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TJ Dillashaw came into his bantamweight title fight against Aljamain Sterling with a recurring shoulder injury, but Chael Sonnen believes fans should let him off the hook.
'Funk Master' headed into UFC 280 with a weight on his shoulders as many fans insisted that he was an unproven champion. The aftermath of his bout on October 22 only added fuel to the fire. Despite dominating from start to finish, the champion is once again forced to defend himself due to the nature of his win.
Chael Sonnen sat down to speak with his viewers on Beyond the Fight and urged them to forgive TJ Dillashaw for keeping his injury hidden:
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"What about the admission and the disclosure do you think that TJ did wrong? Who is it [that] you think he harmed? What is it you think that he took from somebody? Should we hate TJ forever? Is that forever? Or can we acknowledge that he just got his a** kicked by Aljo? I mean, if we're mad at a guy, we probably want to hit that guy. Okay well, somebody just did hit him. So your evil side, I feel, should be served."
Despite ending the fight quickly and sustaining a minimal amount of damage, Aljamain Sterling has admitted that he intends to take the holidays off and will return to action sometime next year.
While there's no clear contender at present, the champion has been discussing potential matchups with Sean O'Malley, Henry Cejudo, and Chito Vera. However, the division could look completely different by the time he returns.
Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about the Dillashaw's situation:
What's next for TJ Dillashaw?
After losing his chance to reclaim the bantamweight title, TJ Dillashaw will likely have to fight his way back into title contention. Who will he be pitted against next?
The 36-year-old will be out of action for a while due to shoulder surgery. If rehabilitation goes well, we could see the 135lb legend step back into the octagon by the end of next year or early 2024.
By then, Dillashaw could be 38 years old. The bantamweight division will likely look completely different, with a large number of prospects beginning to rise up the ranks.
