"He's got a big name" - Aljamain Sterling thinks 'cheater' T.J. Dillashaw should fight either Jose Aldo or Dominick Cruz in bantamweight title eliminator
Aljamain Sterling recently offered his take on the future of the bantamweight division and the next potential contender for the title. Sterling seemed keen to take on T.J. Dillashaw if he can prove himself in an eliminator bout against either Jose Aldo or Dominick Cruz.
While in conversation with The Schmo, 'Funk Master' revealed that Dillashaw was in a good position to stake his claim for the title. The reigning 135 lbs champion said:
"The next guy in line with to me could potentially be [T.J. Dillashaw] fighting [Jose Aldo]. I think that would be a good one to make. If it's not gonna happen that way then I do think T.J., maybe against Dominick Cruz or just T.J. could just be the next guy up. So either way he's got a big name. I still think he's a little, slimy little cheater no matter what."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's interaction with The Schmo right here:
Dillashaw is 4-1 in his last five fights. His most recent loss came in a flyweight title bout against Henry Cejudo. He is undefeated in the bantamweight division since his 2016 split-decision setback against Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81.
A title eliminator bout against Cruz could offer Dillashaw the opportunity to settle his score with 'The Dominator'.
Aljamain Sterling is convinced T.J. Dillashaw will still try to cheat
In the same conversation with The Schmo, Aljamain Sterling revealed that he was all but certain that T.J. Dillashaw was still trying to circumvent USADA's testing policies to use PEDs.
He said:
"I wouldn't be surprised if he's still trying to figure out a way to get around the testing protocols. People can say whatever they want, but if you want to cheat, if you got the resources to do it you can do it."
Dillashaw, the former UFC bantamweight champion, was slapped with a 2-year suspension after he turned in a positive test for a banned substance following his loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC Fight Night 143. In addition to his ban, he was forced to relinquish his bantamweight title.
USADA has suspended former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw two years for testing positive for the banned substance EPO. Just announced by the agency. https://t.co/y0vFauJJYp
Aljamain Sterling is currently hurtling towards a mega-fight against Petr Yan that is set to take place at UFC 273 on April 9. The fight will be a rematch of their initial outing inside the octagon, which went down at UFC 259 back in March 2021.
If Sterling can defeat Yan, a bout with Dillashaw could materialize down the line.