"I think it's going to be close and competitive" - Anthony Smith details why Aljamain Sterling may 'finish' T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280
With UFC 280 quickly approaching, Anthony Smith gave his thoughts on the upcoming bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw, insisting that the "closely competitive" clash could end in a "finish" for the champ.
'Funk Master' will be aiming to extend his winning run to eight straight when he meets 'Killashaw' in the center of the octagon on October 22. Similar to his fight against Petr Yan, the bantamweight king will be hoping to rely on his expertise in grappling to overwhelm the 36-year-old and retain his 135lb strap.
Discussing how he sees the bout playing out, Anthony Smith admitted that he is now rooting for the Serra-Longo athlete to beat the challenger.
"Had the second Petr Yan fight not happened, I'd lean heavy on Dillashaw [winning], it's more 50/50 for me now. I think that Aljo's got the momentum, he believes in himself. I think Dillashaw's the better striker... Once they're on the mat, I think that Aljo's the better grappler."
Smith continued:
"So, I think if Aljo starts fast and can jump on Dillashaw right away and slow him down, wear him out a little bit, I think he can be really successful. I would definitely favor Aljo, I think it's going to be close and competitive. If there's a finish, though, I would say it's probably Aljamain finishing Dillashaw."
UFC 280 will be the first time Dillashaw will enter the octagon since getting his hands raised in a split decision war against Cory Sandhagen on July 24, 2021.
Sterling is hoping to make his second official defense of the bantamweight strap, but will be locking horns with arguably his toughest test to date of his 11-year long fighting career.
Check out what Anthony Smith said about the 135lb title bout in the video below:
How does T.J. Dillashaw match up against Aljamain Sterling?
Although he has a solid ground game, Aljamain Sterling could find it tough against T.J. Dillashaw in their forthcoming clash. TJ Dillashaw is a wrestler with NCAA Division I honors, a higher level than the titleholder.
Not only is the former bantamweight champion able to handle himself in the grappling department, but he is considered to quite clearly have a better standup game than his opponent.
Sterling will likely have to rely on his wrestling and ability to fish for submissions, but he may be outclassed in other areas of the mixed martial arts game.
Dillashaw's Instagram post about the upcoming matchup against Aljamain Sterling: