Two-time UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has notified the promotion that he is retiring from the sport of MMA.
UFC officials confirmed to MMA Fighting that Dillashaw’s manager, Tiki Ghosn, has informed the promotion of Dillashaw’s decision to retire. Michael Wonsover first reported the news on Twitter.
The decision to retire comes after Dillashaw was forced to undergo another extensive surgery to repair damage done to his shoulder following his most recent loss, which came against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 281. Dillashaw, who has suffered from shoulder problems in the past few years, had to have surgery on his arms and was suspended for two years by UFC’s anti doping program. He used recombinant human Erythropoietin.
The latest surgery was expected to keep Dillashaw sidelined for at least the next year with another surgery possible in the future. That, however, was ultimately a bridge too far for Dillashaw to expect any reasonable timeline to return to action, which led to the decision to notify the UFC that he would retire from MMA.
If his retirement extends to all combat sports, Dillashaw retires as one of the top bantamweights in MMA history with two separate title reigns in the UFC.
Dillashaw became champion with a shocking upset over Renan Barao in 2014 and then repeated that performance with another dominant showcase against the Brazilian just over one year later. He dropped the title in a razor close split decision Dominick Cruz, but then rattled off two more wins before knocking out former teammate Cody Garbrandt to reclaim the belt.
Following a second win over Garbrandt, Dillashaw then made the decision to attempt to become a two-division champion after dropping down to flyweight to challenge for the 125-pound title. He fell to Henry Cejudo in 32 second.
After revealing that he was positive for EPO in his blood, Dillashaw lost his title as bantamweight. This led to a two year suspension. After beating Cory Sandhagen, Dillashaw finally returned to the ring and lost to Sterling.
Dillashaw retires with a 17-5 record overall.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/5/23495558/t-j-dillashaw-notifies-ufc-of-retirement-following-latest-shoulder-surgery?rand=96749
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