TJ Dillashaw News

Alexander Volkanovski, Brian Ortega
TJ Dillashaw

Brian Ortega explains how TJ Dillashaw’s comeback win helped his confidence ahead of UFC 266 title fight

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2021

UFC featherweight Brian Ortega has explained how TJ Dillashaw’s big comeback win over Cory Sandhagen has helped him heading into UFC 266. This Saturday night, Ortega will return to the Octagon for the first time in almost a year to take on Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight championship. It’ll serve as his second bite at the cherry to win the strap, almost three years on from when he fell short against Max Holloway.

TJ Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen
TJ Dillashaw

TJ Dillashaw admits that he lied to the referee during Cory Sandhagen bout

Adam D Martin - September 14, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw admitted that he lied to the referee during the recent Cory Sandhagen bout. Dillashaw and Sandhagen fought for 25 minutes to a narrow split decision back in July that the judges ultimately gave to the former champ. Speaking to Submission Radio following the fight, Dillashaw admitted there was a chance that the fight could have been stopped because he had an injury to his eye that meant he had vision problems. According to Sandhagen, however, he lied to the referee and told him that he could still see fine.

Sean O'Malley
TJ Dillashaw

Sean O’Malley accuses TJ Dillashaw of turning down SUG fight

Harry Kettle - September 1, 2021

UFC prospect Sean O’Malley has accused TJ Dillashaw of turning down a fight against him in Submission Underground. It’s no secret that O’Malley is one of the most intriguing rising stars the UFC has right now and in equal measure, it’s also not a surprise that many of his fellow bantamweights aren’t big fans of him.

UFC, Sean O'Malley, UFC 250
TJ Dillashaw

Sean O'Malley won't become a UFC champion, says TJ Dillashaw: "He's got too many holes"

Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021

Bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley won’t become a UFC champion, said former 135lbs champ TJ Dillashaw, who thinks “he’s got too many holes.” Dillashaw knows what it takes to be a UFC champion because he was the promotion’s 135lbs champion on two separate occasions. Speaking to Submission Radio in a recent interview, Dillashaw was asked what he thinks about O’Malley, who is quickly rising up the ranks and is turning into a household name. When asked if he thinks “Suga” has what it takes to be a UFC champion, Dillashaw said that he doesn’t have the complete MMA game.

Jose Aldo
TJ Dillashaw

Jose Aldo vs. TJ Dillashaw bantamweight "clash of former champions would be monumental," says coach

Adam D Martin - August 11, 2021

A potential Jose Aldo vs. TJ Dillashaw bantamweight “clash of former champions would be monumental,” says Aldo’s coach, Andre Pederneiras. Aldo defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 265, while Dillashaw is coming off of a split decision win over Cory Sandhagen last month. As soon as Aldo defeated Munhoz, the one name that he had in mind was Dillashaw. Both Aldo and Dillashaw are former UFC champions and, with both men ranked in the top-five of the UFC bantamweight division in 2021, this could be a potential No. 1 contender matchup.

Tj DIllashaw
UFC

TJ Dillashaw reveals he will only be out three months after successful knee surgery following Cory Sandhagen fight

Cole Shelton - August 9, 2021

TJ Dillashaw will only be out three months after having knee surgery. In Dillashaw’s return fight against Cory Sandhagen, he appeared to hurt his knee in the first round. It threw off his footwork but he still hung in the fight and ended up winning a split decision. However, Dillashaw knew his knee was injured and on Thursday underwent successful surgery.

Jose Aldo, UFC 245
TJ Dillashaw

Jose Aldo calls out TJ Dillashaw for No. 1 contender fight in December

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo called out TJ Dillashaw for a No. 1 contender fight in the bantamweight division in December. Aldo defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 265. It was the legend’s second straight win following a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera in his last outing. After being left for dead by many fans following a three-fight win streak that culminated in a brutal TKO loss to former champion Petr Yan last summer, “Junior” has bounced back in a big way and is looking like a championship-quality fighter once again. Only this time, the championship belt he is chasing is in the 135lbs division.

Cory Sandhagen
TJ Dillashaw

Cory Sandhagen predicts how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go: "He'll probably get finished"

Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen predicted how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go, saying that “he’ll probably get finished.” Sandhagen lost a disputed split decision to his former teammate Dillashaw in the main event of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 card. The fight was very competitive and each round was decided on razor-thing margins, but the judges ultimately decided to go with Dillashaw for his control over Sandhagen’s striking advantage. While Sandhagen admitted it was a close fight, he has no doubt that if he gets the chance to fight Dillashaw again, it won’t be.

UFC Vegas 32
UFC

UFC Vegas 32 rankings update: TJ Dillashaw re-enters bantamweight rankings at No. 2

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

The official UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 32, and former champ TJ Dillashaw re-entered the bantamweight ranks at No. 2. Dillashaw outpointed Cory Sandhagen to take home a split decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. It was a close fight that could have gone either way, but the judges sided with the former UFC bantamweight champion, and it helped him out in the rankings. After not being ranked for the past two years, Dillashaw re-entered the UFC bantamweight rankings at No. 2, with everyone else below him falling one spot. Sandhagen, the man that Dillashaw beat, now stands at No. 3 in the 135lbs weight class. Kyler Phillips, who lost a decision to Raulian Paiva, dropped out of the top-15, as well.

TJ Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Urijah Faber
UFC

Urijah Faber comments on TJ Dillashaw using EPO: "Everybody knows what he was doing"

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber commented on his former pupil TJ Dillashaw using EPO, saying that “everybody knows what he was doing.” Dillashaw defeated Cory Sandhagen via split decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. It was the first fight for Dillashaw in 30 months since being suspended in January 2019 after testing positive for EPO. The suspension was for two years and he also was forced to vacate his 135lbs belt, so Dillashaw paid a hefty price for cheating before the Henry Cejudo fight. But if you ask Faber, his former coach at Team Alpha Male, Dillashaw had been using EPO for a lot longer than when he had been caught.

Henry Cejudo, Dana White, Valentina Shevchenko, Ali Abdelaziz
MMA News

Henry Cejudo explains why TJ Dillashaw deserved to win the decision over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo explained why TJ Dillashaw deserved to win the decision over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32. Sandhagen and Dillashaw went 25 hard minutes against each other in an incredible bantamweight bout that headlined this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 card, but at the end of the five rounds, it was Dillashaw pulling off the upset win with a split decision. The fight was very close and there are many fans who are on the opposite side of the coin when it comes to deciding who should have earned the decision, but if you ask one of the division’s all-time greats in Cejudo, he believes Dillashaw did enough to rightfully earn the victory.

TJ Dillashaw
UFC

TJ Dillashaw forced to undergo surgery following UFC win over Cory Sandhagen

Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2021

TJ Dillashaw made his highly anticipated Octagon return in last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 main event for a bantamweight scrap with Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA) had not competed since January of 2019, where he suffered a first round knockout loss to then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and was handed a two year suspension due to his use of the banned substance EPO.

Cory-Sandhaen-TJ-Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw

Cory Sandhagen admits split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw was a "coin toss" on the judges' scorecards

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen admitted that his recent split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw was a “coin toss” on the judges’ scorecards. Sandhagen and Dillashaw fought tooth and nail for 25 hard minutes, but at the end of the five rounds, the judges awarded Dillashaw with the split decision nod. It was a very close fight that could have gone either way, as many of the rounds were decided by razor-thin margins. In the end, the judges sided with Dillashaw and Sandhagen has a loss on his record, though he has already said the UFC matchmakers aren’t going to punish him for it.

TJ Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen
TJ Dillashaw

What's next for TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen after UFC Vegas 32?

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 32, former bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw made his return to the Octagon against Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw and Sandhagen were supposed to meet in May but a cut above Dillashaw’s eye forced the scrap to be postponed to now. The former champ was also coming off a two-year USADA suspension for EPO use. Sandhagen, meanwhile, was coming off back-to-back highlight-reel KO wins over Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes.

Cory Sandhagen, TJ Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw

Cory Sandhagen releases statement following loss to TJ Dillashaw at UFC Vegas 32: "Nice job, TJ"

Adam D Martin - July 25, 2021

Cory Sandhagen released a statement following his split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 card, saying “nice job, TJ.” Sandhagen lost a very narrow split decision to his former teammate and current rival Dillashaw in the main event of UFC Vegas 32. It was a very close fight that could have gone either way, but two of the three judges decided to go with the former champ Dillashaw for the win. Taking to his social media following the fight, Sandhagen reacted to the loss by congratulating his opponent and letting his fans know he will be back stronger.

TJ Dillashaw
UFC

TJ Dillashaw details injury-riddled fight camp for UFC Vegas 32, including MCL tear in his right knee

Adam D Martin - July 25, 2021

Bantamweight TJ Dillashaw detailed the injury-riddled fight camp he went through for UFC Vegas 32, including an MCL tear in his right knee. Dillashaw outpointed Sandhagen to edge out a split decision over Cory Sandhagen in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. It was a razor-close fight that could have gone either way, but the judges decided to side with the former UFC bantamweight champion. But while Dillashaw was able to escape from the fight with his hand raised, there was a point where he wasn’t even sure if he was going to make it to the fight.

Henry Cejudo, TJ Dillashaw, Dana Whte
TJ Dillashaw

Henry Cejudo not impressed by TJ Dillashaw, appears open to “easy money” rematch

Chris Taylor - July 24, 2021

Henry Cejudo was not impressed by TJ Dillashaw’s split decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in tonight’s UFC Vegas 32 main event. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA) was returning to action this evening for the first time since January of 2019, where he suffered a knockout loss to the aforementioned Cejudo in his bid to become a two division UFC champion.

Cory Sandhagen
TJ Dillashaw

Cory Sandhagen reacts following split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw at UFC Vegas 32

Christopher Taylor - July 24, 2021

Cory Sandhagen has reacted following tonight’s tough split decision setback to former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw at UFC Vegas 32. Sandhagen (14-3 MMA) had entered tonight’s event headliner with hopes of extending his current win streak to three in a row. The perennial division contender had most previously competed back in February, where he scored a nasty first round knockout victory over Frankie Edgar.