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

By 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.

TJ Dillashaw

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.

Speaking to reporters following UFC Vegas 32, Dillashaw detailed the injuries that he suffered in his training camp for this fight against his former teammate Sandhagen.

“I had a really, really, really rough camp. I couldn’t even spar this whole camp. The first camp going, we were supposed to go May 8. It went smooth other than getting cut. I was able to spar. My cut was going good. The second camp around, I could not stay healthy. The first injury was that I pinched this nerve in my foot doing a slider board. Up until two days ago, I had to work out with shoes on. This is like the worst thing I could’ve been dealing with,” Dillashaw said (h/t MMAjunkie.com).

“I tore my MCL in my right knee. I hurt my left shoulder, as well, the whole camp. It was a real rough camp. I didn’t want to obviously talk about it. I didn’t want to make (any) excuses. I just needed to get out there. It had been two f-ing long. There was no way I was going to pull out from the fight.”

What do you think is next for TJ Dillashaw after winning a split decision over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32?