battle in the cage.
Needless to say, this upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter should provide a bit more entertainment than previous versions. TUF25 began filming in January, the first episode will air on April 19th 2017.
