The future is not looking so bright anymore.
Despite multiple attempts to surgically repair his injured shoulder, former UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw, has yet to regain full range of motion. In fact, things seem to be going from bad to worse with each operation.
“I can’t even raise my arm up in the air yet,” Dillashaw told Jaxxon podcast. “I don’t even know if my shoulder is ever going to be the same again. It’s f*cking depressing. As a competitor, you have to be delusionally optimistic, but that’s also what got me in this position, too. It’s just gotten worse and worse from each surgery. I went to the world’s best specialist, and it’s like he’s never seen anything like it.”
Dillashaw, now 38, has not competed since a technical knockout loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 back in late 2022.
“It looked like a bomb went off in there,” Dillashaw continued. “There is a lot of healing to be done, and I’m hoping that maybe it’s just like me staying after my PTs is going to make it better and better and better, but this is my third surgery since my last fight, and it’s not looking good. Like, I’m f*cking done, you know what I mean? I was forced out of the sport, and it sucks. I feel like I had so much more to give still.”
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the former “Ultimate Fighter” finalist was on top of the world, capturing the 135-pound title by stopping bitter rival Cody Garbrandt. Then came his failed “champ champ” experiment, followed by a positive drug test.
Dillashaw missed two years of his fighting prime on suspension.
Upon his return, the “Clean Juice” mogul put together a 1-1 record, squeaking by Cory Sandhagen with a split decision before falling to Sterling in Abu Dhabi. Unless something extraordinary happens, Dillashaw will finish with a 17-5 record with 11 stoppages.