ABU DHABI – T.J. Dillashaw has gone through much adversity to get to UFC 280, and now he’s on the doorstep of making history inside the octagon.
Dillashaw (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC), a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, will get a chance to join Randy Couture as the only fighters in UFC history with three title reigns in a single division when he challenges Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the co-main event of Saturday’s card, which takes place at Etihad Arena and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNNews and ESPN+.
Dillashaw, who was forced to relinquish the 135-pound belt after a positive drug test in January 2019 that resulted in a two-year suspension, has waited a long time to get himself back in this spot. And he said Sterling isn’t going to be the one who thwarts him from getting back atop the mountain.
“I’m going to finish him,” Dillashaw told MMA Junkie. “I’m going to break him. He doesn’t have the gas tank. He doesn’t have the full, well-rounded … he’s going to rely on some small skills that he’s good at that I don’t think are going to be an issue for me, and I’m going to break him by just being on him at all times, that constant pressure and then finishing him.”
The build to the UFC 280 clash between Dillashaw and Sterling has been volatile. Sterling has endlessly accused Dillashaw of continuing to to use performance-enhancing drugs in the aftermath of his suspension, and Dillashaw has taken it all in stride.
Dillashaw said his sees Sterling’s trash talk as a sign of weakness, and nothing that comes out of the champion’s mouth will distract him from the task at hand.
“That’s the name of the game with our sport, is drama,” Dillashaw said. “Some more than others. I think a big turning point for me is when I fought Dominick Cruz. I won the belt against Barao, defended against (Joe) Soto, defended against Barao, and I fought Dominick Cruz and there’s some media behind it, and he’s talking mad trash, and I hadn’t had to deal with that yet. The first time he got under my skin and I went out to that fight – still believe I won that fight – but tried to knock him. From the get-go tried to kick his head off, and I kept the fight too close because of it and learned through that fight that I’m a better fighter when I have fun.
“I’ve never been a guy that’s held on to it or had the animosity to want to like fight someone in the street. I’ve always been the guy that like, ‘I’m going to fight when I get paid.’ I’m a professional. I’m going to do it when I’m supposed to do it, and he can run his mouth all he wants. To be honest, I think it shows some insecurities, and it’s really just – he’s too into social media. It’s kind of a joke.”
If Dillashaw manages to regain UFC gold, he will sit atop arguably the deepest division in the sport. UFC president Dana White said this week that he sees Saturday’s featured bout between Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley as a title eliminator, and Dillashaw said he welcomes a clash with whomever comes out on top.
“Yan’s a killer. The way his demeanor is, the way he fights. Then O’Malley, he’s a great salesman. He does a great job. He put in a lot of work to be who he is as a personality, and he’s got some great timing. I’m giving the guy a chance,” Dillashaw said. “I think Yan wins, but I’m definitely giving him a chance.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
