Earlier today, Globo reported that UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw was leaving Team Alpha Male for a gym in Colorado, the home of former Alpha Male coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig.Well, it’s true, albeit slightly more complicated than that, as Dillashaw explained in a statement to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani:
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 thank each and every one of them for helping me along the way and being a part of this journey we’ve shared. This is not the end of being a part of the Team Alpha Male family, but a new chapter in my career.
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.
I want to thank everyone for the continued support as this has not been a decision I’ve taken lightly.
Elevation’s fighters train out of the Muscle Pharm Sports and Science Center in Denver, Colorado. Ludwig, who isn’t part of Elevation and whose nearby gym does not have a fight team, will now get to work with Dillashaw more regularly. As for Team Alpha Male Founder Urijah Faber, he told Helwani that”We are sad to see [Dillashaw] go, but we’re excited about the next set of champions being developed at Team Alpha Male.”
Given the issues between Ludwig and Faber had heated back up publicly, it was clear something new was going down. As for Elevation, per BloodyElbow.com’s Zane Simon, “It was built around a specific credo of avoiding gym politics and the problems that athletes can encounter when their career becomes tied to the gym’s ‘brand.'” With how he needs to get away from the Faber/Ludwig strife, that sounds like a good fit for Dillashaw right now. For more on the ethos of the team, MMAWeekly has an interesting article from when they first formed.
Dillashaw defends the UFC Bantamweight Championship against Dominick Cruz at the January 17th UFC Fight Night card in Boston.
