Duane Ludwig and Urijah Faber have had their differences, but they're on the same page about this weekend's UFC bantamweight title bout.
Faber told Ariel Helwani on Monday that he believed his former protege T.J. Dillashaw would "probably knock out" Dominick Cruz, but Ludwig took it a step further.
Speaking with UFC commentators Jon Anik and Kenny Florian, Ludwig is predicting Dillashaw gets the job done inside two rounds.
"He just moves and doesn't get hit, which is nice," Ludwig said of Cruz. "He gets guys out of position so they can't really follow up. But that's just because people aren't bringing their feet with them while they strike, something T.J. is very good at. So I don't see [Cruz] as too much of a threat. We do have to respect him, but I feel T.J. is going to finish him in the second round."
A lot has been made of the stylistic matchup between the pair. Thanks to Ludwig, Dillashaw has embraced a very active striking style similar to the one Cruz utilized to capture his titles in the WEC and UFC. Cruz insists Dillashaw is nothing but a cheap imitation, while the champ says he's innovated the style above and beyond Cruz.
"Our system incorporates a lot of motion," said Ludwig. "T.J. has been very successfully against people who move, like Cruz. Now, has Cruz faced people who have moved? The only person is Demetrious Johnson, who I thought won that fight in the striking, just lost on the takedowns and control on the ground."
Cruz was plagued with major injury setbacks following the 2011 bout with Johnson, forcing the UFC to establish an interim title. Renan Barao would beat out Faber for the strap at UFC 149 in 2012 and would be named the undisputed champ in 2014.
Barao's reign came to an end later that year at UFC 173 when 20-1 underdog Dillashaw scored the upset of the year when he TKO'd the Brazilian midway through round five.
"Obviously, fighting for the title and defending the title are always the biggest fights one can have in their career," said Ludwig. "I don't feel [Cruz] is as much of a threat as Renan Barao was. It's still a huge fight, obviously. I have a ton of respect for Cruz. He never lost the belt. He's back to the top now after some injuries. I respect his commitment to the sport in his career."
Dillashaw defends his UFC bantamweight title to Cruz Jan. 17 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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TWEETS
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Heavy weight.
500lb low block pull for 3.. Trying to maintain strength while bumping up conditioning
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Beef.
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Tested.
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Interesting.
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Nothing lasts forever.
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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Jan. 11 2016)
Justin Gaethje vs. Brian Foster at WSOF 29
Corey Anderson vs. Tom Lawlor at UFC 197
Fernando Gonzalez vs. Michael Page at Bellator 151
Mairbek Taisumov out, Mehdi Baghdad vs. Chris Wade at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
Abdul-Kerim Edilov out, Francimar Barroso vs. Elvis Mutapcic at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
Jimy Hettes out, Augusto Mendes vs. Charles Rosa at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz
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