Aljamain Sterling used to compete in the UFC’s bantamweight division where he had 18 fights and got his hand raised in 14 of them.
During his stint as 135-pound fighter, Sterling captured the title and successfully defended it multiple times. Sterling had several impressive wins as a bantamweight over names like Henry Cejudo, T.J. Dillashaw, Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen and Pedro Munhoz.
After losing the title to Sean O’Malley, “Funk Master” moved up to featherweight and is 1-1 since then.
Aljamain Sterling Reacts to T.J. Dillashaw’s Comments About Him
Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw faced off for the bantamweight title at UFC 280 in October 2022. The event was held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and marked Dillashaw’s first bout in over a year.
The night did not go well for him as Sterling defeated him via. TKO in the second round. The 39-year-old, then announced his retirement two months later in December 2022.
Dillashaw recently made an appearance on the “Jaxxon Podcast” where he weighed in on the fight against Sterling.
Dillashaw shared that although he had a compromised shoulder in that bout, he believed he could have finished “Funk Master” that night.
“I was fighting a guy that I felt like I still could have beat with the arm I had. I felt like I could have knocked him out… Sterling [with one arm]… Yeah dude, his striking is garbage,” said Dillashaw. “Then also, I’m coming back, trying to get my belt back and I know I’m going to have shoulder surgery, so I’ll be out for like another year-and-a-half. I’m 36 years old. It’s kinda like this might be my last f**king shot, ends up it was because my shoulder was so bad. So, it’s like, “Why am I gonna pass this opportunity? Might be my last shot ever to be a three-time world champion.'”
When asked whether he was being a bit delusional with his comments, Dillashaw shared that it was the exact mindset that resulted in him being a UFC champion.
“[The odds] were f**king awesome. I’m delusionally optimistic,” shared Dillashaw. “But I really believe that also got me to the belt.”
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Sterling took notice of Dillashaw’s statement on Instagram and left a couple of laughing emojis as a response in the comments section.
Sterling is yet to have his next fight set, since his loss to Movsar Evloev. Dillashaw, on the other hand, has been focusing on strength training ever since his retirement, and often shares reels of the same on social media.