- TJ Dillashaw wasn’t expecting Aljamain Sterling to win his second fight against Petr Yan
- Dillashaw clarified his stance on Paddy Pimblett
- He shared his thoughts on the upcoming match between Sean O’Malley & Yan
TJ Dillashaw did not hold back in his evaluation of the reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sterling.
TJ Dillashaw doesn’t think Aljamain Sterling gained more respect after beating Petr Yan
In an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Dillashaw shared that he expected Yan to win over Sterling in their second outing.
“I definitely was picking Yan… he wanted to fight me, he was very verbal that he wanted me next and I wanted to be there front row for a fight I thought he was going to win.”
Dillashaw doesn’t believe that Sterling improved his standing with the community by much.
“I don’t feel like he gained that much more respect, the fact that he’s not like a dangerous fighter. He’s not someone you have to go out there and worry about getting finished or put to sleep. I’ve always known he’s great, he’s got some great skills in what he does.
“To me when I look at him, he’s not a fighter. He’s more of an athlete which you know our sport is professional athlete, but we’re all wrong to be fighters to not go out there and get that finish.”
Dillashaw is surprised at Sean O’Malley fighting Yan
When asked about another fight on the same night, Sean O’Malley vs. Petr Yan, Dillashaw expressed his surprise at the unexpected pairing.
“Yeah, I’m surprised accolades-wise of him not even being in the top 10 getting to fight someone like Yan. But he’s done a great job of promoting himself. He’s gotten the attention, he does the stuff that a lot of us don’t want to do.”
“He’s fully a character, he’s doing the YouTubes, the Twitch, whatever it may be, and put himself out there and being colorful so he’s promoted himself hard that way and working hard, so more power to him.”
“I’m not sure it’s a great fight for him but maybe he’ll prove us all wrong.”
Dillashaw clarifies his stance on Paddy Pimblett
Dillashaw cleared up his stance on Paddy Pimblett’s infamous weight gain in between fights.
“The thing I’m worried about is how fat he gets after fight camps. I don’t think he’ll be a world champion because of the fact that he’s got no dedication in between fights… if you blew up 30 pounds, how can you take a fight that fast or be getting better all the time.”
“Be in the f**king gym, you have the chance to make some serious cash right now and they’re going to start throwing you to the wolves. You’re going to start getting top 15, top 10, which I don’t know if he’s really ready for but it was a dick thing to say but I wasn’t trying to. That was my concern, he’s got this opportunity, he’s blowing it by being a fata**.”
Dillashaw will challenge division champion Sterling at UFC 280.
