UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes T.J. Dillashaw is doing whatever he can to gain a competitive edge in their upcoming title clash at UFC 280.
Sterling referenced former champion Dillashaw’s failed drug test in 2019. ‘Lieutenant Dan’ tested positive for EPO following his TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the men’s flyweight title.
Dillashaw announced in March 2019 that he was voluntarily relinquishing his bantamweight title before USADA gave their verdict, which was a two-year suspension.
Sterling called out the 36-year-old after defeating Petr Yan at UFC 273, referring to him as ‘Pillashaw’ whilst he sat cageside. In an interview with Submission Radio, ‘Funk Master’ admitted that his trashtalking and drug references are a ploy to get into Dillashaw’s head, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the former champ tried to cheat once again:
“I like to talk sh*t before a fight because it makes the fight interesting… If I had to make a prediction then there’s definitely no doubt in my mind that guy is fighting some type of doctor or microdosing or however that sh*t works. I guarantee you he’s finding some type of way to get an edge once again as he’s done his entire UFC career.”
Catch the full Submission Radio interview with Aljamain Sterling here:
Chael Sonnen unsure who will win between Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has shared that he has u-turned on multiple occasions when it comes to making his prediction for the UFC 280 bout between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw.
‘Funk Master’ will be looking to make his second 135lb title defense when he steps into the octagon with former champion Dillashaw. ‘The American Gangster’ believes Sterling’s second fight with Yan showed levels he hadn’t seen from the champ before, which makes picking the fight so difficult.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
“I knew [Aljamain Sterling] was really good. I recognized him as the world champion when he went in there and fought [Petr] Yan—a lot of people were resisting that—I didn’t know he was that good… I didn’t realize Aljo was an absolute master of positions on the ground. Aljo on someone’s back, I’ve never seen anything like it. Gordon Ryan isn’t as good on somebody’s back as Aljo is.”
Sonnen added that had this fight happened a few years prior, he would have given the edge to T.J. Dillashaw. The UFC Hall of Famer suggested this could be one of the toughest fights to predict this year and he has almost no confidence in picking either Sterling or Dillashaw.
Catch Chael Sonnen’s prediction here: