Dunham Credits Striking Coach Sefo for Emotional Victory

Dunham battered “The Ultimate Fighter 13” quarterfinalist Shamar Bailey at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, using superior standup and excellent wrestling defense to confound his opponent en route to a unanimous decision victory.

The win comes following back-to-back losses for Dunham. Previously undefeated with four Octagon wins under his belt, the Oregon native dropped a controversial split decision to Sean Sherk one year ago before he was knocked out by Melvin Guillard in January. Consecutive losses now behind him, Dunham is excited to be back in the win column.

“I feel great. It was a good fight for me. I needed a comeback fight and to get a good win. The last couple of fights were really tough for me mentally,” Dunham said in a UFC.com interview following his victory. “This was a big fight for me. I’m getting married next month, so I needed to keep my career going in the right direction. It was pretty emotional.”

Though Bailey plodded forward through the majority of the contest, it was Dunham who scored most of the effective strikes, continually popping “TUF” alum with one-two combinations. According to Dunham, much of his success in the standup should be attributed to his work with Xtreme Couture striking coach Ray Sefo.

“I was glad I was able to work my hands the way I did,” said Dunham. “That’s all Ray Sefo right there. I started working with him and he’s made my standup a whole lot better. I can’t thank him enough.”

While Dunham found great success with his boxing, especially in the third round, he did not expect the fight to go as it did. As Bailey is known primarily for his wrestling ability and physical strength, the southpaw had prepared for a much different fight than the one which developed.

“Shamar is a really tough dude. I was expecting a wrestling match, to tell you the truth. I had my wrestling shoes on in the gym and I almost had my singlet on. Not quite, but I should have,” said Dunham. “But he came to fight a standup fight, which was great for me because I knew I had him in that [area]. I couldn’t be happier with the fight. And Shamar, my hat is off to him.”

As for the future, Dunham appears to be back on track. Although he had previously mentioned a desire to rematch Guillard, the lightweight declined to make predictions regarding potential upcoming matchups.

“This division is so tough. There are so many incredibly tough guys. I’m just happy to be a part of it,” he said. “I love watching all these 155-pounders at it and try to climb their way to the top, and I would love to be one of them.”