Some people were surprised when it was announced that Urijah Faber would get first dibs to face Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, which is expected to go down at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016 in Los Angeles, California (details).
But there wasn’t anyone more shocked than T.J. Dillashaw, as he strongly believed he deserved (and would get) another fight against “The Dominator.”
Especially since he felt good after leaving a meeting with the UFC head honchos in which they discussed a potential rematch. However, it didn’t take long for his smile to turn upside down, as he found out via social media that “The California Kid” got the nod instead.
As Dillashaw stated on The MMA Hour, his anger quickly turned into disappointment once he realized his campaigning was all for naught.
“I was really disappointed. At first I was really angry and then disappointment hits you. Not only did I think I did enough to win the fight and continue to be the champion, but the fact that I didn’t get the chance to prove I won that very close fight; there’s a bunch of rematches going on right now that were not close, they were finishes and now they are making a rematch. This talk about Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 2, that is kind of ridiculous. It’s becoming a sideshow because Conor kind of gets to do whatever he wants. He’s choosing the fights he wants, it just entertainment business you know? I guess I got to get more into that instead of just being an entertaining fighter in the cage. You got to be a bit more colorful to get what you want around here.”
Cruz defeated Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 81 last January via split decision in one of the most competitive title fights in recent memory (see it again here).
And after seeing the likes of Conor McGregor, Chris Weidman, and even Cain Velasquez were getting rematches after getting finished by their previous opponents, Dillashaw’s anger and disappointment further intensified.
As for what’s next for him, he’s still healing up from the bumps, bruises and breaks he suffered against Cruz. Once he’s at full health, he’ll gladly field offers for a fight, or wait to face the winner of Cruz vs. Faber.
Plus, he’ll be preparing to be a standby for UFC 199, just in case Dominick — whom T.J. dubbed “very fragile” — or a 37-year-old Faber bow out of the championship fight.