TJ Dillashaw is finally set to return on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 against Cory Sandhagen.
After Dillashaw suffered a quick TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title, he was flagged and suspended by USADA for two years for a positive drug test. After the news came public, Dillashaw was honest with what he did and accepted the suspension.
Now, over two-and-a-half years later, Dillashaw will make the walk to the Octagon against Sandhagen in a highly-anticipated bout. For the former champ, he says this fight will prove he still is the best bantamweight alive.
“If you don’t have something to prove in life, then you aren’t living. No matter if it’s fighting or your day-to-day job, you need that push, that drive,” Dillashaw said on the UFC promo for his video. “What I need to prove is I’m the best in the world. I want that belt back more than anything. I never lost it and I’m coming back to reclaim it. Daddy’s home.”
Of course, Dillashaw never lost his bantamweight title as he vacated it before the suspension was announced. If Dillashaw can get his hand raised here, he will likely earn a title shot against the winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan.
Right now, however, the focus for Dillashaw is on Sandhagen and the task at hand. He has all the confidence in the world he still is the best bantamweight in the world and will prove that on Saturday.
“It’s going to be a dogfight. I’ll take you to the depths of hell and if you are willing to follow me, I’ll take you further. These new guys think they can pass me by but I’m the best guy in the weight division and I’m coming back to prove it,” Dillashaw concluded.