Aljamain
Sterling wasn’t a fan of T.J.
Dillashaw’s attempt to take some of the shine from his second
bantamweight title defense at UFC 280.
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After Sterling’s second-round technical knockout win in the
evening’s co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Dillashaw
revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury earlier this year and
that it popped out at least 20 times during that process of
training camp.
“For him to go out and do that, I think it just kind of shows his
personality,” Sterling said at Saturday’s post-fight press
conference. “And I said it before, for a guy who needs to do PEDs,
they have a chink in the armor for this guy to lose and the first
thing he went for was that. I’m like dude, you’re just gonna make
it seem like your shoulder just came out by itself, brother? I like
to think I had something to do with that.”
The fight itself was never competitive. Sterling took Dillashaw
down early, and the former title holder was seen grimacing shortly
thereafter when he appeared to reaggravate the injury. From there,
“The Funk Master” poured it on with ground-and-pound and submission
attempts. Dillashaw somehow survived until the Round 1 horn, but he
was basically fighting with one arm at that point. Sterling took
his opponent down immediately in the second stanza and finished the
fight with a salvo of punches and elbows from above.
Sterling didn’t have too much sympathy for Dillashaw’s plight after
having gone through something similar early in his career.
“I tore my shoulder and I had five professional fights and I went
5-0. I understand the pain that he definitely had to deal with
going through that, but he had the two shoulder surgeries during
his suspension,” Sterling said. “I took him down, his shoulders
were in the socket before the takedown. They were in the socket
before the round ended as far as I’m concerned.
“I full mounted him, I rolled his arms up, I flattened him out, I’d
like to think that I’m the one that caused it to come out the
socket again. So, he can say whatever he wants, but I don’t think
socket or not, that that fight wasn’t gonna get any better for
him.”
It’s been an interesting run to the title for Sterling already. He
claimed the belt with a controversial disqualification win over
Petr
Yan, but defended the title with a more clear-cut victory in
their rematch. While some might attach an asterisk to his latest
victory as well, Sterling isn’t letting Dillashaw’s injury woes
diminish his work in what is another signature performance.
“I think it ranks right up there,” Sterling said. “T.J., his resume
speaks for itself. I said what I said about him, I don’t think he
really did any of those fights clean — I still will stick by what I
said. Not to kick a man while he’s down, I still think he’s one of
the greatest bantamweights. I don’t think he’s the greatest of all
time, but I think you could make the conversation and he would be
in that discussion. So for me to get a guy like that out of there,
I think it speaks volumes to where I’m at and my skill set. I’m
honestly just getting better man.”