"I think he's just holding on to his belt as long as he can" - T.J. Dillashaw believes Aljamain Sterling will never compete in the UFC again
T.J. Dillashaw feels the current titleholder in the division, Aljamain Sterling, will never compete in the world's biggest MMA promotion again.
Sterling was expected to defend his belt against former champ and No.1 contender Petr Yan at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi this month. However, he pulled out of the fight after citing rehabilitation following his neck surgery earlier this year.
During the latest episode of The MMA Hour with renowned journalist Ariel Helwani, Dillashaw claimed that Aljamain Sterling might just be holding on to the bantamweight title as long as he can.
"I don't really know if Aljo is ever gonna come back to be honest. From what he had done, it's kind of crazy. I mean if I was him, I would have waited for that to get done. My strength and conditioning, wrestling coaches said the medicos who did his neck don't believe he's ever gonna come back. I think he's just holding on to his belt as long as he can, maybe try to soak up. I've had that feeling already. So when he pulled out of the [Petr Yan] fight, I wasn't surprised. I bet he's dealing with lots of stuff. You go get your neck cranked down, it's definitely not good," said Dillashaw.
Watch T.J. Dillashaw and several other MMA stars in conversation with Ariel Helwani below:
No.2-ranked bantamweight star Dillashaw himself is currently recovering from a knee injury he suffered during his split decision victory against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32 in July this year.
Petr Yan will face Cory Sandhagen for the interim bantamweight title in Aljamain Sterling's absence
Following Aljamain Sterling's withdrawal from the UFC 267 title fight, an interim bantamweight championship bout between Petr Yan and No.3 contender Cory Sandhagen was set for Fight Island.
Yan dropped the belt to Sterling at UFC 259 in March via disqualification after executing an illegal knee. The result made 'Funk Master the first fighter ever in the UFC to win a title due to his opponent being disqualified.
What. A. Fight!
💥 Yan 🆚 Sandhagen
🏆 Interim Bantamweight Title
With Aljo out, a cracking interim bout is targeted for #UFC267
(via @bokamotoESPN) https://t.co/q6yVBgfggJ
Aljamain Sterling has since had a major neck surgery and hasn't been medically cleared yet. The winner of the Yan vs. Sandhagen outing will take on Sterling in a bantamweight unification clash some time in 2022.