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DALLAS, TX – SEPTEMBER 08: Aljamain Sterling celebrates his submission victory over Cody Stamann in their bantamweight fight during the UFC 228 event at American Airlines Center on September 8, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

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DALLAS, TX – SEPTEMBER 08: Aljamain Sterling celebrates his submission victory over Cody Stamann in their bantamweight fight during the UFC 228 event at American Airlines Center on September 8, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Returning to action after a two-year suspension, TJ Dillashaw picked up a controversial split decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32. Now ranked no.2 in the bantamweight division, Dillashaw will most likely face the winner of the rematch between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan at UFC 267.
In a recent interview with MMA on SiriusXM, current bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, revealed that while he’d certainly be up for a fight with the Dillashaw in the future, what frustrates him the most is that the fans and the media seem to have accepted TJ’s narrative of supposedly ‘coming clean.
🎙️"You didn't come clean, you idiot. You got caught." — Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) explains why the narrative of TJ Dillshaw "coming clean" before his bout with Cory Sandhagen is frustrating to hear🔊
Full int –> https://t.co/WqmpSFfPwe@RJcliffordMMA @DinThomas pic.twitter.com/RbT1NNVrtI
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) July 27, 2021
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“What universe are we living in? The UFC is pushing this narrative like oh he’s changing his life and he came clean and TJ’s saying ‘yeah I’m so glad and relieved that I came clean about it’. I’m like bro, you idiot, and the people that are eating this up just drive me nuts. I’m like, bro, you didn’t come clean, you got caught, you dummy.”
TJ Dillashaw tested positive for using Erythropoietin (EPO) in his flyweight bout against Henry Cejudo. For this, he received a two-year suspension from the USADA.
According to Sterling, Dillashaw has been using performance-enhancing substances ever since his loss to John Dodson in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter. Therefore, even though he will welcome a fight with TJ, his doubts regarding Dillashaw fighting clean will never go away. If he retains against ‘No Mercy’ these comments will certainly come to the fore as Dillashaw is waiting in the wings to fight the winner.
Aljamain Sterling vs Petr Yan: The rematch
The first meeting between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan came to an unfortunate end, with Petr Yan being disqualified for throwing an illegal knee in the fourth round. As a result, Aljamain Sterling became the first fighter in UFC history to win a title via a DQ.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 05: (L-R) Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Aljamain Sterling face off during the UFC 259 weigh-in at UFC APEX on March 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
As two out of three judges had Yan winning on the scorecards up until his illegal knee, the UFC was eager to book the rematch between the two. However, the ‘Funkmaster’ chose to undergo neck surgery for a nagging injury instead. Following successful surgery, Aljamain Sterling is on the road to recovery.
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Now, the two will meet in the octagon for the second time at UFC 267. While most critics have Yan winning comfortably because of his dominant performance in the first fight, underestimating Aljamain Sterling could prove to be fatal for the Russian.
Who do you think takes the rematch? Let us know in the comments.
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