UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw does not take losing well.
The 135-pound champion is adamant to this day that he did not lose to Dominick Cruz back in January of 2016. Dillashaw lost a split decision to “The Dominator” and dropped the bantamweight title for his first defeat since 2013. Then, this past weekend (Sat. January 19, 2019), Dillashaw was defeated by flyweight champion Henry Cejudo.
Dillashaw was attempting to cut down to 125 pounds and become a UFC “Champ Champ.” However, Cejudo finished Dillashaw via TKO in under a minute in the first round. After the fight, Dillashaw argued that the stoppage was early and he could’ve kept on fighting. Even UFC President Dana White agreed with Dillashaw’s assesment.
The 135-pound champion spoke to “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” on the matter recently. Dillashaw said he was “furious” about the decision, and admitted it was a tough pill to swallow. He believes if he fought Cejudo 100 times, he wins 99 of them (via MMA Mania):
“Obviously I was furious. It was, I mean a 30 second fight when I know I’m the better fighter. It’s just rough to swallow. If anybody’s been in my situation or just competing in general, you know what that’s like,” Dillashaw said.
“If we fight that fight 100 times I will win 99 of them. This, unfortunately, was that one fight. I’m not going to swallow this one very well. It’s a tough one for me, I was very serious of that. Especially when I have the UFC doctors telling me it’s an early stoppage.
“You had Dana White talking about it was an early stoppage. It just sucks man. There’s no other way to really put it.”
Given Dillashaw’s reaction to his losses to both Cruz and, now, Cejudo, the bantamweight champion has been labelled with the “sore loser” moniker. However, Dillashaw doesn’t nececarilly seem to disagree with this:
“Let’s be honest, I’ve never said I wasn’t a sore loser,” Dillashaw said. “I don’t take losing very well. That’s not a guess about me. I let my emotions get the best of me, that’s why I’m so competitive and that’s why I am who I am.
“That’s why I put that many hours into the gym and train as hard as I do. Even in practice I get pissed when I lose. You know? I’ve been known for that. My emotions get the best of me.”
The post TJ Dillashaw: “I’ve Never Said I Wasn’t A Sore Loser” appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.