Whenever we talk about the best teams in MMA, the same collection of camps always get mentioned: Montreal’s Tristar Gym, Team Jackson-Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, N.M., and Florida-based stables The Blackzilians and American Top Team.
The Black House collective often receives recognition as well, and Brazil’s Nova Unaio has started to gain attention in recent years with the success of Jose Aldo and Renan Barao, among others.
Sacramento, Calif.’s Team Alpha Male often comes up as well, but there is usually an asterisk next to their name. When you look up the footnote, it references the size of the fighters who make up the camp, or as Joe Rogan often puts it, “They’re the best team in the sport for lighter weight fighters.”
While the statement is certainly valid, Saturday’s event has the potential to prove that there is no need to qualify the inclusion of the group among the very best in the sport.
Last weekend, Team Alpha Male’s frontman Urijah Faber scored a decisive fourth-round submission win over Scott Jorgensen, further solidifying himself as one of the very best bantamweights in the sport. “The California Kid” had already battled for UFC gold twice in his career, and is on the precipice of a third title shot. Despite his championship shortcomings of late, there is no question that Faber remains one of the most talented fighters south of the 155-pound weight limit.
Saturday night in San Jose, Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez, and T.J. Dillashaw have the chance to do the same in their respective weight classes. The first two members of the trio fighting this weekend have already shared the cage with UFC champions in the past, and are within arm’s reach doing so again, while the last member of the pack is one of the best prospects in the sport.
Mendes’ only loss to date came against Jose Aldo at UFC 142 when he challenged the Brazilian standout for the featherweight title. The 27-year-old Cal Poly SLO graduate has earned consecutive first-round finishes since then, and carries his 13-1 overall record into the cage with the surging Darren Elkins on Saturday.
Depending on how things shake out in the division over the next couple months, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine a scenario where “Money” makes his way back to the top of the list of challengers by year’s end.
Benavidez came out on the wrong side of the inaugural UFC flyweight title fight, dropping a split decision to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152 last September. Four months and a couple days later, the Las Cruces, N.M., product rebounded with a decisive victory over (Uncle Creepy) Ian McCall.
Rather than rush right back into a second championship bout with Johnson, the former WEC 135-pound standout opted to get another fight under his belt instead, and will share the cage this weekend in San Jose with fellow contender Darren Uyenoyama.
And then there is Dillashaw, the former Ultimate Fighter finalist who has bounced back from his loss to John Dodson on Season 14 with a three-pack of victories. After cruising to a decision win over Walel Watson in his post-TUF debut, the ultra-competitive 27-year-old has earned back-to-back finishes over Vaughan Lee and Issei Tamura.
Saturday, the bantamweight Dillashaw looks to make it two wins in five weeks by stepping in to face TUF Brazil product Hugo (Wolverine) Viana as a short notice replacement for Francisco Rivera.
Faber, Benavidez, and Mendes have all been top 5 contenders wherever they’ve fought for the last several years, dating back to their WEC days, and Dillashaw has all the markings of a future title challenger. Not many teams have three legitimate title threats and a highly regarded prospect within their ranks. Add in lightweight Danny Castillo and you have a collection of UFC competitors on par with the best teams in the sport; no caveats needed.
The consistency shown by Team Alpha Male over the years is part of what sets them apart. It’s hard to recall the last time a member of the outfit “laid an egg” inside the cage.
Faber, Mendes, and Benavidez have only lost to champions over the last four-plus years, Dillashaw’s lone loss came against Dodson, who has since fought for the flyweight title, and even Castillo, the least heralded member of the team competing under the UFC banner, has notched a 7-2 record over his last nine fights.
As a whole, the group is 20-7 inside the Octagon, with four of those setbacks coming in championship tilts. That’s a pretty solid track record for any team, regardless of their stature.
A trio of others could join the current quartet on the UFC roster in the future as well.
Featherweight Andre (Touchy) Fili has amassed an 11-1 record on the regional circuit, and looks to extend his winning streak to eight early next month, while Justin Buchholz has won five of his last six, claiming gold in the Showdown Fights 155-pound division in his last outing. A constant presence in the corners of his teammates, the 29-year-old could certainly get a second opportunity to compete on the UFC stage in the future.
The next to make the jump to the big stage could be Lance (The Party) Palmer. Like many of his teammates, the unbeaten Ohio State product had a tremendous career on the collegiate wrestling mats, earning All-American honours all four years. Last time out Palmer notched his fifth career win, collecting a split-decision victory over WEC alum Fredson Paixao, and it shouldn’t take too many more wins before he joins his teammates on the UFC roster.
Before that, however, Mendes, Benavidez, and Dillashaw will look to follow in Faber’s footsteps from the previous weekend and earn impressive victories of their own.
All three are favoured heading into their fights this weekend, so a clean sweep for the three-headed Alpha Male monster Benavidez jokingly dubbed “Mendevideshaw” on Twitter wouldn’t be unexpected. If they do make it four wins in seven days for Sacramento’s favourite fight team, they’ll be deserving of consideration as one of the top teams in the sport, and you won’t need an asterisk either.
