Tag: T.J. Dillashaw

T.J. Dillashaw: Ilia Topuria best fighter in UFC, more skilled than Jon Jones

T.J. Dillashaw has a bold take on UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] has a bold take on UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Undefeated Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is coming off back-to-back knockouts of featherweight greats Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and Max Holloway at UFC 308 in title fights.

Dillashaw doesn’t just see Topuria as the best boxer in the UFC.

“I think Topuria’s the best fighter in the UFC right now,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON Podcast.”

Pound-for-pound over [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]?

“I mean, not off of resume, no,” Dillashaw answered. “But off his skills, yes.”

Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) is currently ranked No. 2 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, whereas Topuria sits at No. 4. Dillashaw, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, was asked how he would have approached Topuria if the two were to ever have fought. He admits he’d have a hard time.

“It’d be a tough fight, dude,” Dillashaw said. “He’s a firecracker. I would have to use what I was hoping Holloway was going to do is use some more angles, right? Never stand in front of the guy. He’s fast, his boxing’s crisp. I would try to get outside his shoulders to try to switch my stances up.

“Fight him orthodox and southpaw. I would definitely be using my kicks a lot more. Yeah, he can block kicks, but it keeps him at a further distance, right, setting up my kicks. Yeah, I would definitely try to wrestle with him. I would say his striking’s more dangerous than his grappling, but his grappling’s great, as well.”

Topuria has recently teased a potential move up to lightweight, where he made one appearance at UFC Fight Night 204 in March 2022 – scoring a thunderous knockout of Jai Herbert.

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T.J. Dillashaw: UFC spent millions trying to make Cody Garbrandt the next Conor McGregor

According to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC invested heavily in Cody Garbrandt hoping he’d reach Conor McGregor’s level of stardom.

According to [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag], the UFC heavily invested in [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].

Dillashaw ended up fighting former training partner Garbrandt twice after he fell out with Team Alpha Male. The pair coached Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and tensions reached a boiling point during the filming of the show.

Garbrandt was an undefeated bantamweight champion during that time after he put on a masterclass against Dominick Cruz to dethrone him. Dillashaw says the UFC put a lot of stock into “No Love” leading up to their title fight.

“He had a lot of pressure on him, as well,” Dillashaw said of Garbrandt on “The Casuals MMA” podcast. “He had an amazing fight against Cruz. I’ve never seen Cody Garbrandt be that good. His style is perfect for Cruz. He’s by far the fastest human being I’ve ever trained with when it comes to reaction times and how quick he is. He’s got great wrestling, and he’s got power in his hands, so it was a perfect matchup for him. Coming off that, the UFC was like, ‘Hey, this is our next big horse. Let’s put some money into him.’

“So they marketed the sh*t out of him, put him in a bunch of commercials, got some celebrities behind him. From what I was told, they put like $6 million into marketing him before our fight, gave us ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ So he went to massive stardom, way bigger than me – fast. They wanted him to be the next Conor McGregor, like run your mouth. I wouldn’t say he’s the sharpest tool in the shed to be able to be able to do something like that. He says sh*t, and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Dillashaw ended up getting the best of Garbrandt by knockout in two-straight title fights. Since beating Cruz, Garbrandt has struggled to remain at the top of the bantamweight ladder, going 3-6 in his next nine fights.

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T.J. Dillashaw: Max Holloway ‘got too comfortable’ vs. Ilia Topuria at UFC 308

T.J. Dillashaw thinks Max Holloway wasn’t defensively responsible enough against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] wasn’t defensively responsible enough against [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) retained his featherweight title in this past Saturday’s UFC 308 headliner by becoming the first fighter to knock out Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC). The power difference was evident early, but Holloway was starting to find success with his jab in Rounds 2 and 3 before Topuria landed a blistering left hook to sit him down.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dillashaw credited Holloway for circling well in the first couple of rounds but thinks “Blessed” ultimately got too comfortable standing in front of Topuria and exchanging, which cost him.

“I think he (Holloway) got too comfortable in the second round,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON Podcast.” “He started piecing him (Topuria) up, right? He’s using his distance, he had a great jab, he’s hammering his jab, and Max is a volume guy.

“His volume’s working, he gets better and better as the fight goes on, and I think when it got into the third round, he got a little comfortable, and Topuria’s fast as f*ck. He did that slapping hook to get his hands away from his face with that overhand right and then it changed everything.”

Dillashaw heaped praise on Topuria’s boxing, calling him No. 1 the UFC’s ever had.

“He could be a boxer,” Dillashaw said of Topuria. “Legitimately I feel like he could be an actual boxer. I think he’s the best boxer that’s been in the UFC cage in my opinion, technique wise. …He makes you miss with like the littlest movements.

“He’s not dramatic. He keeps his weight underneath him. His feet are always perfectly underneath him, he can throw power at any time, and he makes you miss just by a little bit. He’s got his head motion just a little bit off the line. You throw a jab, he slips it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

T.J. Dillashaw: ‘More dangerous’ Cory Sandhagen pieces up Sean O’Malley

T.J. Dillashaw thinks Cory Sandhagen is a bad matchup for Sean O’Malley.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] is a bad matchup for [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag].

Sandhagen called for O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) after “The Suga Show” lost his bantamweight title to Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) by unanimous decision in the UFC 306 main event at Sphere in Las Vegas. Dillashaw thought Dvalishvili made O’Malley look very weak in the fight.

Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) thinks fans would salivate for a striking battle between him and O’Malley, but former champion Dillashaw thinks it wouldn’t even be competitive.

“I think he pieces Sean up,” Dillashaw said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “When they were getting ready to give a title fight to someone, I thought that Sandhagen would’ve been a dope fight for him. I think Sandhagen’s just better at what O’Malley is good at, to be honest. He’s just more dangerous. But O’Malley’s got great feints. I would love to see that fight.”

Dillashaw knows first hand how good Sandhagen is on the feet. He fought Sandhagen in July 2021, edging him out in a close decision win by using his grappling.

However, Sandhagen may not get his desired fight with O’Malley just yet, after O’Malley announced that he’s set to undergo surgery Oct. 3 for a torn labrum in his left hip, which he suffered 10 weeks prior to his fight with Dvalishvili.

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T.J. Dillashaw: Merab Dvalishvili made Sean O’Malley look very weak at UFC 306

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw gives his opinion on Merab Dvalishvili’s title win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] didn’t expect [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] to look that dominant in his first UFC championship fight.

Dillashaw, a former UFC bantamweight champion, was taken away by how Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) looked against [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 306 earlier this month in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili took the 135-pound title from O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), outpointing him in a unanimous decision.

“It’s not that I didn’t expect it,” Dillashaw said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “I knew that it was very close on the betting odds and when I had to go and pick this fight, I knew that Merab had a chance to just pressure the f*ck out of him. The guy is the Tasmanian Devil. He never stops and continues to shoot shots. I knew it was a possibility, but I thought – especially after watching how O’Malley has composed himself and how well he’s done on his feet using his feints, distance and angles – I thought he’d be able to keep that distance and control, be hard to take down and spark him. That’s what I thought could happen, as well.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this easy for Merab. Merab made him look weak – very weak.”

Dillashaw does think O’Malley has the technique to beat Dvalishvili, and is not ruling him out to win should they rematch in the future.

“O’Malley has the skills to beat this guy. He just didn’t use them,” Dillashaw said. “You can feint to freeze him, get outside his shoulder, so the takedowns are not there.”

Dvalishvili now holds wins over several former champions including Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and now O’Malley. Although not official, many expect him to make his first title defense against undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

In defeat, O’Malley came up short in his second title defense attempt. Prior to the loss, his only other defeat was a 2020 injury TKO to Marlon Vera. He won the title against Aljamain Sterling in August 2023 and defended against Marlon Vera in March.

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T.J. Dillashaw: Anthony Smith a quitter, ‘not good enough’ to become UFC champion

As far as T.J. Dillashaw is concerned, Anthony Smith will never be UFC champion material.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] roasted [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] after UFC 303.

Smith (38-20 MMA, 13-10 UFC) came to the realization that his championship aspirations are unlikely after he suffered a unanimous decision loss to short-notice replacement Roman Dolidze last month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

After watching his fight, Dillashaw mocked Smith’s nickname “Lionheart” on the “JAXXON PODCAST.”

“No, never,” Dillashaw said of Smith becoming champion. “Dude, he’s not good enough. OK, so he gives up. Did he give himself that name or what? He gives up in there.”

When watching Smith vs. Dolidze play out, Dillashaw, the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, said he didn’t see the fight in Smith.

“The second round (vs. Dolidze), he doesn’t even try to f*cking stand up,” Dillashaw said. “Roman’s on his back; he doesn’t even try to stand up. I don’t give a sh*t. I’m fighting until I die, dog. I’m fighting with one arm, I’m doing whatever I can.”
Smith reached a light heavyweight title shot in 2019 when he faced none other than Jon Jones at UFC 235. Smith opted not to look for an easy win when he was struck with an illegal knee by Jones and decided to continue fighting. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.
After losing to Jones, Smith alternated wins and losses, with his opposition ranging from former champions to top contenders to rising prospects.
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Ex-UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw shares grim outlook on injury that forced retirement: ‘It’s f*cking depressing’

T.J. Dillashaw’s injured shoulder might never be the same again, and he’s all but closed the door on returning to the UFC.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] doubts he’ll be able to compete again.

The former two-time UFC bantamweight champion underwent multiple shoulder surgeries after losing his title fight to Aljamain Sterling in October 2022. Dillashaw went into the fight injured and wound up dislocating his shoulder during the fight.

It’s been a long road to recovery for 38-year-old Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC), who is still in the healing process. When asked by Quinton “Rampage” Jackson if he still wants to chase his goal of becoming a jiu-jitsu blackbelt, Dillashaw did not provide a positive response.

“I can’t even raise my arm up in the air yet,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “I don’t even know if my shoulder is ever going to be the same again. It’s f*cking depressing. As a competitor, you have to be delusionally optimistic, but that’s also what got me in this position, too. It’s just gotten worse and worse from each surgery.

“I had a massive surgery. I went to the world’s best specialist, and it’s like he’s never seen anything like it. It looked like a bomb went off in there. … There is a lot of healing to be done, and I’m hoping that maybe it’s just like me staying after my PTs is going to make it better and better and better, but this is my third surgery since my last fight, and it’s not looking good.”

Dillashaw retired after losing to Sterling but said he’d consider returning if his shoulder healed. But with his shoulder still causing him problems, Dillashaw appears to have closed the door on returning entirely.

“It’s exciting, and it’s sad at the same time.” Dillashaw said of watching fights. “Like, I’m f*cking done, you know what I mean? I was forced out of the sport, and it sucks. I feel like I had so much more to give still. It is exciting. That’s the way I look at it.”

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T.J. Dillashaw thinks Cory Sandhagen will be UFC champ if he tops Umar Nurmagomedov

T.J. Dillashaw believes Cory Sandhagen would beat UFC bantamweight champ Sean O’Malley “all day,” but he’s got a big test first.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] could be UFC champion right now.

In order to get that opportunity, Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) has to get past [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in the UFC on ABC 7 main event, which takes place Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Former champion Dillashaw’s last octagon win came over Sandhagen when he edged him out in a back-and-forth battle in July 2021. While Dillashaw sees Sandhagen beating UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], he thinks Nurmagomedov is a more stern test for him.

“It is a tough fight,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “I think Sandhagen should be champion right now. He’d beat O’Malley all day. I think that’s the toughest fight for O’Malley in the weight class. (If) Sandhagen gets through this fight, he’ll be world champion.

“This is a tough one for him to get through, though. I don’t like this fight for him. I hope that he gets through it. The guy he’s fighting is a dog. He’s a good wrestler – he can hold him down.”

Despite being the far more experienced fighter, Sandhagen opened up as a slight underdog against Nurmagomedov.

“It is very dangerous for both of them because Cory’s next up for a title fight (if) he wins this one,” Dillashaw said. “Umar’s trying to get to the top, and (now Sandhagen) needs to go back down a couple steps (for this fight). So I think it’s dangerous for both of them, but that’s what makes it a great f*cking fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Abu Dhabi.

T.J. Dillashaw was rooting for ex-rival Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300: ‘I hate to see a fighter lose his confidence’

Despite their history, T.J. Dillashaw was hoping Cody Garbrandt would get his hand raised at UFC 300.

Despite their history, [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] was hoping [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] would get his hand raised at UFC 300.

Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was submitted by Deiveson Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) in Round 2 of their bantamweight bout this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

Dillashaw thought Garbrandt was capable of winning, and went as far as praising his former rival.

“I thought Garbrandt was going to get the win,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “I think he’s the all-around better athlete. They both have power – we know that going into the fight. Figueiredo’s got power at ’25s, but it’s translated and we’ve seen it at ’35s, as well. Garbrandt’s got power – he’s just so fast. He’s like the fastest person I’ve ever trained with, fought against – insanely fast. His fast twitch is crazy.

“I thought that he’d get the win. I was hoping he’d get the win, I was actually rooting for him, even with all the bullsh*t drama going on between him and us fighting each other. I was rooting for him. I hate to see a fighter lose his confidence because when you lose your confidence, your skills go downhill. If you’re not going to believe in yourself when you get in there, then you’re not going to be able to do what you can do to the fullest.”

Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt in back-to-back title fights at UFC 217 and UFC 227. The former bantamweight champion says Garbrandt’s chin has since deteriorated, which made him more tentative while fighting.

“He unfortunately doesn’t have a chin anymore,” Dillashaw said. “People have seen that. He can get cracked, and he’s gotten knocked out after I beat him. He got knocked out a few more times, so everyone was ridiculing him for getting knocked out and for being overly aggressive, not having good defense. Now they want to hate him for being too defensive.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

T.J. Dillashaw: Alexander Volkanovski ‘was fighting scared’ at UFC 298, led to Ilia Topuria’s knockout

T.J. Dillashaw says he could tell during the fight that Alexander Volkanovski was scared of Ilia Topuria’s power.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] questions [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s game plan vs. [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his featherweight title to Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) by second-round knockout in Saturday’s UFC 298 main event at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Dillashaw thinks Volkanovski looked uncharacteristically tentative and feared Topuria’s power.

“He was only throwing kicks. I know he was scared of the power,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “You can tell the way he was fighting, he was very scared of Topuria’s power, which he should be to an extent, but he’s never fought like that in the past. The first two rounds, all he was doing was throwing kicks. He wasn’t setting them up. He was just throwing them. He was expecting Topuria to block them.

“I was thinking he was trying to slow down his arms because every time you block a kick, it’s like getting a charley horse in your arm. Every time you get hit there, more blood comes to it. It slows his arms down. So, I was thinking maybe he’s slowing down his arms by throwing kicks and getting him to block, because he wasn’t setting them up. He wasn’t throwing kicks to knock him out. You could tell because if he was trying to do that, you’d throw a combo, finish with a kick, hopefully catch him.”

Dillashaw also didn’t like Volkanovski’s body language whenever Topuria would press forward.

“Every time Topuria would get close, he’d be like backing out and leaning away,” Dillashaw continued. “As soon as I saw that, I was like, ‘Damn, he’s going to get caught.’ He was fighting scared. He was worried about the power. I’m a huge Volk fan. I was wanting him to win. … He just kept leaning away, leaning away from everything and leaning away from the power.

“It was only a matter of time before Topuria caught him because that guy stays so tight. He’s so composed in his boxing, and his combos are great. I think that’s where it went wrong. He was scared. He was afraid of his power and fought scared. Topuria didn’t have anything to lose, Volk had all of it to lose, and he fought that way. He fought scared of his power.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.