TJ Dillashaw was able to secure a decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in his return to the octagon at UFC Vegas 32. However, Dillashaw suffered injuries during the hard-fought contest, which require surgery.
Dillashaw made his long-awaited octagon return since losing to Henry Cejudo at UFC Brooklyn in 2019. His absence from the sport stemmed from his open admission of PED use, which later turned into a multi-year suspension.
Current fighters on the roster, such as the bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, believe that TJ’s usage of PEDs originate long before he was caught. Nonetheless, Dillashaw was able to win a razor-thin decision victory over Sandhagen in what many consider to be the fight of the year.
TJ Dillashaw Speaks on Needing Surgery
After the fight, TJ took to social media to announce that he will be heading into surgery after the brutal battle furthermore, that he’s hoping for a fast recovery process.
“Went in for a MRI today. Found out that I suffered a displaced Bucket Handle tear of the Lateral Meniscus and a Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) rupture at the end of the first round landing ground and pound while being lazy in a compromised position,” Dillashaw wrote.
“The good news is that these tears are repairable and will have a very speedy recovery. Going in for surgery in the next couple days. Loved being in the cage even though I had to push through some adversities to grit out the win. Thank you for the support, it’s belt season now,” finished TJ.
Bantamweight Landscape
The injury came relatively early in the fight, where Sandhagen applied a leglock. As Dillashaw tried to escape from the hold, he believes he did damage to his knee.
Since TJ was able to secure the win, the landscape of the 135lb division has drastically changed. And with the UFC’s relationship with TJ, there wouldn’t be a surprise if he skyrockets into championship contention.
