Josh Thomson breaks down why T.J. Dillashaw is a "tough" fight for Aljamain Sterling
![From left to right: Aljamain Sterling, T.J. Dillashaw and Josh Thomson [Image Courtesy: @JohnMcarthyMMA on Twitter, @tjdillashaw and @funkmastermma on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/04/b17dd-16497690303344-1920.jpg?w=500)
Josh Thomson is trying to figure out who’s next for Aljamain Sterling after his successful bantamweight title defense against Petr Yan at UFC 273.
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, ‘The Punk’ suggested that the second challenger to Sterling's reign should be former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.
Breaking down a potential T.J. Dillashaw vs. Aljamain Sterling fight, Thomson said:
“T.J. is tailor-made for him. Sorry, Aljamain’s tailor-made for T.J. Stylistically, Aljamain cannot take [Dillashaw down] I don’t think. Aljamain will not be able to take T.J. down. Maybe he’d get him down once or twice. I don’t think he’s gonna get him down.”
Hearing this, co-host 'Big' John McCarthy said "it's going to be tough" for Sterling if a bout versus Dillashaw comes to fruition. As far as striking goes, both Thomson and McCarthy picked Dillashaw as the better standup fighter.
Catch Josh Thomson's take on T.J. Dillashaw fighting Aljamain Sterling in the video below:
Dillashaw made his comeback at UFC Vegas 32, where he defeated Cory Sandhagen via split decision. It was his first fight since being suspended for two years by USADA.
Dillashaw tested positive in pre and post-fight drug tests for erythropoietin. Both tests were performed in association with his fight against Henry Cejudo. The fight took place at a UFC Fight Night event back in 2019. ‘Triple C’ won via TKO within the opening 30 seconds of the very first round
T.J. Dillashaw predicts a third title reign in midst of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan
Aljamain Sterling may be the current kingpin of the UFC bantamweight division, but that hasn't stopped T.J. Dillashaw from making some ambitious plans.
The former two-time UFC bantamweight champion posted the following tweet following UFC 273 to let everyone know of his championship ambitions:
“Coming soon! 3X Bantamweight Champ 👊👑 #ufc273”
#ufc273Coming soon! 3X Bantamweight Champ 👊👑 #ufc273
T.J. Dillashaw won his first UFC gold back in 2014. At UFC 173 he defeated Renan Barão via TKO in the fifth round. He later defended it against Joe Soto at UFC 177, also knocking him out in the final frame.
His first reign ended at UFC on FOX: Dillashaw vs. Barão. This time, he found himself on the receiving end of Renan Barão's punches.
Dillashaw returned to the bantamweight throne three years later at UFC 217. There, he met former Alpha Male teammate Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw TKO’d 'No Love' in the second round to reclaim the belt.
The pair met again at UFC 227, where Dillashaw sent Garbrandt to the mat once more. His second run with the title came to a halt in 2019 at the hands of Cejudo.