"It's embarrassing that he's the champion and his striking is that bad" - T.J. Dillashaw confident about outclassing Aljamain Sterling in all aspects of MMA at UFC 280 title fight

T.J. Dillashaw recently weighed in on his upcoming fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280.

Dillashaw is set to take on 'Funk Master' in the co-main event of UFC 280 with Sterling's bantamweight title on the line. The event is scheduled for October 22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. In this fight, 'Lieutenant Dan' will seek to reclaim the bantamweight title he once held and establish his position as the division's king again.

In a recent interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, the former champion discussed his upcoming title showdown against Aljamain Sterling. Dillashaw seemed confident that he would win the belt from 'Funk Master', claiming that he is superior to Sterling in all aspects of MMA:

"I absolutely have an advantage [over Sterling] in striking... I believe I have the advantage everywhere, right? I mean, he is really good once he gets on the back with control and things like that. But I haven't been impressed with his wrestling.

He's a D3 wrestler — I have been wrestling D1... I think his takedown defense is under 50%... It is embarrassing that he's the champion and his striking is that bad. I mean he uses his awkwardness to his advantage but...you start throwing with him, he just cowers."

Watch T.J. Dillashaw's full interview with MMA Junkie below:

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Aljamain Sterling takes a jibe at T.J. Dillashaw ahead of UFC 280

Aljamain Sterling recently fired shots at his upcoming opponent for his performance-enhancing drug usage in 2019. T.J. Dillashaw was suspended for two years by the USADA after he tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). Dillashaw admitted to using the prohibited drug before his fight with Henry Cejudo at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw.

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Sterling opined that 'Lieutenant Dan' was using performance-enhancing drugs even before his fight against Cejudo. He mentioned how T.J. Dillashaw's former teammates "outed" him for using banned drugs long before the fight against Cejudo, implying that he'd used them in other fights as well:

"Whatever it was, you were on something. Even if it wasn't the same exact thing, you were definitely on something. Your teammates outed you years ago. There's been rumors even before that first press conference happened with him and Cody Garbrandt. There were rumors going on for the longest..."

Watch Aljamain Sterling's full interview on The MMA Hour below: