TJ Dillashaw Retires From MMA
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is retiring from MMA due to the shoulder injury he sustained prior to UFC 280. The news was first reported by Michael Wonsover.
Ariel Helwani confirmed the news with Dillashaw’s manager, Tiki Ghosn, and explained that Dillashaw’s shoulder injury was the reason for his retirement. Further doctor examinations determined that Dillashaw’s injury was extreme. He underwent surgery around a month ago, but there is a chance that he will need another procedure. With this news, Dillashaw opted to retire rather than work his way back to competitive shape.
At 36 years old, recovery would have been a near-impossible challenge. In MMA, taking a year or more to recover from an injury is not an easy task. That only becomes more difficult with age. It would have been a tough task for Dillashaw to return to championship form.
Dillashaw had a historic career that cemented him in UFC history. He got off to a hot start in the UFC that culminated in him finishing Renan Barao, the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, with a head kick in his first career title fight. Dillashaw proceed to defend the belt twice. Once against Joe Soto and once in a rematch against Barao.
Eventually, Dillashaw lost his title to fellow MMA legend Dominick Cruz. However, he was able to work his way back into the title picture with wins over Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker.
Dillashaw’s attempt to regain the bantamweight title culminated in one of the best rivalries in bantamweight history as he had to defeat former teammate Cody Garbradt to regain the title. Not only was Dillashaw able to beat Garbrandt to become a two-time UFC champion, but he beat Garbandt in an immediate rematch to solidify his spot at the top.
After that point, things ended up going south for Dillashaw. He attempted to make history as he moved down to flyweight to fight champion Henry Cejudo in the hopes of becoming a double champion. Ultimately, the weight cut depleted Dillashaw and he was finished in the first round. Furthermore, Dillashaw failed his post-fight drug test which found he was using EPO. As a result, Dillashaw received a two-year suspension and was stripped of his bantamweight title.
Dillashaw returned from his suspension in 2021 with the goal of regaining the bantamweight title. That was going to plan early as he defeated Cory Sandhagen by a split decision to become the number one contender. However, the shoulder injury that ended his career spoiled his final title fight as he lost to Aljamian Sterling at UFC 280.
At the end of the day, you can not tell the story of the UFC bantamweight division without talking about Dillashaw. Not only was he one of the best fighters in bantamweight history, but his rivalries with Cruz and Garbarndt helped bring eyes to the division.
