EXCLUSIVE | TJ Dillashaw responds to “idiot” Cody Garbrandt, explains how he’ll cut down to 125

Ever since he knocked out Cody Garbrandt to recapture the UFC bantamweight title, TJ Dillashaw has been angling for a flyweight title shot opposite dominant divisional kingpin Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. In order to earn this opportunity, of course, Dillashaw will have to cut down to 125 pounds – something Garbrandt doesn’t believe he can do.

I’d make 125 in a month! This fool can’t make 125, he knows what it is. I’ll be here cleaning the division out again, waiting for him🏃🏼🏃🏼 https://t.co/XzybIfRWNv

— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) January 4, 2018

While Garbrandt isn’t optimistic that Dillashaw will successfully make it down to 125 pounds to fight “Mighty Mouse”, Dillashaw himself assures it’s doable, so long as he takes the proper measures.

“I can make it faster, but it’s all about how I’m gonna perform,” Dillashaw explained on the latest stacked episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I want to perform at my best, man. The new coach I’ve been working with, Sam Calavitta, down out of Southern California, my strength and conditioning coach, my nutritionist, he’s the one that kind of gave me the numbers. He’s the one that told me, ‘Look, here’s where your body’s at now.’ I mean, this guy’s a mad scientist. He’s so good with how the body works and things that I need to do to be at my tip top shape.”

“My last fight with Cody, I’ve never felt better,” Dillashaw continued. “I put on more muscle than I’ve ever put on. I was in better shape than I’ve ever been in. It was amazing, so [Calavitta’s] the one that’s telling me, ‘Look, [if you] want to do this legit, all you need is… we need a 16 week knowledge that you’re actually gonna fight [at 125 pounds], ’cause if not, we gotta keep the weight on. We gotta keep the weight on for [135 pounds].’ But if it’s me getting my body down, I’m gonna have to change the way I train. I’ve already changed the way I’ve eaten and I’m continuing to do so, so my weight is lighter in preparation of this challenge. It’s one of those things that, yeah, I could make the weight shorter. Sure, I could probably make the weight in a month. I could’ve made the weight at weigh-ins in New York, but I’m looking to make the weight and be the best TJ Dillashaw I’ve ever been.”

“I’m fighting Demetrious Johnson, the pound-for-pound best in the world, so if I’m gonna go out there and prove to them I’m the best fighter, I’ve gotta give myself my best chance and that’s to make the weight the right way, very scientifically and be on top of my game.”

Needless to say, Dillashaw didn’t love Garbrandt’s recent comments.

“He’s reaching,” Dillashaw said. “It’s what he does, it’s what he’s done my entire fight camp. He’s reaching trying to make himself relevant. He was saying that he could make the weight within a month and that’s exactly what I’m saying. He’s an idiot. Yeah, you could make the weight in a month, but you’re not gonna feel very good. Me, especially. I walk around lean, I’m on a good diet, I’m on a great lifestyle year-round. I can definitely make the weight. When I was told I was going to be fighting Demetrious the summer of last year, I was told I was gonna be fighting him in August, I was waking up at 154 at the time and within three weeks of me thinking I was fighting Demetrious, I was waking up at 140 and that was a little bit fast-tracked – I’d like to do it even smarter than that – but I was already waking up at 140 pounds.”

“[140 is] only 15 pounds over weight,” he continued. “I can lose that whenever I needed to. I’m looking to do it smart, intelligent, the way that it should be done like a professional athlete, not some meathead.”

Do you think TJ Dillashaw can successfully cut to 125?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/14/2018.