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.

The 10 greatest UFC championship fight performances of all time, ranked

Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva highlight some of the greatest performances in UFC championship history.

The term “rising to the occasion” can often feel like a trite one in combat sports.

However, when looking deeper into the application of that saying, I noticed that many of the examples that come to mind – arguably across all sports – are instances that involve raised stakes and championship titles.

For the UFC, this generally falls under the category of championship titles given that they haven’t been awarding tournament titles since Dan Henderson beat Carlos Newton back at UFC 17 in 1998.

So, with this being such a broad topic to cover, I thought it would be fun to narrow down my favorite championship performances that have taken place in the UFC in the form of a top 10 list.

As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top ten.

So, without further ado…

T.J. Dillashaw rooting for Sean O’Malley at UFC 292, but Aljamain Sterling ‘is just too good’

T.J. Dillashaw doesn’t see Sean O’Malley beating Aljamain Sterling – even though he wants it to happen.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] beating [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] – even though he wants it to happen.

Bantamweight champion Sterling (23-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) defends his title against O’Malley (16-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) in the UFC 292 main event on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.

Dillashaw was dominated and stopped in the second round by Sterling in their title fight at UFC 280 in October – a fight where Dillashaw dislocated his shoulder early. He sees Sterling’s grappling being too much for O’Malley.

“I underestimated O’Malley when he fought Yan and things like that, but what Sterling is so good at is O’Malley’s biggest weakness,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON PODCAST with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. “I’m rooting for O’Malley just because he’s a good character for the sport, he’s great for the weight class.

“I’ve interacted with him actually, I like the guy, but Sterling is just too good. His pressure is going to be there to get the takedown, he’s for sure going to get the takedown, and he’s going to get the back. He’ll end up submitting him.”

It wasn’t all compliments from Dillashaw, who insists Sterling’s striking is not up to par.

“He’s a good wrestler, but he’s so desperate for the takedown because his striking sucks so bad,” Dillashaw continued. “I can tell that he’s been scared a lot. He’s gotten better at it, but he’s always been so scared that he’s like desperate. So, he’ll do whatever he can to get the takedown.

“He’ll shoot three, four times, you’ll stuff all of them, eventually he’ll get it. Where he’s good is he’s really good on the back, he has really good jiu-jitsu, and he’s strong. I felt him, even though I had one arm, I could still feel his pressure and how strong he was.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

T.J. Dillashaw didn’t want to retire, would return if shoulder heals: I’m ‘by far’ the best bantamweight

T.J. Dillashaw is struggling to come to terms with retirement.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] is struggling to come to terms with retirement.

Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) hung up his gloves after a TKO loss to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling last October at UFC 280 – a fight where he dislocated his shoulder.

Dillashaw, 37, already had dislocated his shoulder numerous times during training camp, and knew the risk of it happening again against Sterling. But the recurring shoulder injury has forced him to take a step back, and if he can get it fixed to a point where he can compete again, the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion absolutely plans on doing that.

“I know that I’m still the best guy in the weight class,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON PODCAST with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. “By far, I believe I’m the best guy in the weight class, and for the sport to be taken from me the way that it was, it just doesn’t sit well with me. It kind of pisses me off. If the shoulder’s good, I’m definitely – I have to get back in there. I can’t let it go out the way it did.”

If Dillashaw never gets to fight again, he’s not happy with the final chapter of his career. His fate lies on how his next shoulder surgery pans out which comes with it’s complications.

“I didn’t want to retire,” Dillashaw said. “It’s been an actual real bitter thing. It’s been hard for me to be around the sport recently like even helping my training partner Juan Archuleta fighting in Japan in Rizin for the belt. It’s been hard for me to wrap my head around being around the sport at the same time being forced out of it (and how my) career panned out the way it did toward the end. (I’m) really just bitter.

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T.J. Dillashaw struggles coming to terms with retirement: ‘I’m too good to hang ’em up’

T.J. Dillashaw, who is set for another shoulder surgery, expresses frustration that his body forced him into retirement.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] feels like he was forced into retirement.

Dillashaw hung up his gloves less than two months after a second-round TKO loss to champ Aljamain Sterling last October at UFC 280. Dillashaw, a former two-time champ at 135 pounds, entered the fight with an injured shoulder, which popped out in Round 1.

Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) had surgery on his shoulder after the fight, and it appears he’ll go under the knife once again. The 37-year-old took to Instagram to express his frustration on how he has a lot of fight left in him, but injuries have made it hard.

“This is retirement.
.
But in all honesty I’m pretty pissed that I didn’t get the chance to choose to retire. I feel that I’m too good to hang ’em up. Haven’t told many people but I have to go under the knife again for surgery because my first surgery didn’t take. Being told that my shoulder will never be good enough to compete again is hard to hear. I have been delaying my surgery trying to find a better solution 🤞.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq68oKcLJKb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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After finishing Cody Garbrandt a second-straight time in title fights, Dillashaw dropped down a division to challenge then-UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo in January 2019. He lost by first-round TKO.

Dillashaw later tested positive for EPO, receiving a two-year USADA suspension. He opted to vacate his bantamweight title. Dillashaw then returned from his suspension in 2021 and defeated current top contender Cory Sandhagen by split decision, which marked his final octagon win.

Farewell, fighters: A list of former UFC champs and more MMA notables who retired in 2022

The MMA world said goodbye to more than 35 notable fighters in 2022, from former UFC champions to future UFC Hall of Famers and more.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently fighters from the era that helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves to move on to the next chapters in their lives.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete and, perhaps more importantly, get a payday will continue to drive fighters back, even well beyond their expiration dates.

In 2022, there was an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are retired, and we have a list of those who opted to walk away last year.

Video: Did T.J. Dillashaw’s retirement explanation convince us he’s done?

As with any and every MMA retirement, there are valid questions about whether former UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw is permanently done with the sport.

After abruptly retiring from MMA competition earlier this month, former two-time UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] has finally spoken out about his decision.

In an interview with Brendan Schaub, the polarizing ex-titleholder Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) detailed how the serious shoulder injury that he entered his October showdown with current champ Aljamain Sterling is not going to be an easy thing to rehab, and it made him question whether continuing to fight was his best option, especially given he has a young son.

Although he did not 100 percent shut the door on ever fighting again, Dillashaw’s reasoning was understandable.

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But as with any and every MMA retirement, there are valid questions about whether it will stick for good.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia debated that topic with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. And don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

T.J. Dillashaw: Conor McGregor ‘not doing anything wrong’ by pulling out of USADA testing pool

T.J. Dillashaw agrees with Conor McGregor’s decision to remove himself from the USADA testing pool.

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] agrees with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s decision to remove himself from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency testing pool.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who broke his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, has not been tested in 2022. The way he looks bulked up right now has raised questions, but Dillashaw thinks McGregor made the right decision for his recovery.

McGregor would have to re-enter the pool and complete six months of testing before he’s eligible to compete again. So as long as his results come back clean in that time period, Dillashaw doesn’t care if McGregor has or hasn’t been using performance-enhancing drugs in his time away.

“We don’t have an offseason,” Dillashaw told Brendan Schaub on “Food Truck Diaries.” “We’re tested 365 days a year. You don’t get time to heal. You don’t get these down times. The guy is in movies, he’s doing all this sh*t, his leg is broken in half, and even if he were to take steroids to recover himself, he can’t compete with it in his system. So he’s not gonna have an advantage from taking what he’s taking. All he’s doing is healing. If you’re telling me that a guy can’t heal, who’s gonna make not only himself but the UFC hundreds of millions of dollars, that makes no sense not to. He’s not doing anything wrong.”

He continued, “I know he’s not fighting on the sh*t, so whatever. If he can heal the right way, he actually has a career – because I mean, you break your leg like that, you might never come back.”

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Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) is no stranger to being on the wrong end of USADA’s testing. The former two-time bantamweight champion served a two-year suspension for a positive EPO test in 2019 and was tested 25 times in 2021. He recently made the decision to retire after undergoing his third shoulder surgery in the past three years, raising questions about his own motivations for doing so.

Dillashaw, 36, did not entirely rule out a return to the UFC.

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T.J. Dillashaw opens up on retirement decision after shoulder surgery: ‘It’s just too much, I’m out right now’

For the first time since his retirement became public, T.J. Dillashaw explains why he felt it was time to walk away.

For the first time since news of his retirement became public, former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] has opened up about his decision to walk away from MMA.

After injuring his shoulder in training camp for his title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) did not pull out of the fight. He said his shoulder popped out numerous times in preparation, but he still traveled across the globe to Abu Dhabi with confidence he could get the job done to become a three-time champion.

Unfortunately his plans went up in flames quickly after his shoulder popped out in the first round against Sterling, which led to a second-round TKO loss and another shoulder surgery when he returned to the U.S. Dillashaw admits that retirement was a conversation that he had with his wife prior to his last fight, but it wasn’t a certainty.

Now, Dillashaw is retired and removed from the active UFC roster.

“I went and had a shoulder surgery four weeks ago, and the doctor just kind of like, had a raw conversation we me,” Dillashaw told Brendan Schaub on “Food Truck Diaries.” “He was like, ‘Hey, man. It’s time to make a decision. This is your third shoulder surgery in the last three years.’ … It just got me thinking about life and my son, and being able to be active with him, and swing a golf club with him – just live life outside of fighting, you know?”

Dillashaw, 36, did not want the world to find out about his retirement in the manner it did. Designs of breaking the news on his terms were spoiled just a couple of days after notifying the UFC of his decision when the algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch notified its followers of Dillashaw’s removal from the active roster.

Regardless of how the masses heard the news, the former champ seems comfortable in his decision for now, despite not being able to compete in better condition.

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“To go out like that, to not actually put a true performance together, because I still believe I’m the best in the weight class,” Dillashaw said about making a “bittersweet” exit. “I go out there healthy, I get that belt back, especially against a fighter like Aljamain, who’s such a great matchup for me. Hence why I took the fight even though I was injured.”

Just seconds into his fight with Sterling, that injury reared its ugly head after a caught kick led to a takedown. The shoulder which popped out during training camp was out again, but this time, in the heat of a high-stakes battle against a defending champion.

While a shoulder dislocation is a nasty-looking injury, Dillashaw said he prepared his corner for the possibility of it happening, and they were ready to remedy the issue if it occurred.

“I gameplanned for it,” Dillashaw said. “I had a meeting with my doctor, I was like, ‘Hey, will you do a video of the best way to put my shoulder back into the socket, because it might happen?’ … Just like with any technique, or diet, or weight cut, you got to game plan it all. And so, I just gameplanned worst-case scenario, and unfortunately, it happened.”

With his fighting career seemingly behind him, Dillashaw says he is focused on building his businesses and spending time with family. After sending a message to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, Dillashaw admits that it won’t be easy to disassociate himself from being a UFC champion-caliber athlete, but believes it will come with time.

“I went and saw the doctor, and with my son and everything going on, I was just like, ‘F*ck this, I’m done,'” Dillashaw said. “I wrote a letter to Hunter and said, ‘Hey man, thank you for what you’ve done for the sport, and the platform you’ve given me and the name I’ve been able to build because of it. But it’s just too much, I’m out right now.'”

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Video: T.J. Dillashaw retired, but what’s really going on?

It’s hard to believe that former UFC champion T.J. Dillashaw really is retired, especially when we haven’t heard it from him.

[autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] surprised the MMA world last week when his manager revealed that the former UFC bantamweight champion decided to retire after undergoing surgery on his shoulder.

Dillashaw came into his UFC 280 title fight with Aljamain Sterling with an injured shoulder that only got worse during the bout and contributed greatly to his second-round TKO loss. Just days after the fight, Dillashaw, 36, insisted his career wasn’t over and said “there’s no way I’d go out like that.”

But he’s apparently had a change of heart, although it’s worth noting that we’ve yet to hear from Dillashaw himself. Also, as news of Dillashaw’s retirement was in question, his publicist told MMA Junkie that it was false, adding that Dillashaw planned to fight “into his 40s.”

It’s strange situation, to be sure, which begs the question: What’s really going on? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Farah Hannoun address this with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above. Then don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.