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TJ Dillashaw Provides an Update on His Knee Injury, Reveals Timeline for His UFC Return for the Title Fight

Published 08/10/2021, 12:42 AM EDT

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Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw marked his return to the octagon with a win over Cory Sandhagen last month. This was his first fight in over two years, as he was banned following a positive test for EPO in early 2019. His last fight was a stoppage loss against Henry Cejudo in January 2019. 

During the first round of the fight itself, Dillashaw hurt his knee during a scramble with Sandhagen. When he went back to his corner at the end of the first round, he said his knee was f***ed. This was clear as Dillashaw was labored in his movement through rounds two and three. However, he improved as the fight went on. 

Following the fight, Dillashaw, in a chat on UFC 265: Calabasas Fight Companion, revealed that he would have to undergo surgery, but he was not sure how long the recovery process would take. 

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To the relief of fans, Dillashaw provided an update on his injury and how long he would be out of action. He said, “I had a medial meniscus bucket handle tear, a lateral meniscus tear, and a PCL tear. I’m just glad it wasn’t ACL, I’m happy with the results because it would’ve been nine months (if it would’ve been an ACL tear)……. I’m looking at a three-month recovery right now until I get back to training, (then) fight for the title at the beginning of next year.” (h/t mmajunkie.usatoday.com)

TJ Dillashaw vs Jose Aldo- the fight to make at bantamweight?

Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo has been extremely impressive at bantamweight so far. After a horrid start, Aldo bounced back with two impressive back-to-back wins over the likes of Marlon Vera and, most recently, Pedro Munhoz. He is currently on a two-fight win streak and said he would like to fight Dillashaw as his next fight. 

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Given that Dillashaw will be out till early 2022, the UFC might match up Aldo with someone else in the bantamweight division. However, if ‘Junior’ is ready and willing to wait till Dillashaw can compete again, the fight would be an epic matchup for the number one contender spot at 135-pounds. 

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Kevin Binoy

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Kevin Binoy is an MMA author at EssentiallySports. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Fergusson College and has been covering sports professionally for over two years. Besides working with the MMA writing team, Kevin is a core member of the organization's web stories team and is responsible for delivering engaging MMA web stories.
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