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The latest UFC rankings update reflected a shake-up after T.J. Dillashaw's retirement.
T.J. Dillashaw announced his retirement several weeks after his devastating loss to reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. Dillashaw's most recent outing generated controversy after he fought Sterling with a severe shoulder injury.
He received a brutal beatdown in the UFC 280 co-main event before getting finished via technical knockout in the second round.
Following his retirement, Dillashaw was immediately removed from the UFC's roster of fighters. As a result, every ranked bantamweight from No.6 to No.15 has moved up one spot, with Said Nurmagomedov entering in the final position.
Meanwhile, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson maintained his No.6 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings following his spectacular TKO victory over Kevin Holland in the main event of Saturday's card in Orlando, Florida.
Elsewhere, rising heavyweight star Sergei Pavlovich climbed two spots to No.5 after knocking out Tai Tuivasa at UFC Orlando. Tuivasa, on the other hand, slipped to the Russian's former position after back-to-back losses in the final quarter of 2022.
Check out all the updates here.
T.J. Dillashaw responds to "borderline fraud" accusation
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw received backlash for refusing to give up his slot in a title fight despite being severely injured.
MMA analyst Luke Thomas was highly critical of Dillashaw's decision to fight on and labeled the bantamweight star a "borderline fraud."
However, the 36-year-old claimed that he is "bred" to believe that he will succeed, regardless of how odds are seemingly against him. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dillashaw said:
“Like I’m not being thrown under the bus enough,” he said. “Like, he thinks I went in there to collect a paycheck. I went in there with the utmost belief that I was going to win, and I was going to get my title back, something I’ve been waiting to do for three-and-a-half years and chomping at the bit. I just beat Cory Sandhagen on one leg, and why not? Why would I not believe I can beat a guy who’s less dangerous and that I matched up with really well?"
Check out T.J. Dillashaw's response in the video below:
