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T.J. Dillashaw's next fight will be against Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight championship at UFC 280 on October 22. If he can beat 'Funk Master', the former bantamweight champion already knows who he wants to defend the title against first.
Before being suspended for steroids, Dillashaw suffered his worst career loss against Henry Cejudo at UFC on ESPN+ 1. Now that 'Triple C' has decided to come out of retirement, he may be returning to a bantamweight title fight against the California native.
During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dillashaw was asked about potentially fighting Cejudo at bantamweight and had this to say:
"100%. How could I not? I feel like the chips are all lining up perfectly, to be honest. Get the belt back. Cejudo's coming out of retirement, which I knew was all bulls**t anyways."
Dillashaw was suspended for two years back in 2019. Since then, the California native has returned to win a thrilling five-round split decision against Cory Sandhagen. He now finds himself one win away from returning to the bantamweight throne.
Watch T.J. Dillashaw's interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour below:
T.J. Dillashaw believes Henry Cejudo retired to try and get more money
At UFC 249, Cejudo beat Dominick Cruz to retain the bantamweight championship and then shockingly retired. After retiring, 'Triple C' seemed to focus on coaching at Fight Ready MMA and building his brand for more money, which some believe is the only reason he retired.
During the same interview, Dillashaw expressed his opinion on Cejudo's retirement:
"I knew from the beginning he wasn't trying to retire. He just wanted to get paid more, but it kinda backfired on him. Now he's coming back. Perfect timing, to be honest."
At 35 years old, Cejudo will look to further his legacy. The former Olympic gold medalist also became a two-division UFC champion before retiring. If Dillashaw can beat Sterling, a rematch against 'Triple C' would be the perfect way to get both fighters back into the mainstream spotlight.
