ABU DHABI – Aljamain Sterling doesn’t think T.J. Dillashaw’s injury was the reason he dominated him.
Bantamweight champion Sterling (22-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) stifled Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) with his grappling en route to a second-round TKO in Saturday’s UFC 280 co-main event at Etihad Arena.
Dillashaw revealed that his shoulder popped out numerous times throughout training camp, and that he dislocated it again early in Round 1. But Sterling, who has used his grappling to dominate many top contenders, says controlling Dillashaw on the ground was inevitable – regardless of the injury.
“I understand the pain that he definitely had to deal with going through that, but he had the two shoulder surgeries during his suspension,” Sterling told reporters at the UFC 280 post-fight press conference. “I took him down, his shoulders were in the socket before the takedown. They were in the socket before the round ended as far as I’m concerned.
“I full mounted him, I rolled his arms up, I flattened him out, I’d like to think that I’m the one that caused it to come out the socket again. So, he can say whatever he wants, but I don’t think socket or not, that that fight wasn’t gonna get any better for him.”
Sterling wasn’t fond of Dillashaw immediately revealing that he was injured. He says he also came into the fight compromised, but wasn’t going to make any excuses if he lost – even though he still thinks Dillashaw is using performance-enhancing drugs.
“For him to go out and do that, I think it just kind of shows his personality,” Sterling said. “And I said it before, for a guy who needs to do PEDs, they have a chink in the armor for this guy to lose and the first thing he went for was that. I’m like dude, you’re just gonna make it seem like your shoulder just came out by itself, brother? I like to think I had something to do with that.”
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