Former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull has yet to impress former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw. After Pitbull’s most recent performance, Dillashaw expressed strong criticism and called for major adjustments in the Brazilian’s fighting style.
Pitbull, 38, is regarded as one of the greatest fighters in Bellator history. The former two-division champion joined the UFC earlier this year. Since his debut, he has gone 1-1 inside the octagon.
At UFC 318, Pitbull earned his first UFC win by defeating Dan Ige via unanimous decision. The victory also earned him the No.11 spot in the UFC’s featherweight rankings.
However, Dillashaw was not impressed. Speaking on JAXXON PODCAST’‘s UFC 318 recap, he said Pitbull’s performance lacked excitement.
Dillashaw blamed Pitbull for the lackluster fight and warned it could cost him future pay-per-view main card spots.
“It’s not Ige’s fault that it’s boring. Like, dude, just Pitbull is a very slow, boring fighter,” Dillashaw said. “If he keeps fighting that way, he’s not gonna be on main cards.”
He added that Pitbull took too long to initiate action, despite having knockout power.
“[Pitbull] just takes too much time to do [anything]. He has power in his hands, but he does a lot of waiting.”
TJ Dillashaw Says 2nd Round was Turning Point in Dan Ige vs. Patricio Pitbull Fight
Dillashaw highlighted the 2nd round as a critical turning point in the bout. He believed Ige had the upper hand early in the round, but made a costly mistake.
According to Dillashaw, Ige let the crowd influence his decisions. As fans began to boo the slow pace, Ige abandoned his strategy and became reckless.
“Ige’s boxing looked great. Putting in great combos, getting the better shots. But then, for whatever reason, he got enticed by the crowd,” Dillashaw said. “He got overly aggressive cause the crowd was booing, and he got caught with the right hand on the way in, and it dictated the whole 2nd round.”
Based on the official judges’ scorecards, a win in the 2nd round could have secured the win for Ige.
TJ Dillashaw Hoped Judges Would Award Dan Ige the Decision
Although Dillashaw was critical of the fight itself, he praised Ige’s effort. He felt that Ige was the more active and effective fighter throughout the bout.
While breaking down the fight, Dillashaw said Ige controlled the pace and looked sharper. He criticized Pitbull‘s inability to inflict damage after securing takedowns, arguing that control alone shouldn’t win rounds.
Dillashaw added that Ige’s activity, even after being taken down, should have been enough to secure the decision. However, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Pitbull, awarding him both the 1st and 2nd rounds.
“I thought Ige looked good, man. First round was boring, it was a snooze fest,” Dillashaw said. “There was no damage done, which takedowns aren’t supposed to really count for anything unless you do something with them. And [Pitbull] didn’t really do anything with it.”
He added:
“I feel like Ige did more than [Pitbull] did. So, I actually had Ige win round one. At least, I was hoping to sway the judges.”
TJ Dillashaw Slams Former Bellator Champion: ‘Slow, Boring Fighter’