Alpha Flight: TJ Dillashaw’s Departure Marks the “Elevation” of A Champion over A Team

By Raphael Garcia

Professional athletes change teams very frequently in the world of sports. Joe Montana didn’t end his career as a San Francisco 49er. Allen Iverson played for other teams than Philadelphia. Seeing a big name athlete leave one team for another is just something that happens. However, the story is quite different in the world of mixed martial arts. Fighters are usually extremely loyal to their teams, to the point where members of the same team will rarely fight each other. That is why the news that T.J. Dillashaw is leaving Team Alpha Male for Team Elevation in Colorado is major news. As more details come out, these developments become even more interesting for the fight world.

Brazilian outlet Globo.com made the initial report, which was followed up by Dillashaw’s response on MMA Fighting:

“In regards to my upcoming fight camp, I will be doing my training in Colorado. The last six years at Team Alpha Male have been irreplaceable and my brothers there will forever be family to me. I will be spending my next full training camp with Elevation Fight Team as they’ve offered me an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up, with an incredible coaching staff and state-of-the-art facilities.”

The response from media members is to view this as a positive step for the champion. It’s a smart business move that allows him to develop the training regimen needed in order to remain at the top. This is especially important as he prepares to face Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81 in January. Duane “Bang” Ludwig has played an important part in Dillashaw’s rise to fame — perhaps just as much as Team Alpha Male leader Urijah Faber. Ludwig will now become his main coach, along with additional professionals who will be focused on helping him keep the title around his waist.

Another interesting point that is worth being brought up is the fact that Dillashaw will be paid for his time training at Team Elevation. Dillashaw is quoted by Marc Raimondi in a piece by MMA Fighting talking about the pending payment for training with his new team:

“Now, Elevation Fight Team came to me and they want to pay me some good money to train with them. They’re offering to pay me to train, instead of me paying to train. This sport is growing so much that that’s the way I feel like it should be.“

Only time will tell if this is a move in the right direction. As mentioned, Dillashaw is slated to face a major contender in Cruz in the next few months. Cruz is expected to be the favorite in this bout and is a true threat to Dillashaw’s title reign. However, this story is going to be a major talking point both before and after the contest.

Also factor in the idea of Faber: “The California Kid” is widely considered to be a pound-for-pound contender and future Hall of Famer. Fight fans had better believe that the UFC will leverage this development into the promotion of a potential Dillashaw vs. Faber fight – with or without the title in play. Years ago the men joked about facing each other, and now that is one step closer to occurring.

MMA teams have seen high-profile departures before in the past. Josh Koscheck was once a staunch welterweight contender ranked behind his American Kickboxing Academy teammate Jon Fitch. UFC matchmakers could never get Fitch and Koscheck into the cage against each other. However, Koscheck split with AKA before his title fight against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 124. He tried to build a camp around himself, but that never panned out, as he has lost five of seven fights since. It will be interesting to see if the same fate awaits Dillashaw with this move.

The concept of “team” in mixed martial arts is very different than that seen in other sports. These men and women train together because they need each other to get better. When they step into the cage, however, they are alone with one goal in mind: get the win to earn the biggest prize available to them. T.J. Dillashaw is taking a step that is a smart business move as an individual. Will it be the correct move as a fighter? The first chance to answer that question will come at UFC Fight Night 81.

UFC Fight Night 81