TJ’s New Trainer Responds To Faber

On Thursday’s episode of Stud Show Radio Urijah Faber talked about TJ Dillashaw’s decision to move to a new team and how the trainer over at Team Elevation has been calling other TAM fighters trying to recruit them.

Here’s what he said:

“I come to find out later there’s a guy Leister or something like that. He’s a recruiter or wrestling coach or something like that who has been talking to Cody [Garbrandt] and trying to get Cody to come out. Basically trying to chicken hawk guys and apparently there’s an article where he said something like, ‘I had a heart-to-heart with T.J.,’ granted, he’s worked with him half of one camp – ‘and I told him it’s about time you do something for yourself. It’s about time you do something selfish.'”

Well, Elevation’s Leister Bowling responded, telling MMAFighting:

“Put everybody’s feelings aside and do what’s best for you. Honestly, you need to pick one, because as a world champion splitting your time — 50-50, 60-40, whatever — going from California to Denver for eight weeks, you’re not getting the focus you need as the world champ. If your home base is in Sacramento and having all those monsters to train with every day is what you need to stay at the top, then don’t ever come back to Colorado. If I’m in your shoes, I would pick one and do it. I said I would hate to see you not come back to Colorado, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. And if you feel like training with Duane and being out here on probably a slightly smaller team with probably a little more focus, if you feel that’s what you need, then do that. But you can’t just keep going back and forth, because you don’t want to hurt somebody’s feelings.

“I didn’t try to sway him one way or the other and I’m sure T.J. would vouch for that if anybody ever asks him.”