"His whole UFC career is tainted" - Aljamain Sterling explains his post-fight callout of TJ Dillashaw

Aljamain Sterling taunted TJ Dillashaw in the post-match press conference at UFC 273, saying that the former champion's career in the promotion is "tainted".

Sterling was victorious over rival Petr Yan in their rematch, earning a split-decision after five competitive rounds to unify the bantamweight title. The win officially puts Sterling 2-0 up in their series, with 'Funk Master' having become champion at UFC 259 in March 2021 when Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee strike.

Petr Yan, in his post-fight interview, asked for a rematch with Sterling. However, 'No Mercy' will probably have to wait for a third shot at 'Funk Master'. According to UFC president Dana White, former two-time champion TJ Dillashaw is next in line for a title shot.

At the post-match press conference, Sterling called out Dillashaw:

"If anyone's mentally weak, it's that guy [TJ Dillashaw]. He needed steroids and EPO to catapult his career to even win as many fights as he did in the UFC. So, his whole UFC career is tainted. I can't wait to punch him in the face. He's somebody I would enjoy punching."

Watch Aljamain Sterling's comments on TJ Dillashaw's career below:

TJ Dillashaw had accused Sterling of being mentally weak ahead of the champion's title defense at UFC 273.

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TJ Dillashaw responds to Aljamain Sterling's UFC 273 callout

TJ Dillashaw wants another go at the UFC bantamweight title after Aljamain Sterling called him out. The former two-time bantamweight titleholder claims he'll capture UFC gold for a third time.

After grappling his way to a closely contested split-decision win over Petr Yan, 'Funk Master' issued an immediate callout to Dillashaw, calling him "Pillashaw" and "Needleshaw". Responding to the challenge, Dillashaw said:

"Thanks for the callout my little b***h. Hope you have fun pretending to be the champ. Like I've always been saying, daddy's home, getting that belt. Easy f*****g money."

Watch Dillashaw's response to Sterling's callout (clip courtesy ESPN MMA):

Dillashaw, who was in attendance at UFC 273, uploaded a tweet from the venue, with the hashtag #daddyshome.

Sterling now has 12 victories at 135lbs, one short of TJ Dillashaw's record for most bantamweight wins in the promotion's history. Dillashaw has amassed 13 bantamweight wins over his UFC career, which includes two title reigns.