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Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has stated that he believes his upcoming fight with top 135-pound contender Cory Sandhagen is the true title fight, rather than Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling's expected rematch.
Speaking at UFC Vegas 32 media day, T.J. Dillashaw was asked about his upcoming fight with Sandhagen, which headlines the card. The former champ stated the following:
"It's definitely a number one contender fight. This is the real title fight to be honest. I was not very impressed with Aljamain (Sterling) and Yan in their last fight. I think Cory Sandhagen's the toughest in the weight class right now and this is a true title fight. I'm the true champ coming back and it's time to prove it."
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T.J. Dillashaw's prediction for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2
Current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling won his belt after Petr Yan was disqualified from their fight due to an illegal knee. The men are expected to rematch later this year.
Should T.J. Dillashaw come out triumphant in his fight with Sandhagen, he will likely face the winner of Sterling vs. Yan. He revealed that he believes it will be the Russian who will come out on top in that fight.
"I think Yan, I think he's the better fighter. Watching that last performance, he did very well with his gameplan against Sterling and I think he'll win the next fight. I think I'd rather fight him," stated T.J. Dillashaw.
Considering T.J. Dillashaw hasn't competed in over two years, a return fight against one of the most prolific knockout artists in the bantamweight division will be no warm welcome.
Sandhagen is coming off two spectacular finishes, with a wheel kick TKO against Marlon Moraes and a flying knee KO versus Frankie Edgar.
Should Dillashaw win, he will instantly be elevated above his fellow top bantamweight contenders such as Rob Font and Jose Aldo.
Whether he is able to defeat such an opponent without the aid of PEDs remains to be seen and will continue to be a question mark until we see him compete again in the UFC octagon.
