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TJ Dillashaw has lashed out at Cory Sandhagen after recent comments made by his future opponent.
Dillashaw looks set to return to the octagon for the first time in over two years in May as he prepares to battle the aforementioned Sandhagen. Dillashaw will be seeing so off the back of his USADA suspension with many wondering whether or not the 35-year-old still has what it takes to compete at an elite bantamweight level.
Dillashaw bites back
We already know Sandhagen is one of the scariest guys in the division, as he’s been able to prove in his last few outings, but the jury is still out on the impact this lay-off will have on TJ Dillashaw.
It seemed as if there was some mutual respect heading into this fight, but during a recent interview with ESPN, Dillashaw noted that isn’t 100% true:
“I like Cory Sandhagen. He’s become a little bit of a douche lately, talking that s*** which he’s gotta do, that’s the name of the game. But I like Cory Sandhagen. I like all of his coaches, but that’s the business, we’re gonna get out there, we’re gonna handle it, and I’m gonna come back and get my belt.”
When asked what exactly Sandhagen said, Dillashaw went into more detail on the matter:
“Oh just talking s*** about how ‘he failed a drug test’ and then something about me taking ‘the worst steroid you could possibly take’, just running his mouth on certain interviews and stuff. Just pumping himself up and making himself feel like he’s got a chance in this fight.”
Dillashaw was suspended in the wake of his loss to Henry Cejudo after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).
Nobody knows for sure how long Dillashaw was on EPO and how it impacted his mixed martial arts career, but one thing is just about guaranteed - this fight against Sandhagen has the potential to be an absolute war.
It’s safe to say that bantamweight is rapidly becoming one of the best divisions in the entire sport. The winner of this contest will take a huge step towards challenging for the title.
