UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, a longtime member of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, has decided to move his next training camp to Denver with Elevation Fight Team.
Dillashaw (12-2) is scheduled to fight former championDominick Cruz on Jan. 17 in Boston. He confirmed the camp switch to ESPN.com on Tuesday, following an initial report by Brazilian outlet Globo.
The 29-year-old split his most recent training camp between the two locations, but that will no longer be the case. Team Elevation is headed by coaches Leister Bowling, Eliot Marshall and Christian Allen. Dillashaw will also work with his longtime striking coach Duane Ludwig, who owns and operates a facility in Broomfield, Colorado.
"In regards to my upcoming fight, I will be doing my training in Colorado," Dillashaw told ESPN.com in a text message. "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 Team Elevation, 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."
Dillashaw won the 135-pound UFC title as a member of Team Alpha Male in May 2014. The decision to relocate comes on the heels of a falling-out between Ludwig and Team Alpha Male founder and fellow UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber
http://espn.go.com/blog/mma/post/_/id/22576/dillashaw-switches-camps-ahead-of-cruz-fight