T.J. Dillashaw explains why he finds it bothersome when people discredit his past accolades
T.J. Dillashaw was arguably on his way to becoming one of, if not the greatest, bantamweights ever. Instead, he is now one of the most disliked fighters in the sport due to a failed drug test that kept him out of action for two years.
While Dillashaw has opened up about his transgressions and decision to use a banned substance, his honesty hasn't helped him re-enter the good graces of fight fans.
Dillashaw will fight Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 in what is shaping up to be one of the most stacked cards of the year.
The bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw has been rescheduled for Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi 🗓 https://t.co/60MDcCqn0F
Most stacked card of the year? 😳
#UFC #UFC280 https://t.co/3yvIt0Psa4
Dillashaw will be pursuing history as he looks to join Randy Couture, 'The Natural' is the only fighter to have claimed a UFC belt three separate times.
Due to Dillashaw's past, however, the focus often shifts to his infractions.
In an interview with The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani (starting at 1:53:30), Dillashaw was asked about the focus being on his shady past, and he replied:
"Everytime they would come to my house and drug test me, there's an A and a B sample. You always got to give two so they can keep it on file and they can retest it if they want to. When I failed that drug test, they want to know if any of my accolades or anything else I did in the past was ever tied to that so they went back and retested all of my tests all the way back to 2016. Not only did I get tested once, they retested everything from 2016 up and obviously nothing came up."
Does it matter to UFC fans that T.J. Dillashaw's samples were retested?
Unfortunately for T.J. Dillashaw, his claim will likely fall on deaf ears. Most fans of the UFC have already made up their minds that Dillashaw cheated once, which is enough to stain his impressive resume.
One way for him to regain some respect from UFC fans would be to go out and make history by defeating Sterling. Becoming a three-time champion takes continued excellence, and if Dillashaw is able to pull-off a victory then he may slowly re-enter the good graces of fight fans.
As for the fight, Dillashaw is unworried about Sterling. It remains to be seen how fans will react if Dillashaw is able to conquer Aljamain and regain the title after his two-year suspension.
Watch T.J. Dillashaw's statements on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani below: