At UFC 280, reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling defended his title against former two-time division titleholder TJ Dillashaw in the evening’s highly-anticipated co-main event.
Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw immediately came out looking to trade shots. Dillashaw threw a kick early which was caught by Sterling. ‘Funk Master’ used it to drive the former champion to the canvas. Dillashaw immediately began wincing in pain, indicating an injury to his shoulder. With only one arm to defend, Sterling dropped bombs, forcing Dillashaw to turn and give up his back in order to survive the round.
Following the first, it appeared that Dillashaw’s shoulder had dislocated, but his corner was able to pop it back into place allowing Dillashaw to continue. During the second, Sterling put Dillashaw on the canvas with relative ease. The former champion worked his way out of the situation and back to his feet, revealing that his shoulder had dislocated once again. Sterling quickly secured another takedown and dropped bombs and brutal elbows on the ground, forcing the referee to step in and call for the stoppage in round two.
Official Result: Aljamain Sterling defeats TJ Dillashaw via TKO (strikes) at 3:44 of Round 2 to retain the UFC bantamweight championship