Aljamain Sterling labels T.J. Dillashaw one of the 'weaker guys' he's ever fought, points out mistakes that grade him as a low-level fighter
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has labeled T.J. Dillashaw as one of the weakest fighters he's faced. He added that he wonders whether it's because he's not on performance enhancing drugs.
At UFC 280, Sterling and Dillashaw faced-off for the bantamweight title. The bout was expected to be an even contest but 'Funkmaster' dominated from the beginning. 'Lieutentant Dan' appeared to be in some discomfort with his shoulder between the rounds and Sterling took advantage. 'Aljo' flattened Dillashaw for a second-round TKO victory.
Aljamain Sterling TKOs TJ Dillashaw!
Dillashaw's tough, battling through the dislocated shoulder as long as he did. https://t.co/rbxiFZRPed
After the fight, it was revealed that the 36-year-old had been suffering from a dislocated shoulder issue since April. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Aljamain Sterling questioned whether T.J. Dillashaw was weaker because of his injury or because he had to fight clean:
"Even in the early striking exchanges, I gave him an opportunity and he did nothing that was threatening whatsoever, I outstruck him...I felt like when I grabbed his leg, It felt like a man vs. a child. No exagerration, this was probably one of the weaker guys I've ever competed against. That's how I felt. I don't know whether it's because he's off the stuff."
Aljamain Sterling believes he can outwrestle Olympic medalist Henry Cejudo
Following his successful title defense at UFC 280, Aljamain Sterling is awaiting the next challenger for his bantamweight title.
On the same card, Sean O'Malley defeated the No.1-ranked Petr Yan via split-decision, earning himself the top spot in the rankings. While many would assume that gives O'Malley the next shot, there's still a case for returning former champ Henry Cejudo.
'Triple C' announced his return to the USADA testing pool earlier this year and is now eligible to compete in the UFC. Many believe Cejudo has a better chance between the two potential contenders because of his wrestling. In a video on his YouTube channel, Aljamain Sterling explained that Cejudo won't cause him as many problems as some may think:
โHe has the wrestling advantage on paper. If it was a wrestling match, they say he would win, even though I donโt think so. If itโs freestyle, ok, maybe Iโll give him the freestyle. I donโt even see how he would win. Heโs just so much smaller than me. What is your path to victory in beating me in a freestyle match?"
'Aljo' continued:
"I can step around and cut the corner on you and expose your back for points. People think my wrestling is not up to par with these guys just because they got a gold medal. Iโm like, okay, cool, bro. I wrestled with a lot of high-level guys, and I probably wrestle more competitively now than you do.โ
Catch the video here:
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