T.J. Dillashaw and Raphael Assuncao first met on October 9, 2013, when the Brazilian scored a split-decision victory in a closely contested battle. Fast forward less than three years to UFC 200, and the rematch went to Dillashaw, who swept the judges' scorecards on Saturday.
All three rounds were close, but they went to Dillashaw, who capitalized on higher output to move past Assuncao.
In the first round, Dillashaw experienced varying success with his strikes. Assuncao was able to dodge a lot of the strikes, but Dillashaw's high work rate allowed him to secure an edge. Both men showed solid takedown defense.
It was more of the same in the second round, but Dillashaw landed a bit more cleanly. He countered a leg kick with a straight right that landed flush. It was one of the first clean punches to connect during the bout. Assuncao scored with some left hands of his own and even scored a quick takedown.
Nevertheless, Dillashaw's output was the difference.
The third and final round was the most decisive of the fight. Dillashaw landed a few clean punches and scored a takedown with less than 45 seconds left. Assuncao was never in danger of being finished, but he was also never a threat to the former champion.
The numbers from Michael Carroll of FightMetric show how the activity paid off for Dillashaw:
Official: Dillashaw connected with 64 significant strikes tonight. Assuncao had never absorbed more than 39 in a UFC/WEC fight. #UFC200
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) July 10, 2016
The result will be a significant setback for Assuncao. While he was never out of his depth against Dillashaw, he didn't excite or look dangerous with his skills. Dillashaw’s movement made him ineffective.
This loss ruins everything for Assuncao. His case for a title shot was long winning streak + win over TJ. Not anymore.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) July 10, 2016
After this win, Dillashaw should earn a rematch with Dominick Cruz. Dillashaw is, without debate or question, the top contender in the bantamweight division. Given how exciting and close the first fight was in January, it would be senseless not to book the rematch.
Dominick Cruz vs. TJ Dillashaw 2 now please#UFC200
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 10, 2016
Did @TJDillashaw just earn himself a chance at Cruz? #UFC200 pic.twitter.com/8LGbjucsDW
— #UFC200 (@ufc) July 10, 2016
Dillashaw asserted his place as the rightful title contender, and now fight fans can anticipate a stellar rematch for the bantamweight gold.
