Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw brought the first UFC title to Team Alpha Male when he defeated Renan Barao in July 2015 to capture the 135-pound championship.
He defended the title twice as a member of Team Alpha Male, but when former team head coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig left the Urijah Faber-founded gym, Dillashaw left with him. Dillashaw says that he was given an ultimatum by Faber to either train full-time at Team Alpha Male or leave the gym.
“I was given an ultimatum to select where I wanted to train. I was training at Team Alpha Male and I would travel to Duane Ludwig’s gym to do my camps. I was actually splitting my camps until my (Dominick) Cruz camp and I told Urijah that I wanted to do my full camp with Duane Ludwig. Duane Ludwig and Urijah didn’t see eye to eye. Urijah gave me an ultimatum,” explained Dillashaw during the TUF 25 premiere on Wednesday.
“He told me I could either choose Team Alpha Male or I could choose Duane Ludwig. As soon as someone gives you an ultimatum, you know that person doesn’t have your back. He doesn’t have you best interest at heart. I was loyal to the guy that was most loyal to me and that was Duane Ludwig,” he added.
Dillashaw lost the belt to Dominick Cruz in January 2016. Former Team Alpha Male teammate Cody Garbrandt defeated Cruz at UFC 207 in December to become the bantamweight champion. He and Dillashaw coach opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter 25 and the animosity between the two teams is real.
“Team Alpha Male is like my ex-girlfriend,” said Dillashaw. “They broke up with me and they want to create a bunch of drama to keep me unhappy, but really I’m happy in my life. I’ve made the right choice.”
