Aljamain Sterling is expected to face TJ Dillashaw in his next bout.
Reigning UFC Bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling is coming off a title unification win over former interim title holder Petr Yan at UFC 273. It marked his return to competition after a year of inactivity due to neck issues. The pair first met in March 2021 when Sterling took home the gold by disqualification.
After cementing his status as the top dog with a second win over Yan, Sterling has been matched up with TJ Dillashaw for his next outing.
Aljamain Sterling says he’ll KO TJ Dillashaw
In the new episode of The Get Back series uploaded on Sterling’s channel, ‘Funk Master’ made a bold prediction for the likely contest with former UFC Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. While there are still over two months to the event, the 32-year-old New Yorker is refining his skills inside the cage, especially when it comes to his striking abilities.
“I’m working on my striking, putting a lot of time in this in the off-season before we get the fight signed. I’m very very confident about this one, man I feel like good things are happening. We’re developing a lot of power, getting comfortable with our punches; in the kicking range, and boxing range.”
Sterling boldly predicted that he would knockout Dillashaw. TJ has only been finished twice by TKO and has never had his lights out before.
“I’m going to smash this dude, knock him the f**k out. You guys are going to be very very surprised but once again ain’t going to be no surprises over here.
“I’m telling you guys, bet your money up. Long Island is about to get rich again. We’re going to be rich again. Let’s go.”
Sterling vs Dillashaw is expected to be at UFC 279
Dillashaw is widely regarded as one of the best to ever do it at 135 lbs. His phenomenal win over Renan Barao was a major upset in the promotion as the new kid on the block handily dispatched a potential great champion. He would further increase his stock with two wins over former teammate and rival Cody Garbrandt.
He has faced criticism following a positive drug test that saw him suspended for two years. Having never lost his title inside the cage, Dillashaw will be itching to go out there and challenge Sterling for it.
They will probably face each other at UFC 279 on September 10 but the fight hasn’t been made official yet. The 32-year-old New Yorker had asked for a bump in pay before signing the contract. UFC will likely announce the event once the deals are finalized shortly.
