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T.J. Dillashaw recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan rematch.
During an interview with ESPN MMA, Dillashaw predicted that Yan will defeat Sterling in their unification showdown at UFC 273.
The former 135-pound titleholder also discussed the two current champions' fight at UFC 259. He admitted he expected more from Sterling and praised Yan's abilities.
"My money's on Yan just to see that fight went down and you know kind of see how Aljamain just break and give up. I really didn't have much for him and you know I was kind of expecting Sterling to give him a lot more trouble in that grappling aspect than the takedown and Yan just kind of shrugged him off. You know like he had no strength... Yan's a killer. You know the way he fights, he stays real tight, stays clean and he's got the mentality that he's a fighter."
You can check out T.J. Dillashaw's interview with ESPN MMA below:
At UFC 259 last March, Sterling became the first champion in the promotion's history to be crowned via disqualification. Despite being behind in the fight, Sterling left with bantamweight gold as a result of an illegal knee from Yan in the fourth round.
The rematch between Sterling and Yan was originally set for UFC 267 in October 2021. However, Sterling had to withdraw from the match pertaining to an injury.
Aljamain Sterling challenges Sean O'Malley to a fight against 'real bantamweight contenders'
Aljamain Sterling has challenged Sean O'Malley to a fight at 135 pounds against a top contender.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Sterling was asked about Sean O'Malley's recent comments. 'Sugar' had claimed that Sterling lacks the star power to headline his own UFC card.
'The Funk Master' responded by saying:
“O’Malley’s gonna do what O’Malley does, which is just talk. He talks a big game. But we come to find out that he’s a lot of talk, a lot of bark and no bite. The last time he tried to bite off more than he can chew, what happened? He did the broke leg dance.”
Sterling brought up O'Malley's mid-fight leg injury, which led to his first-round TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020. He stated that, while O'Malley lost due to a freak injury, the fact remains that he was defeated by the first legitimate bantamweight contender he faced.
He believes O'Malley's most recent fight, a win over unranked Raulian Paiva, should not garner 'Sugar' any attention. Sterling recalled that as a rising star, he wasn't always booked in favorable stylistic matchups.
He emphasized that, unlike 'Sugar,' he has consistently fought top-5 or top-10 bantamweight opponents.
Watch the full interview of Aljamain Sterling on The MMA Hour below:
