Tag: TJ Dillashaw

Dominick Cruz ‘Shocked’ Former UFC Rival Reached Out After He Announced Career-Ending Injury

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was surprised to see one bitter rival among those sending positive messages following his recent enforced retirement. Had things gone to plan, Cruz would have been just days out from his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle, having not competed since a knockout loss to Marlon Vera […]

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was surprised to see one bitter rival among those sending positive messages following his recent enforced retirement.

Had things gone to plan, Cruz would have been just days out from his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle, having not competed since a knockout loss to Marlon Vera back in 2022.

But the 135-pound legend’s comeback crumbled when he suffered a second shoulder dislocation during training, the severity of which was enough to compel Cruz to end his career as an active fighter.

Since then, many in the MMA community have been praising what was undoubtedly an incredible stint in the cage for the 39-year-old. And, as it turns out, even one of the most notable foes from Cruz’s career has paid their respect.

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Cruz revealed contact from former opponent TJ Dillashaw.

“TJ Dillashaw actually reached out to me. I was shocked,” Cruz said. “He gave me a recommendation for a shoulder doctor. He said he was looking forward to watching me compete and was sorry that I couldn’t.”

Cruz returned from a 16-month layoff in January 2016 to challenge Dillashaw’s bantamweight reign. “The Dominator” fell on the right side of a split decision, capturing the crown for a second time.

The pair’s animosity continued in the subsequent years, resurfacing in 2022 when the San Diego native took issue with Dillashaw being granted a title fight two fights into his comeback post-drug suspension.

Dillashaw ultimately lost to Aljamain Sterling after dislocating his shoulder in the fight, with the challenger quickly revealing a plague of injury issues during the lead-up to what marked his final fight.

Having retired himself due to a similar physical issue, Dillashaw is certainly well placed to pass on advice to Cruz as he looks to recover from the career-ending injury too.

‘TJ KOs Him For Real’ – Fans Debate Merab Dvalishvili vs. ‘Prime’ TJ Dillashaw Result

Having cemented his grip on the UFC bantamweight title, talk of where Merab Dvalishvili fits among the division’s all-time greats is picking up. Dvalishvili recorded his first defense a few weeks back, following his crowning at the expense of Sean O’Malley four months prior with a successful halting of Umar Nurmagomedov’s championship ambitions. While the […]

Having cemented his grip on the UFC bantamweight title, talk of where Merab Dvalishvili fits among the division’s all-time greats is picking up.

Dvalishvili recorded his first defense a few weeks back, following his crowning at the expense of Sean O’Malley four months prior with a successful halting of Umar Nurmagomedov’s championship ambitions.

While the Georgian made the walk at UFC 311 as the underdog, he overcame a strong start from his undefeated challenger, utilizing his renowned cardio and pace to secure the decision victory in Los Angeles.

The result extended Dvalishvili’s reign and active win streak to 12, which is enough for some to now award “The Machine” with GOAT status at 135 pounds.

That’s sparked plenty of debate over how the current champ would stack up against some of the division’s past elites, including former two-time titleholder TJ Dillashaw.

A recent post on X by @owen_swd posed the question of who would win between Dvalishvili and the retired American in their respective primes.

Both men had their fair share of backers in the comments section. One common theme involved the controversy surrounding Dillashaw’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC’s $6 Million Gamble on Cody Garbrandt

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC's $6 Million Gamble on Cody GarbrandtAccording to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC put big money into trying to make Cody Garbrandt the next Conor McGregor…

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC's $6 Million Gamble on Cody Garbrandt

According to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC put big money into trying to make Cody Garbrandt the next Conor McGregor

While Garbrandt is a former bantamweight world champion — defeating Dominick Cruz to claim the title in 2016 — ‘No Love’ has never been able to replicate the success he had that night.

Cody Garbrandt

Garbrandt promptly lost the title to Dillashaw in his first defense and proceeded to lose five of his next six fights after stunning Cruz.

Garbrandt showed some flashes of his old self, earning back-to-back wins against Trevin Giles and Brian Kelleher, but he found his way back into the loss column at UFC 300 against former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo.

Cody Garbrandt

The UFC threw down Big Money on Cody Garbrandt

Recently, Dillashaw — a two-time opponent of Garbrandt — claimed that the UFC had gone all-in on promoting ‘No Love,’ believing he could become a star as big as ‘Mystic Mac.’

“[Garbrandt] had an amazing fight against Cruz…The UFC’s like, ‘Hey, this is our next big horse,” Dillashaw said on The Casuals MMA podcast. “Let’s put some money into him’. So they marketed the sh*t out of him, put him in a bunch of commercials, got some celebrities behind him. From what I was told, they put like $6 million into marketing him before our fight…So he went to massive stardom fast. They wanted him to be the next Conor McGregor” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Garbrandt was scheduled for a return to action on November 9 against Miles Johns, but an injury forced him to bow out of the bout. ‘No Love’ is 9-6 under the UFC banner, 14-6 overall.

Cody Garbrandt

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC’s $6 Million Gamble on Cody Garbrandt

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC's $6 Million Gamble on Cody GarbrandtAccording to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC put big money into trying to make Cody Garbrandt the next Conor McGregor…

Can Big Money Buy the Next Superstar? Inside UFC's $6 Million Gamble on Cody Garbrandt

According to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC put big money into trying to make Cody Garbrandt the next Conor McGregor

While Garbrandt is a former bantamweight world champion — defeating Dominick Cruz to claim the title in 2016 — ‘No Love’ has never been able to replicate the success he had that night.

Cody Garbrandt

Garbrandt promptly lost the title to Dillashaw in his first defense and proceeded to lose five of his next six fights after stunning Cruz.

Garbrandt showed some flashes of his old self, earning back-to-back wins against Trevin Giles and Brian Kelleher, but he found his way back into the loss column at UFC 300 against former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo.

Cody Garbrandt

The UFC threw down Big Money on Cody Garbrandt

Recently, Dillashaw — a two-time opponent of Garbrandt — claimed that the UFC had gone all-in on promoting ‘No Love,’ believing he could become a star as big as ‘Mystic Mac.’

“[Garbrandt] had an amazing fight against Cruz…The UFC’s like, ‘Hey, this is our next big horse,” Dillashaw said on The Casuals MMA podcast. “Let’s put some money into him’. So they marketed the sh*t out of him, put him in a bunch of commercials, got some celebrities behind him. From what I was told, they put like $6 million into marketing him before our fight…So he went to massive stardom fast. They wanted him to be the next Conor McGregor” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Garbrandt was scheduled for a return to action on November 9 against Miles Johns, but an injury forced him to bow out of the bout. ‘No Love’ is 9-6 under the UFC banner, 14-6 overall.

Cody Garbrandt

TJ Dillashaw ‘Not Mad’ With José Aldo Losing UFC 307 Decision: ‘Lost The Fight Himself’

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw doesn’t have much sympathy for José Aldo after he came up short in Salt Lake City this past weekend. Aldo returned on the main card of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, making his second appearance inside the Octagon since bringing his short-lived retirement to an end in […]

Continue Reading TJ Dillashaw ‘Not Mad’ With José Aldo Losing UFC 307 Decision: ‘Lost The Fight Himself’ at MMA News.

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw doesn’t have much sympathy for José Aldo after he came up short in Salt Lake City this past weekend.

Aldo returned on the main card of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, making his second appearance inside the Octagon since bringing his short-lived retirement to an end in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.

While the Brazilian immediately forged a path back into the rankings at 135 pounds by getting the better of Jonathan Martinez, Mario Bautista was able to spoil his plans for a late-career title shot in Utah.

The 33-year-old fell on the right side of a split decision verdict, a result that proved controversial. Many gave the nod to Aldo after determining that Bautista didn’t do enough with his control against the cage.

UFC CEO Dana White was among those questioning the two judges who leant the way of Bautista. One of the division’s former titleholders, however, saw no issue with the result…

Dillashaw: Aldo ‘Kept Himself’ Against The Cage

During a recent episode of the JAXXON PODCAST, Dillashaw reflected on the events that unfolded at UFC 307, including the main card clash in the weight class he formerly ruled over.

Dillashaw differed from many with his take on Aldo vs. Bautista. He insisted that the ex-featherweight kingpin could have done much more to avoid granting Bautista such a long period of control in round three, which ultimately proved to be the difference.

“It surprises me…there’s techniques like this that (Aldo) doesn’t like — get off the cage,” Dillashaw said. “The loss for him, like with the fight cards, they thought Aldo should’ve won. I don’t know. He kept himself there (against the cage). Like, I’m not too mad. He lost the fight himself.”

It remains to be seen what comes next for Aldo, who was hoping to defend his spot inside the bantamweight top 10 in Salt Lake City before focusing on those above him.

With his UFC 307 loss marking the first bout on a new multi-fight deal with MMA’s leading promotion, Aldo will likely look to rebound and revive his ongoing ambitions inside the Octagon soon enough.

Continue Reading TJ Dillashaw ‘Not Mad’ With José Aldo Losing UFC 307 Decision: ‘Lost The Fight Himself’ at MMA News.

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How ‘Weak’ Sean O’Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: ‘I Didn’t Expect It’

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How 'Weak' Sean O'Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: 'I Didn't Expect It'T.J. Dillashaw was impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 306. ‘The Machine’ cashed in on his first shot…

T.J. Dillashaw Shocked by How 'Weak' Sean O'Malley Looked Against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306: 'I Didn't Expect It'

T.J. Dillashaw was impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 306.

‘The Machine’ cashed in on his first shot at UFC gold, delivering a dominant five-round performance against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley to claim the bantamweight division’s top prize.

Merab Dvalishvili

Going into the bout, the odds were fairly close with O’Malley being slightly favored to come out on top. Instead, Dvalishvili shut down the ex-champ’s offense with a barrage of smothering takedown attempts and control time. Most educated fight fans knew that Dvalishvili’s contrasting style could win the day against O’Malley, but not many expected him to be as dominant as he was.

Merab Dvalishvili

That includes Dillashaw who was surprised by how easy Dvalishvili made it all look.

“It’s not that I didn’t expect it,” Dillashaw said on the JAXXON Podcast. “I knew that it was very close on the betting odds and when I had to go and pick this fight, I knew that Merab had a chance to just pressure the f*ck out of him. The guy is the Tasmanian Devil. He never stops and continues to shoot shots.

“I knew it was a possibility, but I thought – especially after watching how O’Malley has composed himself and how well he’s done on his feet using his feints, distance, and angles – I thought he’d be able to keep that distance and control, be hard to take down and spark him. That’s what I thought could happen, as well.

“I didn’t think it was going to be this easy for Merab. Merab made him look weak – very weak” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Merab Dvalishvili Eyes title fight with Umar Nurmagomedov… maybe

What comes next for Merab Dvalishvili remains to be seen, but all signs point toward ‘The Machine’ defending his title against No. 2 ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov — assuming the Dagestani star doesn’t grow impatient and move onto another opponent in the interim.

Truth be told, Dvalishvili isn’t even all that interested in facing Nurmagomedov considering his lack of top 15 wins, though that’s not entirely Nurmagomedov’s fault. The undefeated fighter has struggled for years to lock in opponents, but a dominant decision victory over Cory Sandhagen appears to have been enough to score him his first title shot.

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