Aljamain Sterling Claims TJ Dillashaw Being ‘Clean’ Might Affect His Performance Against Cory Sandhagen

Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will make his return to the octagon almost 841 days since his last fight. The USADA famously handed Dillashaw a two-year ban for the consumption of banned substances in his fight against Henry Cejudo. In the time that Dillashaw has been away from the sport, the bantamweight division has blossomed into one of the most talent stacked divisions in the UFC. 

In his return fight after more than two years off, the former champion will take on an extremely dangerous finisher in Cory Sandhagen. ‘Sandman’ is on a two-fight KO win streak. Hence, it will be interesting to see how much of an effect a two-year lay-off will be for TJ when he steps in against an elite fighter in the ‘Sandman’.

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Aljamain Sterling gives his thoughts on TJ Dillashaw vs Cory Sandhagen

In a recent interview, James Lynch asked Aljamain Sterling what he made of Dillashaw’s return and what his predictions were for the fight. 

‘Funkmaster’ continued, “And the press conference where Cody Garbrandt confirmed that he was trying to teach everyone at the gym how to do the steroids and the EPO…. It goes to show how many years he has been cheating….. I don’t know how good he really is without that stuff. Like yeah, he may be a technical guy. But in terms of the aggression and everything, that can all be coming from the stuff he’s injecting into his body.”

MMA fans have always known Dillashaw as an excellent striker, but two years away from the sport will have surely affected his timing and precision, which is he so famously known for. That said, age might also play a factor as the former champion is 35. 

It will be interesting to see how TJ Dillashaw performs on his return. If he is able to secure a win, he will put himself in a position to challenge for a title immediately. However, a loss could be detrimental to his UFC career.