It looks like Aljamain
Sterling will defend his bantamweight crown against T.J.
Dillashaw a little bit later than originally anticipated.
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According to
Yahoo Sports, Sterling vs. Dillashaw will serve as the co-main
event at
UFC 280 on Oct. 22. The title bout was originally slated for
UFC 279 on Sept. 10 but that event will now be headlined by a
five-round, non-title clash between Nate Diaz and
Khamzat
Chimaev. The matchup was later confirmed by UFC broadcast
partner ESPN.
UFC 280 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and is headlined
by a showdown between Charles
Oliveira and Islam
Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title.
After winning the 135-pound belt with a controversial
disqualification victory over Petr Yan at
UFC 259, Sterling defeated Yan via split decision in their rematch
at UFC 273 on April 9. The “Funk Master” has won seven consecutive
fights in UFC competition, with other notable victories over the
likes of Cory
Sandhagen, Pedro
Munhoz and Jimmie
Rivera.
A former two-time bantamweight champion, Dillashaw returned
following a two-year USADA suspension at UFC on ESPN 27 last July,
when he took a split verdict over Sandhagen. It was Dillashaw’s
first appearance since a failed bid to capture flyweight gold at
UFC Fight Night 143, when he was stopped by Henry
Cejudo in 32 seconds in January 2019.