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Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw is making his return to the octagon as he fights rising bantamweight star Cory Sandhagen this Saturday. They will headline the UFC Vegas 32 fight card, and the result of this fight will greatly affect the bantamweight title picture.
T.J. Dillashaw sat down with Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA to talk about his return, among other things. Okamoto asked Dillashaw about his plans if he does beat Sandhagen. Upon being asked whether he would wait for the title fight following a win at UFC Vegas 32, Dillashaw answered:
"I definitely want that title fight next but I'm just going to come back and I think this is the real title fight anyway, beating Sandhagen. To me, I'm going to treat it like I'm fighting the best just like I did when I thought I beat Cruz."
T.J. Dillashaw was referring to his split decision loss against Dominick Cruz. He lost his belt but went on to capture it against fierce rival and former teammate Cody Garbrandt.
"I was fighting number one contenders while he was fighting number five and number eight. I'll do the same thing, I'll fight the Rob Fonts. I'll fight the guys that are top five if I have to," Dillashaw said.
Also Read: A full history of what happened between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt
T.J. Dillashaw reveals that he doesn't want to sit out too long
Dillashaw also added that he would like to get the belt back as soon as possible. That is not possible immediately, considering current champion Aljamain Sterling is recovering from a neck injury. Dillashaw talked about the rematch between Yan and Sterling and said:
"I mean, it really depends on when that fight's going to happen. I'd like to get that belt back as soon as possible. But if Aljamain's going to have to take more time off because of his neck then I might be fighting someone else again. I don't want to sit too long."
Watch the full interview here:
T.J. Dillashaw makes his long-awaited return to the octagon on Saturday, July 24, 2021, against No.2-ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32.
