There is a change of plans as far as the Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw fight is concerned.
It was reported last month that Sterling would defend his bantamweight title against Dillashaw at the upcoming UFC 279 pay-per-view event taking place September 10.
However, with the news today that Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz are set to headline the event instead, things have shuffled a bit.
UFC is finalizing a welterweight matchup between @KChimaev and @NateDiaz209 to headline UFC 279 on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell told @bokamotoespn.
Contracts have not been signed, but both fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup. pic.twitter.com/sWd1cc6ibm
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2022
As per MMA Junkie, the UFC has rescinded offers to both Sterling and Dillashaw. Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news.
With that said, the UFC is still interested in the fight and is could add it to the upcoming UFC 280 event taking place October 22 in Abu Dhabi.
Aljamain Sterling, TJ Dillashaw A Big Addition To UFC 280
UFC 281 was also an option as it takes place in New York’s Madison Square Garden in November, with Sterling hailing from Long Island.
However, it is not in play due to Sterling being unable to get a license due to medical reasons.
And so, UFC 279 looks to be the likeliest option and it’s certainly not a bad one either.
The card is currently headlined by a lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. Adding Sterling vs. Dillashaw not adds another title fight which stacks the card up even further.
Here’s how UFC 280 currently looks:
- Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev
- Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw
- Belal Muhammad vs. Sean Brady
It’s still early days, but that card can only get better from here.
