For the first time since news of his retirement, former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has opened up about his decision to walk away from MMA after 22 professional fights.
After injuring his shoulder in training camp for his title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280, Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) did not pull out of the fight. He said his shoulder popped out numerous times in preparation, but still traveled across the globe to Abu Dhabi with confidence he could get the job done to become a three-time champion.
Unfortunately, his plans went up in flames quickly after his shoulder popped out in the first round against Sterling, which led to a second-round loss, and another shoulder surgery when he returned to the U.S. Dillashaw admits that retirement was a conversation that he had with his wife prior to his last fight, but it wasn’t a certainty.
Now, Dillashaw is retired and removed from the active UFC roster.
“I went and had a shoulder surgery four weeks ago, and the doctor just kind of like, had a raw conversation we me,” Dillashaw told Brendan Schaub on “Food Truck Diaries.” “He was like, ‘Hey, man. It’s time to make a decision. This is your third shoulder surgery in the last three years.’ … It just got me thinking about life and my son, and being able to be active with him, and swing a golf club with him – just live life outside of fighting, you know?”
Dillashaw, 36, did not want the world to find out about his retirement in the manner it did. Designs of breaking the news on his terms were spoiled just a couple of days after notifying the UFC of his decision when the algorithm-based Twitter account UFC Roster Watch notified its followers of Dillashaw’s removal from the active roster.
Regardless of how the masses heard the news, the former champ seems comfortable in his decision for now, despite not being able to compete in better condition.
“To go out like that, to not actually put a true performance together, because I still believe I’m the best in the weight class,” Dillashaw said about making a “bittersweet” exit. “I go out there healthy, I get that belt back, especially against a fighter like Aljamain, who’s such a great matchup for me. Hence why I took the fight even though I was injured.”
Just seconds into his fight with Sterling, that injury reared its ugly head after a caught kick led to a takedown. The shoulder which popped out during training camp was out again, but this time, in the heat of a high-stakes battle against a defending champion.
While a shoulder dislocation is a nasty-looking injury, Dillashaw said he prepared his corner for the possibility of it happening, and they were ready to remedy the issue if it occurred.
“I gameplanned for it,” Dillashaw said. “I had a meeting with my doctor, I was like, ‘Hey, will you do a video of the best way to put my shoulder back into the socket, because it might happen?’ … Just like with any technique, or diet, or weight cut, you got to game plan it all. And so, I just gameplanned worst-case scenario, and unfortunately, it happened.”
With his fighting career seemingly behind him, Dillashaw says he is focused on building his businesses and spending time with family. After sending a message to UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, Dillashaw admits that it won’t be easy to disassociate himself from being a UFC champion-caliber athlete, but believes it will come with time.
“I went and saw the doctor, and with my son and everything going on, I was just like, ‘F*ck this, I’m done,’” Dillashaw said. “I wrote a letter to Hunter and said, ‘Hey man, thank you for what you’ve done for the sport, and the platform you’ve given me and the name I’ve been able to build because of it. But it’s just too much, I’m out right now.’”