“Was going to get my title back” – TJ Dillashaw claps back at a top journo for his “borderline fraud” comment against him at UFC 280

In his defeat against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, TJ Dillashaw gained some respect. With one injured arm, the former champion fought his damnedest to compete against the bantamweight champion, and when the fight inexorably went against him, he didn’t look for a way out. After this fight, even Dillashaw’s detractors showed him some reluctant respect.

But, then the post-fight interview took place, and Dillashaw disclosed that his shoulder has been hurt for more than six months and was constantly popping out. Following that, fans protested, and MMA pundit Luke Thomas called him out for choosing to compete as “borderline fraud“. Dillashaw spoke about the criticism he’s faced during an appearance on The MMA Hour.

Lieutenant Dan responded to Luke Thomas, saying, “Like he thinks I went in there to collect a paycheck. I went in there with the utmost belief that I was going to win, and I was going to get my title back, something I’ve been waiting to do for three-and-a-half years and chomping at the bit.”

TJ Dillashaw believed he could have beaten  Aljamain Sterling even with one arm, especially after beating Cory Sandhagen with an injured leg in his previous match. But in the end, things didn’t pan out the way he wanted them to. Even after losing his match to Sterling, Dillashaw believes Sterling to be the easiest champion to beat currently in UFC.

Read More: Why was TJ Dillashaw banned from fighting?

TJ Dillashaw provides more insight into his horrible shoulder injury

Later on the show, Dillashaw described that he took a bet on himself at UFC 280. The 34-year-old fighter was aware that getting surgery first and then attempting to return would have been risky because of his age. However, he didn’t want to lose his title opportunity 

“I took a gamble as well, and that’s why it’s called f—king gambling. You don’t know the situation. I took a gamble. I could have sat out and got surgery, but when I come back, who knows if I’m going to get a title shot right away” Dillashaw said.

Also Read: “Dealing with shoulder issues since 2017” – TJ Dillashaw reveals how messed up his shoulder was before Aljamain Sterling fight at UFC 280

Dillashaw revealed that he had been dealing with his shoulder injury since 2017 and got it operated back in 2019. But, the problem was never fully solved and his shoulder popped out every now and then. “Lieutenant Dan” then disclosed that he even blew out his shoulder when he was coaching the Ultimate Fighter doing the coaches’ challenge playing tetherball above a pool. Nevertheless, TJ is positive about his health and said it was not the end of the journey and promised to come back after his surgery.

Also Read: Crowd chants “EPO” during TJ Dillashaw’s faceoff against Aljamain Sterling ahead of UFC 280

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