Sherdog.com’s 2014 Beatdown of the Year

4. T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao
UFC 173
May 24 | Las Vegas

Sometimes the severity of a beatdown is amplified by the circumstances of the fight. To be sure, Dillashaw’s thrashing of Barao at UFC 173 likely would have earned a spot on this year-end list regardless of the particulars surrounding it. However, the fact that Dillashaw did what he did as a 7-to-1 underdog against a reigning champion who had not known defeat for 9 years made the beating all the more impressive.

A developing bantamweight prospect at the time, former “Ultimate Fighter” runner-up Dillashaw was viewed by many MMA fans and pundits as a challenger too raw and inexperienced for Barao, a veteran with three times the experience. Even when the Team Alpha Male fighter scored his first shocking knockdown of the fight -- an overhand right which felled Barao like a tree with 63 seconds left in round one -- it was hard to be fully convinced of the fight’s narrative. Barao had overcome scary situations in title bouts before, and Dillashaw would not have been the first contender to start strong and then be overtaken by a veteran champ.

The knockdown, it turned out, was no fluke. Over the course of the next 17 and a half minutes, Dillashaw used his Duane Ludwig-honed standup to outstrike Barao in every round. Straight right hands repeatedly snapped back the champion’s head while Dillashaw cut angles and evaded the majority of Barao’s return fire. Leg kicks and body blows also figured into the Californian’s diverse striking arsenal, his rapid-fire combinations never giving Barao a chance to rest.

As the rounds advanced, so did Dillashaw’s connect rate, and by the time Barao emerged for the fifth and final frame, his right eye was nearly swollen shut. Dillashaw continued to mark up his opponent with jabs until, two minutes in, a left high kick put Barao on wobbly legs. A few more punches sent him to the ground, and Dillashaw stood over the fallen champion, raining down right hands until referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped the fight. Dillashaw had captured the UFC bantamweight crown in emphatic fashion, and what had been a far-fetched notion less than 30 minutes prior by the end seemed like a foregone conclusion.

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