Former two-time bantamweight champion, T.J. Dillashaw has ripped into the title aspirations of veteran light heavyweight contender, Anthony Smith, claiming the Nebraska veteran will never land himself a championship under the banner of the UFC.
Dillashaw, a former two-time undisputed bantamweight titleholder, himself called time on his storied mixed martial arts career back in 2022, dropping a second round TKO loss to fellow former divisional champion, Aljamain Sterling in a dominant defeat in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
As for Smith, the former title challenger at 205lbs failed to mount the challenge of Georgian contender, Roman Dolidze in their short-notice clash at UFC 303 at the end of last month, rebounding to the losing enclosure in a unanimous decision loss.
T.J. Dillashaw doubts Anthony Smith ever lands UFC gold
Sharing his thoughts on the much-scrutinized championship aspirations of veteran perennial contender, Smith, Angels Camp veteran, Dillashaw claimed the former would never touch UFC gold, before speculating he always “gives up” on himself.
“No, never,” T.J. Dillashaw replied on the JAXXON Podcast when asked if Anthony Smith could become champion. “Dude, he’s just not good enough. Okay, so, he gives up. Did he give himself that nickname [Lionheart] or what? He gives up in there.”
“The second round [at UFC 303], he doesn’t even try to f*cking stand up,” T.J. Dillashaw explained. “Roman’s (Dolidze) on his back, he doesn’t even try to stand up. I don’t give a sh*t, I’m fighting until I die, dog. I’m fighting with one arm, I’m doing whatever I can.”
And providing an update on his own fighting future amid links to a potential return from injury to make one final title siege, Dillashaw confirmed he would not be making a comeback to the UFC, amid complications from multiple shoulder surgeries.
“I can’t even raise my arm up in the air yet,” T.J. Dillashaw explained. “I don’t ever 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.”
Would you have liked to see T.J. Dillashaw make one final UFC run?