"He's so strong, so big, and so good at what he does" - UFC bantamweight Jack Shore predicts title clash between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw
Aljamain Sterling is set to defend his bantamweight title against former champion T.J. Dillashaw later this year, and now Wales' own Jack Shore has shared his prediction for the fight.
'Funk Master' has been on a tear through the 135lbs division for years now. He is currently on the best run of his UFC career, carrying a seven-fight win streak. Although the champion earned the title in controversial fashion, nobody can dispute his rematch win over Petr Yan, which served as his first official title defense.
While discussing the matchup with James Lynch, Jack Shore opened up on how he sees the fight between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw playing out. The Brit expects a finish in the bout:
"I'm hardly a fan of T.J. to be honest, because of all the sh** that's happened and I think Aljo [Aljamain Sterling] is a lot better than what he gets credit for. Obviously the striking goes to T.J. and T.J. can wrestle as well, but I just think Aljo's so good at what he does... He's a lot bigger than T.J., T.J.'s not a massive guy at the weight and Aljo is... If Aljo can get that back, he's so strong, so big, and so good at what he does there... I think Aljo does it, submission."
Coming into this title fight, Dillashaw has had just one win since his second victory over Cody Garbrandt four years ago. The 36-year-old endured a war with Cory Sandhagen on his return to the cage last July, earning him a shot at the bantamweight strap.
Check out what Jack Shore had to say about the UFC 280 co-headliner in the video below:
Is Aljamain Sterling disrespected by MMA fans?
Despite proving he was good enough to compete with the elite at 135lbs, Aljamain Sterling was targeted online for his antics following Petr Yan's illegal knee that won 'Funk Master' his first-ever bantamweight title.
However, with a record of 21-3, the 33-year-old is without a doubt one of the greatest to ever do it in his weight class. Since almost the beginning of his UFC journey, 'Aljo' has faced the very best his division has to offer, and holds wins over some great opponents.
Two wins over the aforementioned Petr Yan, a first-round finish over Cory Sandhagen, a perfectly executed submission against Cody Stamann, and decision wins against Renan Barao, Jimmie Rivera, and Pedro Munhoz are just some of the champion's accolades in the sport.