LAS VEGAS – T.J. Dillashaw has only one thing on his mind: the UFC bantamweight title.
The former 135-pound champion wants to get a chance to win back what he never lost. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) relinquished the belt in March 2019 following a positive drug test for EPO, which resulted in a two-year suspension.
Now, having successfully returned from his U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension with a win over top contender Cory Sandhagen at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 27, Dillashaw wants his shot at gold.
The vacant bantamweight title was won by Petr Yan in July 2020 when he beat Jose Aldo at UFC 251. The Russian fighter lost the belt in his first title defense in March when he was disqualified against Aljamain Sterling due to an illegal knee. Sterling and Yan are expected to rematch later this year.
“I want my belt back,” Dillashaw told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 27 post-fight news conference. “It’s my belt, and I want it back. I wasn’t impressed by their last fight. I think Yan is going to get the win. Aljamain did not look very good. That’s who I see fighting next.”
Dillashaw is happy to back in the division, but guarantees there’s a better version coming for the title than the one people saw Saturday.
“I’d say that for me, that fight was a little lazy,” Dillashaw said. “There were things that I didn’t do. I didn’t feint enough. There were techniques that I didn’t use enough.
“For me, I’m happy with the performance. I’m happy I got the win. But I can do a lot better than that. Cory Sandhagen is a tough opponent. He’s got great angles. He’s fast. He’s long. I did what I had to do to get the win, but I can do better.”
T.J. Dillashaw eyes winner of Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan: ‘I want my belt back’