The former UFC bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw, is coming for the 135-pound strap. Dillashaw, who never lost the title, but instead was stripped of the title following a positive drug test for EPO, is set to face current champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, and detailed his plan to become the “135-pound GOAT” in a recent interview with ESPN.
“When I’m champ again it’s going to be great. I never left. I never lost my belt in this weight class. Yeah, I was stripped, but I never actually physically lost it. People forget how dominant I was because I hadn’t been in there. I hadn’t been performing. I hold a lot of records in the bantamweight division and just because of the time off, they forget.
Dillashaw Seeks “135-Pound GOAT Status”
So I’m going to have to remind them all who the best is, who the best pound-for-pound is, and that 135-pound GOAT, I’m coming for it.”
T.J. Dillashaw enjoyed three successful title defenses, but his claim here is not entirely correct. He did, in fact, lose the belt to Dominick Cruz, back in January 2016. Dillashaw later reclaimed the belt from Cody Garbrandt before being stripped of the title.
Dillashaw’s drug cheating offense has been the main target for much of Aljamain Sterling’s pre-fight trash talk, which the former champ feels is just a feeble form of “mental warfare”. “I try not to hold much ill when I fight.
I know I fight better when I’m just relaxed, having fun. I learned something early in my career after I had a grudge match with Dominick Cruz, I fight better just letting things go. You’ve got to find your own mental stability on where you perform best and me, it’s getting out there and showing off and having a good time.
I feel like if you’ve got to build something up, I think he’s already building excuses of why I’m going to beat him and trying to play that mental warfare, but it ain’t going to work with me.”
A third title run, if successful, could cement Dillashaw’s “GOAT status”. Bantamweight is today one of the most heavily stacked divisions in the UFC, with potential champions throughout the upper rankings.
“It’s super exciting to see what the weight class has done and how it’s evolved. It’s always been a super exciting weight class, we’ve always had guys getting out there and banging. High energy, lots of technique, tons of knockouts, so it’s a weight class that’s always been very entertaining and now we’ve got the personalities to back it up.
The list is endless for me to defend my belt against once I get it back.” Do you think T.J. Dillashaw has earned “GOAT status,” or does he need to prove himself further? Let us know in the comments.
