TJ Dillashaw News

Harry Kettle - October 7, 2021

TJ Dillashaw has doubts that UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will be able to return after his recent neck surgery. The top of the bantamweight division has been an interesting place for many months now ever since Sterling won the belt from Petr Yan via disqualification. We were scheduled to see the rematch later this month but as a result of Sterling pulling out due to lingering issues following neck surgery, Yan will now fight Cory Sandhagen for the interim strap.

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.

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.

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.

Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021

TJ Dillashaw “would like to fight Jose Aldo” but wants the former champion wants a crack at the UFC bantamweight title shot first. Dillashaw recently made his return to the Octagon after over two years away, and he defeated Cory Sandhagen via split decision to once again emerge as a top contender for the 135lbs title. The next bantamweight title fight takes place at UFC 267 in October when Aljamain Sterling defends his belts against Petr Yan in a rematch, and Dillashaw is hoping that he gets to fight the winner of that title match. However, the former featherweight champ Aldo called out Dillashaw after his latest win over Pedro Munhoz, and now fans are excited about the prospect of two former UFC champions going at it down at 135lbs.

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.

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.

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.

Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling trashed TJ Dillashaw following his successful comeback, saying “you didn’t come clean you idiot.” Sterling is expected to rematch his rival, Petr Yan, later this year for the UFC bantamweight title, with Dillashaw fighting the winner following his split decision win over Cory Sandhagen at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 card. Speaking to Sirius XM’s Fight Nation following the Dillashaw vs. Sandhagen fight, Sterling said that he would be open to fighting Dillashaw in the future. But the one thing that is bothering Sterling is that Dillashaw has said that he came clean about his past use of performance-enhancing drugs, when “Funk Master” says the reality of the situation is he only came clean after he was caught.

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.

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.

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.

Drake Riggs - July 26, 2021

Urijah Faber isn’t itching to return to the Octagon — but now that TJ Dillashaw is back, the possibility is there. Dillashaw made a successful return to action this past Saturday after a two-year USADA suspension. His split decision win over Cory Sandhagen topped a card that saw Faber corner three of his Team Alpha Male trained fighters. Ever since Dillashaw removed himself from Faber’s tutelage, things haven’t quite been the same between the two.

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.

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.

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.

Christopher Taylor - July 24, 2021

TJ Dillashaw may have emerged from his UFC fight with Cory Sandhagen victorious but he did not come out unscathed. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA), the UFC’s former bantamweight champion, was returning to the Octagon this evening for the first time since suffering a knockout loss to Henry Cejudo in January of 2019. Shortly after falling short in his bid to capture the promotions flyweight title, it was revealed that ‘Killashaw’ had tested positive for EPO and he was handed a two-year suspension.

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.