TJ Dillashaw literally went on a limb in his eighth UFC title fight.
The former dual UFC Bantamweight Champion is one of the biggest hunters ever at 135 pounds, who has beaten the then Champion Renan Barao and Cody Garbrandt twice, as well as #4-ranged competition Cory Sandhagen.
Despite his CV, TJ Dillashaw had one of the most controversial final chapters in the UFC history.
After a two-year suspension for the performance-enhancing drug epo, Dillashaw returned to the win column against Sandhagen in 2021 and a year later received a title fight against Aljamain Sterling on UFC 280 in October 2022.
Prior to the fight, Dillashaw did not succeed in making a career-ending shoulder injury known and refused to withdraw. During Fight Night, Dillashaw would lose in a crooked Tko Tko after his shoulder dived out.
This would be the last MMA fight from Dillashaw. Years after his retirement, the former champion explains what made him so confident to beat Sterling, even with the brutal handicap.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
TJ Dillashaw thought he would be sterling with one arm: “His striking was waste”
During 'The Jaxxon Podcast', Quinton Jackson said that he was in the gym on the day that Dillashaw's shoulder came out in training and Dillashaw told him he had pulled out of the sterling fight.
Dillashaw explains why he didn't do that.
“I fought against a man I felt like I could still beat with the arm I had,” Dillashaw said about Sterling.
“I felt that I could have turned it off. Yes, [with one arm].
“His striking is complete waste,” Dillashaw added.
A wrestler in heart and soul dominated Dillashaw with his branchedowns while Dillashaw grinned with pain with his shoulder injury.
Dillashaw was heavily criticized because he did not withdraw from the Bantamweight title fight.
TJ Dillashaw says that 'incredibly optimistic' brought him to the UFC title in the first place
The chances were not great for Dillashaw at UFC 280, but his chances are not to fight again after shoulder surgery. Nowadays Dillashaw cannot raise his left arm too high due to the injury.
Yet Dillashaw pushed on and took his title fight against Sterling, where he tried to become a triple champion-an performance that only Jon Jones and Randy Couture have been able to reach in the UFC.
“I know I have to undergo a shoulder surgery, so I'm going out for another year and a half. I am 36 years old. It's a bit like, this is perhaps my last F – shot,” Dillashaw said.
“In the end, yes, it was because my shoulder was so bad …
“So it's, why am I going to leave this opportunity? Maybe my last shot ever is a world champion three times [and] Get my belt back.
'[The odds] were f— great, “Dillashaw joked.
“I am misleading optimistic, but I really believe that is what brought me to the belt. I believed so much to myself that I could go through so much negativity and achieve the top,” Dillashaw said.