T.J. Dillashaw shows off current condition of injured shoulder, confirms if he will come out of retirement
T.J. Dillashaw has shed light on his retirement status, as he opened up on his recovery from a severe shoulder injury.
Appearing on The Casual MMA Podcast, Dillashaw, revealed the ongoing issues with his left shoulder, a long-standing injury that led to multiple surgeries. Despite years of rehabilitation, the damage has left him unable to lift his elbow above shoulder height.
The two-time bantamweight champion's journey took a toll after a shoulder dislocation during his last bout against Aljamain Sterling in October 2022 at UFC 280. Numerous surgeries followed, but his recovery has fallen short of the functionality required for a comeback.
Reflecting on his condition, Dillashaw stated:
“It doesn’t hurt, it just doesn’t work... Long story short, no, I will not be coming back”
Check out T.J. Dillashaw's comments below:
T.J. Dillashaw reveals his most nerve-wracking opponent
Appearing in the aforementioned interview with The Casuals MMA, T.J. Dillashaw also a shared surprising story behind the fight that made him the most anxious in his career.
While fans might assume his biggest nerves came during bouts against Dominick Cruz or Cody Garbrandt, Dillashaw disclosed that his toughest mental battle was a short-notice title defense against Joe Soto at UFC 177.
Dillashaw was originally set to rematch Renan Barao, but Barao withdrew the day before the fight due to an injury sustained during his weight cut. To save the event, Dillashaw was asked to defend his title against Soto, who had only recently joined the UFC from Bellator and had trained with him at Team Alpha Male just weeks before.
Discussing the last-minute switch, Dillashaw said:
"[Soto] was coming to Team Alpha Male six weeks before the fight and training with us and I knew how good he was. He was the Bellator champion that just came to the UFC... They want me to take this fight on 24-hours notice... I'm putting everything on the line to fight someone that no one knows and I did it. And that was the most nervous I've ever been for an entire fight like, for any competition ever."
Check out T.J. Dillashaw's comments below (15:00):