Former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw retires from fighting

This was announced by the manager of the 36-year-old fighter, and later this information was confirmed by sports columnist Ariel Helwani.

“TJ Dillashaw has decided to retire. He notified the UFC about a week and a half ago, ”the reporter wrote on the social network.

As a result, the American fighter left the UFC bantamweight division and the organization’s roster, but he himself has not yet commented on this matter.

TJ Dillashaw last fought in October this year at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, losing by TKO in the second round to the reigning champion Aljamain Sterling. After the fight, Dillashaw stated that he entered the octagon with a shoulder injury, which made itself felt in the fight.

Two-time UFC bantamweight champion and one-time UFC flyweight title contender T.J. Dillashaw began his career in the world’s strongest league in 2011 after participating in the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he reached the final .

In May 2014, being a significant underdog, the American took the bantamweight title from Henan Barao, finishing the Brazilian by technical knockout in the fifth round. After that, he successfully defended the championship belt against substitute Joe Soto before defeating Barao in a rematch.

In January 2016, T.J. Dillashaw lost the title by split decision to Dominic Cruz, but regained the belt the following year by knocking out former teammate Cody Garbrandt.

In January 2019, Dillashaw made an unsuccessful attempt to take the UFC flyweight title from Henry Cejudo, whom he lost by technical knockout in the first round, and then was suspended for two years after passing a positive doping test.

After serving his suspension, in 2021 T.J. Dillashaw returned to the octagon and defeated Corey Sandhagen via split decision to secure a title shot, but was forced to take a break due to knee surgery.