T.J. Dillashaw next fight: When is the former UFC champion fighting again and who is his opponent?

T.J. Dillashaw will make his 18th appearance in the UFC octagon against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280: Oliveira vs. Makhachev later this year, scheduled for Abu Dhabi on October 22.

The American hasn't fought in 2022, with his latest UFC outing being against Cory Sandhagen last July. Dillashaw narrowly defeated 'The Sandman', winning via split decision after five rounds.

The bout against Sterling is scheduled to be the co-main event at UFC 280 and will be for the UFC bantamweight championship. T.J. Dillashaw's most recent title shot came in the flyweight division against Henry Cejudo back in 2019. The 36-year-old lost the bout via first-round TKO.

Dillashaw is a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion and had a historic rivalry with Cody Garbrandt in 2017 and 2018. It's likely that his previous success and recent win over Sandhagen earned Dillashaw another title shot in the UFC.

Not often does competing in just two fights since 2018 earn a fighter a title shot against a tough opponent in the UFC. However, as mentioned, it's likely that Dillashaw's history in the division has enabled the 36-year-old to have an opportunity to return to the 135-pound throne.

Some have, however, criticized the decision owing to Dillashaw's controversial past with PED-usage, which saw him suspended for two years following his defeat to Cejudo.

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Who was the first fighter to beat T.J. Dillashaw in professional MMA?

Most of T.J. Dillashaw's professional MMA career has been spent in the UFC, meaning that the American has only ever fought the best-of-the-best. After going unbeaten for his first four professional MMA bouts, Dillashaw lost to John Dodson in The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale.

Dillashaw beat Matt Jaggers, Roland Delorme and Dustin Pague in the T.V. series to reach the finale, but couldn't get past then-future UFC title challenger Dodson. After suffering his first defeat in 2011, the American went on to win his next four bouts, only losing again in 2013 to Raphael Assunção.

Despite those setbacks, T.J. Dillashaw managed to get his first UFC title shot just two fights later in 2014 against Renan Barão. The Brazilian was one of the most highly-rated fighters in the organization at the time, which supercharged Dillashaw's career after he won.

The UFC veteran is now hoping to win UFC gold once again when facing Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 later this year.