T.J. Dillashaw says Khamzat Chimaev was “almost dying” during his weight cut ahead of UFC 328 and believes his performance against Sean Strickland — including going the distance despite being so compromised — is a testament to just how tough Chimaev is.
Dillashaw, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion who was part of Chimaev’s camp, spoke to MMA Fighting about the full picture of what happened behind the scenes.
“Khamzat looked like an animal for his camp, like he was unbeatable. There was no way he was going to get beat, but then you get someone that you’re paying — there’s a lot of frauds in this world — and the way that they made him cut weight was horrible.”
Dillashaw attributed the weight cut disaster to poor water management.
“Well, the water. I mean, if I could put it to one thing — your body will shut down. Like you can’t go and lose 10 pounds all at once and not drink enough water to tell your brain and your body to, ‘Hey, let’s keep losing weight. Let’s keep pushing water.’ If you lose too much of it too fast in one sitting, your body will stop sweating. Yeah, you might only have three pounds to go, but guess what? That’s gonna take you seven, eight hours because you’re dying. You’re straight up dying. Your body’s telling you you’re dying.”
He described the full extent of what Chimaev was going through before stepping into the cage.
“He wanted to give Strickland $1 million and say, ‘Hey, take it. I can’t make it, I’m going to die.’ And you forget this guy’s got half a thyroid, right? His metabolism is half of a normal man. And so if you’re not treating it the right way, you could kill him. And I really believe he was on the verge of death making that weight cut. He should not have made it to the fight. And to see how he performed still — Round 5, Round 4, he still had the better fight in cardio than Strickland, and Strickland’s supposed to be a cardio guy. Khamzat’s the one going forward landing the bigger shots. So Sean won a fight going backwards, throwing a jab? I don’t see it that way. But it makes me realize how tough Khamzat is to do as well as he did on almost dying before getting on that scale.”
Dillashaw said Chimaev only showed up to fight week 16 pounds over, and argued the situation was entirely avoidable.
“People need to understand: What he pushed through to fight is impressive. He just needs to do it the right way. He was only 16 pounds over showing up to fight week. That is easy. It’s about the water displacement. And unfortunately they didn’t do that.”
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has named his October 2022 victory over T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 as the most satisfying moment of his career, citing Dillashaw’s history of performance-enhancing drug use.
“Best moment? Probably punching T.J. Dillashaw,” Sterling told Home of Fight. “I just know he’s a cheat. He’s a lying cheat. ‘Oh no, I only got caught that time.’ Yeah, you only got caught that time. Your teammate outed you before the fight…
“I studied his game. I always heard the rumblings that he was cheating, but I couldn’t say anything until he got caught. He got caught, so now I can say everything I want to say.”
😳 Aljamain Sterling says punching a “lying cheat” TJ Dillashaw was his best moment:
“I just know he’s a cheat. He’s a lying cheat. ‘Oh no, I only got caught that time.’ Yeah, you only got caught that time. Your teammate outed you before the fight.
Sterling defeated Dillashaw via second-round TKO at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, successfully defending his bantamweight title against a challenger who entered the bout with a severe shoulder injury. Dillashaw underwent surgery shortly after the loss and has not competed since.
King Green strongly disagrees with T.J. Dillashaw’s assessment of Anthony Smith.
Dillashaw recently claimed that “Lionheart” lacks the heart to become a UFC champion, accusing him of tending to quit in fights — though he notably failed to mention Smith’s title fight against Jon Jones.
Green, however, pushed back against Dillashaw’s remarks, arguing that Smith’s extensive fight record is proof of his toughness and resilience.
“When you said he wasn’t a champ or he wasn’t going to be a champ, I get that, brother, I get it, but there’s other parts to that,” Green said on the JAXXON PODCAST. “You’re not going to understand. I was looking up your record. You’re 18-5, is it? OK, so that’s 23 fights. You see how many fights Anthony Smith has? He has like 50-something, crazy number.
“I’m not comparing the two. What I’m trying to get you to understand is this: When you say he don’t have no heart, you don’t walk that walk 50-something times against the UFC’s best.”
In March 2019, Smith fought Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship. During the fight, Jones struck the challenger with an illegal knee to a downed opponent, a foul that could have led to a disqualification. Instead, “Lionheart” chose to continue, ultimately losing by unanimous decision — a moment many see as proof of his warrior mentality.
Green continued his defense of Smith, emphasizing the toll that years of fighting take on a competitor.
“One thing that you’ve been dealing with—injuries—you can understand that part,” Green said, addressing Dillashaw. “For you to go out there 50-something times, you have to go out there busted up a lot. I think we don’t take into consideration some of the things that maybe happen behind the scenes.
“Yeah, I see what you were saying, too. Sometimes there’s a little quit in him, but sometimes you don’t know, bro. My nose is already broke four times, and he just hit me right in my sh*t again.”
Anthony Smith is set to step into the octagon one last time before retiring from professional MMA. His farewell fight will be against Zhang Mingyang at UFC Fight Night in Kansas City on April 26.
After this bout, Smith will officially retire, closing the book on a career that has spanned more than 50 professional fights.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was surprised to see one bitter rival among those sending positive messages following his recent enforced retirement.
Had things gone to plan, Cruz would have been just days out from his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle, having not competed since a knockout loss to Marlon Vera back in 2022.
Since then, many in the MMA community have been praising what was undoubtedly an incredible stint in the cage for the 39-year-old. And, as it turns out, even one of the most notable foes from Cruz’s career has paid their respect.
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Cruz revealed contact from former opponent TJ Dillashaw.
“TJ Dillashaw actually reached out to me. I was shocked,” Cruz said. “He gave me a recommendation for a shoulder doctor. He said he was looking forward to watching me compete and was sorry that I couldn’t.”
Cruz returned from a 16-month layoff in January 2016 to challenge Dillashaw’s bantamweight reign. “The Dominator” fell on the right side of a split decision, capturing the crown for a second time.
Dillashaw ultimately lost to Aljamain Sterling after dislocating his shoulder in the fight, with the challenger quickly revealing a plague of injury issues during the lead-up to what marked his final fight.
Having retired himself due to a similar physical issue, Dillashaw is certainly well placed to pass on advice to Cruz as he looks to recover from the career-ending injury too.
Having cemented his grip on the UFC bantamweight title, talk of where Merab Dvalishvili fits among the division’s all-time greats is picking up.
Dvalishvili recorded his first defense a few weeks back, following his crowning at the expense of Sean O’Malley four months prior with a successful halting of Umar Nurmagomedov’s championship ambitions.
That’s sparked plenty of debate over how the current champ would stack up against some of the division’s past elites, including former two-time titleholder TJ Dillashaw.
A recent post on X by @owen_swd posed the question of who would win between Dvalishvili and the retired American in their respective primes.
Both men had their fair share of backers in the comments section. One common theme involved the controversy surrounding Dillashaw’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.
TJ Dillashaw, a former UFC champion, knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level and believes he can identify fighters with championship potential.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t see that potential in Kevin Holland.
The retired bantamweight recently shared his perspective following Holland’s loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC 311 this past Saturday. Holland was submitted in the first round after struggling to counter de Ridder’s grappling, eventually succumbing to a rear-naked choke.
This critique from Dillashaw aligns with Holland’s own remarks on the JAXXON Podcast, where “Trailblazer” admitted that he doesn’t see himself becoming a UFC champion. The ex-titleholder, appearing on the same podcast, weighed in on Holland’s performance against de Ridder and his overall mindset toward the sport.
“He’s fun,” Dillashaw said. “He’s entertaining, he’s fun. … I heard him in here talking — I commented on one of the posts you guys put out there about him not caring about being a champion, saying there’s too much politics in it. Like, alright dude, that’s just an excuse because you’ll never be a champion. But he’s a very entertaining fighter. He talks a lot, but he will never be a champion, I promise you that.”
Dillashaw’s main criticism of Holland centers on what he perceives as a lack of willingness to evolve and improve his game. He pointed to specific moments during Holland’s fight with de Ridder as examples.
“It’s the truth,” Dillashaw explained. “He has some holes in his game, and we saw it here. He’s got a guy on top of him, and he keeps trying to hold him in his guard. Right now, he’s going for attacks — it’s great — but when the attacks stop working, you’ve got to escape and get back to your feet, especially when you’re better on your feet. He doesn’t even try to put his feet on the hips and push off. Later in the fight, RDR’s standing above him doing ground-and-pound, and [Holland] is trying to hold on to guard rather than create space and stand up. That’s basic stuff. It shows he doesn’t have the skills on the ground or the mindset to fight to his strengths.”
Despite the criticisms, Dillashaw clarified that there’s nothing wrong with Holland being satisfied with where he is in his career. However, he stressed that championship success requires a certain obsessive mindset — one he doesn’t see in Holland.
“You sat here and let him say he doesn’t give a shit,” Dillashaw said. “Are you going to be a champion if you don’t care? No, you ain’t ever going to be. You need to obsess about it every day of your life. You need to be OCD about training, about being the best, not losing one practice. He was talking about bringing in training partners, going home, and smoking weed. Just sitting here listening to him talk and watching his skills on TV, he doesn’t have the mindset for it. He’s just happy being on TV.”
TJ Dillashaw recently shared his thoughts on Ilia Topuria’s impressive performance against Max Holloway at UFC 308, where Topuria made history by becoming the first fighter ever to finish Holloway. This victory kept Topuria’s undefeated streak intact, bringing his record to 16-0. It was his second monumental win after his knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, where he claimed the featherweight title.
Too Comfortable in the Stand-Up Game
While speaking on the JAXXON Podcast, Dillashaw praised Holloway’s early approach, noting his effective movement and strategy in the first couple of rounds. However, he felt that Holloway became too comfortable in the stand-up game as the fight progressed.
“I think he (Holloway) got too comfortable in the second round,” Dillashaw remarked. “He started piecing him (Topuria) up, right? He’s using his distance, he had a great jab, he’s hammering his jab, and Max is a volume guy. His volume’s working; he gets better and better as the fight goes on. But I think when it got into the third round, he got a little comfortable, and Topuria’s fast as f*ck. He did that slapping hook to get his hands away from his face with that overhand right, and then it changed everything.”
Dillashaw went on to praise Topuria’s boxing skills, calling him the best striker the UFC has to offer in that department.
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw doesn’t have much sympathy for José Aldo after he came up short in Salt Lake City this past weekend.
Aldo returned on the main card of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, making his second appearance inside the Octagon since bringing his short-lived retirement to an end in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.
While the Brazilian immediately forged a path back into the rankings at 135 pounds by getting the better of Jonathan Martinez, Mario Bautista was able to spoil his plans for a late-career title shot in Utah.
Dillashaw differed from many with his take on Aldo vs. Bautista. He insisted that the ex-featherweight kingpin could have done much more to avoid granting Bautista such a long period of control in round three, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
“It surprises me…there’s techniques like this that (Aldo) doesn’t like — get off the cage,” Dillashaw said. “The loss for him, like with the fight cards, they thought Aldo should’ve won. I don’t know. He kept himself there (against the cage). Like, I’m not too mad. He lost the fight himself.”
It remains to be seen what comes next for Aldo, who was hoping to defend his spot inside the bantamweight top 10 in Salt Lake City before focusing on those above him.
Count former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw among those confused by Herb Dean’s actions in this past weekend’s main event.
The veteran official was tasked with being the third man inside the Octagon for the Noche UFC (UFC 306) headliner inside the Sphere, where Sean O’Malley put his 135-pound gold on the line against Merab Dvalishvili.
Later in the fight, the referee featured in a different way as he frequently called for more action while Dvalishvili held a dominant grappling position.
While that was enough to cause debate, Dean’s decision to do the same while the pair were on the feet in the main event’s dying seconds saw him become the subject of heavy criticism from the commentary team and fans online.
Dillashaw Slams Dean For UFC 306 Main Event Refereeing: ‘Shouldn’t Be Involved Like That’
During a recent episode of the JAXXON PODCAST, Dillashaw looked back on the events that unfolded inside the Sphere alongside Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Luke Rockhold, and Jason Parillo.
The former UFC bantamweight champion was firm with his criticism of the third man inside the cage for Saturday’s headliner, suggesting Dean refereed favorably toward the defending champion.
“It’s complete bullsh*t,” Dillashaw said. “You can’t tell two fighters to work when they’re on their feet. I could run circles if I wanted to. You can’t tell me to go and work. … It’s not like I’m stalling against the cage. We’re striking, and you’re telling me to work. Like, I might run into something now ’cause you’re coaching me on how I am supposed to fight. The ref shouldn’t be involved like that.
“I thought it was very weird. It was almost like he had money on O’Malley,” Dillashaw continued. “(It was) like he wanted Merab to keep going so O’Malley could catch him with something. It was weird.”
Dean’s performance in the main event has remained a prominent talking point days on from the show, as has factors away from the fighting action itself such as Welch’s controversial corner tactics.
While many have lauded the UFC for the spectacle it put on inside the Sphere, those likely weren’t the topics that the promotion hoped would come out of the pay-per-view main event.
TJ Dillashaw recently escalated his critique of Anthony Smith, backing up all of his previous fault-finding of the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger.
Interestingly, the former UFC bantamweight champion was highly critical of “Lionheart’s” performance during his appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST with former UFC champions Rampage Jackson and Luke Rockhold last month. Dillashaw mocked Smith’s moniker, bluntly stating that the 36-year-old Texan will never become champion because he lacks the resilience to persevere.
Smith swiftly responded to Dillashaw’s pointed remarks during an episode of the BELIEVE YOU ME Podcast. “Lionheart” didn’t hold back, taking a scathing jab at the 38-year-old Californian’s positive performance-enhancing drug test in 2019, which resulted in a two-year suspension from the UFC.
However, the exchange of verbal jabs didn’t end there. Dillashaw has returned with a fresh barrage of critiques, once again labeling Smith as a quitter…
Dillashaw Thinks Smith Becomes Defensive When Judged
During his recent appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Dillashaw sought to defend his previous comments about Smith, arguing that he lacks the attributes of a true championship contender—a reality Smith himself has acknowledged.
“I thought he was going to be a champion. I said no, and then you’re like, why not? It’s like, he gives up,” Dillashaw said. “He doesn’t have that fight, he doesn’t have that dog in him personally, and I think he admitted it himself without even hearing our podcast yet. He did a video after that, kind of like deciding he’s going to continue to fight.”
The bantamweight veteran further noted that while Smith frequently criticizes other fighters, he doesn’t handle criticism directed at himself with the same grace.
“I mean, dude, the guy’s got to sit there and be like, why are you wearing your feelings on your sleeve? I mean, he sits there and talks sht about people on the broadcast all the time. I’m no stranger to it; he said some sh*t about me. It’s like, whatever, dude. That’s just how I feel, and if you don’t like it, if the truth hurts, too f**king bad.”
Alex Pereira’s recent successful defense of his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 has added the Brazilian’s name to the ever-growing list of fighters who have successfully changed weight divisions within the UFC.
Today we take a look at some of the most notable examples (along with a few that didn’t fare quite as well).
CONOR McGREGOR
The original ‘champ-champ’. The first man to simultaneously hold championship belts in two different weight divisions. “The Notorious” signed with the UFC back in 2013 having won both the featherweight and lightweight titles in Cage Warriors and within two-and-a-half years he knocked out Jose Aldo to claim the 145-pound belt.
Image: Conor McGregor IG
Less than a year later, he put on perhaps the best display of his career when he beat Eddie Alvarez at the iconic Madison Square Garden to claim the 155-pound strap. He has also competed in the welterweight division, fighting Nate Diaz twice and Donald Cerrone. His recent (now postponed) comeback bout against Michael Chandler had been set to take place over five rounds at 170 pounds.
DANIEL CORMIER
“DC” enjoyed huge success fighting as a heavyweight prior to signing with the UFC in 2013. He beat Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix in 2012 and began his UFC career with wins over former heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, before making the decision to move down to 205 pounds as his teammate Cain Velazquez was the heavyweight champion at the time.
https://youtu.be/4NCHPFS7VzQ?si=PPthrGer2lHnEjBH
Cormier submitted Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in 2015 to claim the vacant light heavyweight title, and three years later, he made the decision to move up and challenge then-champion Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. He shocked the world by knocking out Miocic in the first round, although the Cleveland-born firefighter gained his revenge by beating Cormier twice in 2019/2020, retiring him from the sport.
Image: Robert Whittaker Instagram
ROBERT WHITTAKER
“Bobby Knuckles” signed with the UFC back in 2012 off the back of some impressive performances on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and had mixed results during his time competing in the welterweight division. He won three of his first five fights, but losses to Court McGee and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson convinced Whittaker to test the waters at 185 pounds.
What followed was an eight-fight winning streak, wins over the likes of Yoel Romero and “Jacare” Souza and the UFC middleweight title. Whittaker lost the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2022 but is still riding high in the division and finds himself in the title picture once again after his recent knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov.
HENRY CEJUDO
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist won his first four fights inside the Octagon to earn a shot at then-UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson back in 2016. Although Cejudo was knocked out in the first round, he soon worked his way back into title contention with some impressive victories over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis.
The rematch was a much closer affair, and “Triple C” ended Johnson’s record-breaking title reign and emerged victorious by way of a contentious split decision. A year later he moved up to 135lbs to challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant UFC bantamweight title. He finished Moraes and then beat former champion Dominick Cruz in his first title defence in 2020, before relinquishing his belt and announcing his retirement, in what seemed like a power play due to contract issues with the UFC.
3 Fighters Who Moved Down A Weight Division…With Disastrous Results!
TJ DILLASHAW
TJ Dillashaw enjoyed two separate runs as UFC bantamweight champion. He shocked the MMA world when he destroyed Renan Barao at UFC 173 to capture the 135-pound belt. After losing the title to Dominck Cruz two years later, he regrouped and beat Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker to earn another shot at gold.
He knocked out former teammate Cody Garbrandt (who had won the belt from Cruz a year earlier), and after finishing “No Love” again in a rematch, made the decision to cut to 125 pounds to challenge Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title.
The decision proved disastrous. Dillashaw was knocked out after just 32 seconds, and a couple of months later it was announced he had been suspended for two years by USADA due to testing positive for EPO in the lead-up to the Cejudo fight.
He returned after his suspension ended and beat Cory Sandhagen to earn another shot at the 135-pound belt but went into the fight against Aljamain Sterling carrying a serious shoulder injury and was finished easily. He has since walked away from the sport.
CODY GARBRANDT
Cody Garbrandt came into that first bantamweight title fight with TJ Dillashaw unbeaten at 10-0 and riding high off the back of a career-best performance against Dominick Cruz. The two losses he suffered at the hands of Dillashaw seemed to affect him badly. He was also knocked out by Pedro Munhoz in his next fight, and although he would claim a highlight reel finish over Raphael Assuncao in 2020, a defeat to Rob Font soon afterwards convinced him a change was needed.
Image: Cody Garbrandt Instagram
With no discernible path back into the bantamweight picture, “No Love” decided to make the cut to 125 pounds for a fight against Australian flyweight contender Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. Another first-round knockout defeat followed, and Garbrandt stepped away from the spotlight for a much-needed break.
His return to the bantamweight division has been a little less calamitous. Wins over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher, followed by a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300, have hinted that perhaps his future lies slightly outside of the title picture for now, but most definitely should be at 135 pounds.
DAN HOOKER
“The Hangman” picked up a string of impressive wins in the UFC’s lightweight division between 2017 and 2021, beating the likes of Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Gilbert Burns, and Jim Miller. His record at 155 pounds during that five-year spell sits at eight wins and four defeats, but losses against the biggest names in the division such as Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev convinced the Australian to think about a move down to featherweight.
Image: UFC.com
His featherweight debut against Arnold Allen in London, England ended disastrously. At six-feet tall, Hooker looked frail and weakened at 145 pounds and Allen destroyed him in little over two minutes. Hooker has since returned to the lightweight division and reeled off victories over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
One thing we know for certain: finding the right weight class is of paramount importance for a fighter. It can be the defining factor between a promising career and a championship legacy in the highly demanding world of the UFC.
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“My money’s on Yan,” Dillashaw said (via MiddleEasy). “The way that fight went down and to kind of see Aljamain just break and give up… he really didn’t have much for him. I was kind of expecting Sterling to give him a lot more trouble in the grappling aspects and the takedowns. Yan just kind of shrugged them off. [Sterling] had no strength. I don’t know if there’s much, you can change with that.”
The way the fight between Sterling and Yan ended, with a disqualification knee to a downed opponent, left a lot of questions unanswered. Sterling will have another opportunity to show the world that he is the rightful owner of that 135-pound belt. It is clear that Dillashaw believes that Yan is the one to beat in that matchup.
“Yan’s a killer. You see the way he fights, he stays real tight, stays clean, and he’s got the mentality that he’s a fighter,” Dillashaw said. “You got those competitors, you got athletes, and then you got fighters. Guys like myself and guys like Yan are the full package, you do all of them.”
Sterling has been taking quite a bit of heat from all sides since he won the belt in the way he did back in March. Dillashaw might have his chance at Sterling if “The Funk Master” is victorious at UFC 273. If that fight takes place, Dillashaw believes he has what it takes to defeat him.
“I feel like Sterling is more of a competitor or an athlete. He doesn’t have that fighting spirit in him. He’s a little bit weak when it comes to that last thing.”
Who do you think will bring him the belt at UFC 273, Sterling or Yan?
TJ Dillashaw would be open to a fight with José Aldo.
TJ Dillashaw knows what it is like to be a UFC champion. He was on top of the bantamweight division for three years before having to serve a suspension for a failed drug test. Now that Dillashaw is back and ready to continue his UFC career, he has one goal in mind, which is to regain his lost title.
“Let’s be honest, I left as a champion,” Dillashaw told ESPN. “I came back, fought a No. 1 contender after a 2.5-year layoff. I was able to beat him. What else is there for me? Nothing is going to get me up and excited except getting my belt back. That’s my goal. There’s nothing else for me to really set my eyes on.”
Dillashaw is in a bit of a holding pattern right now. He suffered an injury that required him to undergo surgery. His last bout was back in July when he defeated interim title challenger Cory Sandhagen. Although the surgery went well, Dillashaw still has some healing to do. He spoke a bit about his timeline for return.
“I wouldn’t say an exact timeframe, but I imagine halfway through the year,” he explained. “I’m able to hit mitts, strength, and conditioning. I haven’t done any grappling yet. That’s the last thing I’ll feel comfortable about again. And then I have to start thinking about getting into a camp.”
TJ Dillashaw Open To Fighting José Aldo
Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
“I think he has called me out after every one of his fights recently which is amazing,” Dillashaw said. “I’ve looked up to Aldo, I think everyone has looked up to Aldo. Aldo’s been like one of the godfathers of the lower weight classes, but we’ll have our time, he keeps doing what he’s doing, I’m going to get my belt back, and then it would be really amazing.”
Aldo recently won three in a row at bantamweight and could be in the title hunt himself. A possible #1-contender fight with Dillashaw could be an interesting one and a real possibility depending on what happens with Sterling vs. Yan at UFC 273.
Do you think Dillashaw will get a title shot without fighting José Aldo first?
The former bantamweight champion has since claimed that he used EPO to assist in his weight cut to 125 pounds and wasn’t meant to give him an added boost in the cage. He was tested 25 times by USADA over the past year.
Dillashaw & Costa Both Fought Once In 2021
Cory Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw
Dillashaw made his long-awaited return to the cage in 2021 against rising bantamweight Cory Sandhagen, earning a split-decision win in a Fight of the Year contender.
Costa was tested 23 times in 2021, which could be seen as a bit surprising given his relative inactivity in the UFC over the past few years. He faced Marvin Vettori in a catchweight bout in his lone fight of the year, losing via a unanimous decision in a back-and-forth contest.
Just above Dillashaw and Costa on the list was Misha Cirkunov, as the middleweight and former light heavyweight was tested by USADA on 27 separate occasions.
As the new year begins, Dillashaw looks to earn another bantamweight title shot, while Costa is looking to get back on track in the middleweight conversation.
What are your predictions for TJ Dillashaw and Paulo Costa in 2022?
Sean Strickland is taking aim at all fighters who have failed USADA testing, especially TJ Dillashaw.
Sean Stickland is a fighter who is constantly in the news for things he says. Whether he is calling out fighters or starting drama, he is not one to hold back. His latest target is on all fighters who have failed drug testing. Strickland went on a Twitter rampage on Thursday to call out for stricter punishments for U.S Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violations.
Only thing @usantidoping is good at is catching broke fighters who can't afford good shit lol! Steroids should be a life time ban.. @TJDillashaw is the absolute scum of the earth and should never be allowed to compete I'm the UFC again.. You ruined people's careers you're scum.
“Only thing @usantidoping is good at is catching broke fighters who can’t afford good shit lol! Steroids should be a lifetime ban,” Strickland wrote. “@TJDillashaw is the absolute scum of the earth and should never be allowed to compete I’m the UFC again. You ruined people’s careers you’re scum.”
Strickland is mentioning TJ Dillashaw by name in his Tweet. Dillashaw has just returned from a two-year suspension after failing a USADA drug test back in 2019. Since the USADA program was instated by the UFC back in 2015, 127 fighters have been handed suspension due to violations, according to the USADA website. Of those 127 fighters, the length of suspensions can range from four months to two years. Some fighters have been simply given a warning.
Nick Diaz was famously suspended for five years following his drug test failures but that was by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, not USADA. Strickland does not see these timeframes as sufficient enough punishments. He would like to see any fighter testing positive be banned for life. He even went in on Jon Jones as well. When asked about Jones specifically, Strickland responded.
Greatest fighter to ever step in the ufc… completely erased by doping
“Greatest fighter to ever step in the ufc completely erased by doping,” he wrote.
Jones was suspended by USADA for the use of Clomiphen and Letrozole back 2016. His suspension lasted one year. He was then suspended for 15 months in 2018 for Chlorine-substituted Anabolic Steroid.
Many fighters will just simply return to fighting following suspension. If it were up to Strickland, that would not be the case. Strickland has also recently targeted middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for what Strickland believes is physical evidence of drug use.
Do you think UFC fighters should receive harsher punishments for USADA violations?
Former champions José Aldo and TJ Dillashaw could be on a collision course at bantamweight, and UFC president Dana White wants to book it.
Aldo and Dillashaw are undoubtedly two of the top bantamweights in the world at the moment after each earned wins this year. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will more than likely face Petr Yan in a rematch next, which opens the conversation to who could be the next top contender.
In a division that is stacked from top-to-bottom, Dillashaw and Aldo have managed to beat some of the top guys to earn a spot in the title picture.
“I love it,” White said. “Yeah, I love it. That’s a fun fight. And it’s #2 versus #3. Do that fight, see who gets the next title shot.”
José Aldo Vs. TJ Dillashaw Would Surely Be A No. 1 Contender Fight
Aldo most recently dominantly defeated Rob Font in the UFC Vegas 44 main event. In a matchup of two elite strikers, Aldo proved that he remains on top of his game despite being the promotion for many years.
Dillashaw recently returned from a lengthy USADA suspension to squeak out a split decision win against the always-dangerous Cory Sandhagen in July. After undergoing recent knee surgery, he’s been sidelined and is anticipating a return sometime early next year.
Aldo and Dillashaw at one point were considered two of the top fighters in the world, as both men earned titles at featherweight and bantamweight, respectively. White sounds just as pumped up as nearly everyone else for a potential matchup between the two.
How do you think a TJ Dillashaw vs. José Aldo fight would play out?
