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UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling opened up about what he told T.J. Dillashaw after beating him.
The reigning 135-pound king Sterling faced former two-time bantamweight champion Dillashaw in the co-main event of UFC 280 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last Saturday. Sterling went into the bout looking to add a second title defense to his record after coming off a unification match against former interim titleholder Petr Yan in his last outing. Dillashaw dislocated his shoulder early in the opening round before Sterling dispatched him by TKO in round two.
Dillashaw revealed that he went into the matchup with a pre-existing shoulder injury that he had not disclosed. Company president Dana White admitted it was a problem that Dillashaw did not disclose it to UFC and the athletic commission.
In an appearance on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Sterling answered if he knew Dillashaw was injured.
“No, I had no idea. The only time I heard about that was in between rounds when Al or Ray, one of them pointed it out,” said Sterling. “It was such an in-the-moment type of thing but it felt like they said, ‘I think there’s something wrong with his left arm.’ I said, ‘which arm?’ They told me the left. I had no idea going into the second round and no one knew anything about the guy.
Sterling Reveals What He Told Dillashaw After the Fight
‘Funk Master’ went up to Dillashaw after beating him and shared a brief conversation. Although he did not get the competition he was looking for, Sterling spoke freely about his chat with Dillashaw post-fight.
“I was in the moment, my adrenaline was running high. I do kinda crazy sporadic s*** when I’m high on adrenaline, I think anybody does. I just told him, ‘man, it was an honor to fight you. Win or lose, even if I had lost, you get all the respect in the world. You’ve done something that I’ve always wanted to do. You’re somebody I look up to. Nothing but respect. There’s no animosity on my side and hopefully, there’s none on yours.’ I might not have said it in that many words but that’s pretty much the premises of what I told him.
“I could only imagine if he had won how he probably would’ve rubbed it in my face. That’s the game we play. When you lose, you really have no say in how your opponent handles the situation.”
Sterling Is Not Bothered by Those Who May Discredit Him
Sterling does not want an asterisk next to a dominant win over Dillashaw. He believes he did his job and stays unbothered by those who may discredit him.
“I fought him fair and square like a man. We both made our walks to the octagon and may the better man win. Fortunately for me, it was my night. People could say whatever they want, I know people are going to try to discredit my wins. They discredit me in any way they find they can which at this point is kinda laughable because no matter what I do, it’s going to be some type of fault.
“I think that just lets everyone in the world know no matter what you do, there’s always going to be haters. There’s always going to be someone judging and there’s always someone trying to discredit the things that you’re doing.”
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