Three reasons why TJ Dillashaw is a living legend

TJ Dillashaw is one of the finest fighters currently under contract to UFC. A veteran of fifteen UFC fights, he is the reigning Bantamweight Champion.

This countdown looks at three reasons why the 32 year old Dillashaw should already be considered a legend of the Octagon.

#3 He is the only the second man to become a two-time Bantamweight Champion in UFC history

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2 — Two-time Bantamweight Champion, TJ Dillashaw

The UFC Bantamweight Championship came into existence in 2011, after UFC merged with WEC and awarded reigning WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz the inaugural UFC version of the title.

TJ Dillashaw won the belt for the first time at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. A late replacement for Raphael Assuncao (who was injured) Dillashaw faced Champion Renan Barao. In a colossal upset, Dillashaw dominated a man who was previously considered one of the finest MMA fighters in the world. Dillashaw earned the TKO with kicks and punches, inflicting only the second loss of Barao's career on the Champion.

From there, Dillashaw defeated Joe Soto and Barao in a rematch before dropping the title to former Champion Cruz.

Dillashaw quickly bounced back and emulated Cruz's achievement by becoming a two-time Champion himself when he defeated Cruz's conquerer Cody Garbrandt for the gold at UFC 207 and defended the strap in a rematch at UFC 227. After a cumulative reign as Champion of nearly 900 days, Dillashaw is the man to beat in the Bantamweight division.

#2 He left Joe Rogan almost lost for words

In one of the most remarkable feats of his career, TJ Dillashaw's victory over Renan Barao at UFC 173 to win his first UFC Bantamweight Championship left UFC commentator Joe Rogan almost speechless!

Rogan, never one to usually be lost for words, was struggling for superlatives to describe Dillashaw's monumental performance.

Of Dillashaw's display, Rogan stated: "That was the greatest performance I have ever seen in my life!… You surpass all expectations tonight with this performance. This was just … stunning…. This was incredible…. T.J., this is one of the finest performances I have ever seen. The best performance — I’ll say it right now — this is the most spectacular performance I have ever seen against a guy in Barao who is easily one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Congratulations on just a masterful work tonight. It was an honor calling this fight. Thank you very much, brother."

Every word Rogan finally managed to utter was true. There were no acceptable superlatives to describe Dillashaw's performance. It was legendary and deservedly earned him "fight of the night" and "performance of the night" honours.

#1 He has achieved five "performance of the night" and three "fight of the night" awards

TJ Dillashaw doesn't just rack up the wins in UFC; he does so in hugely impressive fashion.

His first "performance of the night" award came when he terminated Renana Barao's 32 fight undefeated streak at UFC 173; this is when he also secured his second "fight of the night" award following his first, in his loss to Raphael Assuncao at UFC Fight Night in Brazil on October 9, 2013.

Dillashaw's first title defence against Joe Soto earned him his second "performance of the night" award at UFC 177 and earned his third consecutive performance bonus when he impressively defeated Barao in a re-match.

Dillashaw lost the title to Dominick Cruz on a tight split-decision on January 17, 2016, where his only consolation was his second "fight of the night" bonus.

Dillashaw's two most recent fights where he won the Bantamweight title again at UFC 207 and successfully defended it at UFC 227 saw the imperious fighter collect two more consecutive "performance of the night" awards.

Dillashaw isn't just a Champion; he is consistently one of the greatest MMA performers of all time. A true living legend.

Edited by Jilin Cherian