TJ Dillashaw News

Justin Golightly - January 24, 2018

The UFC has been teasing that this 25th anniversary year is going to be huge. Going into 2018, it’s hard to imagine a big fight year without the superfight between Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw happening. It’s been teased even before Johnson broke Anderson Silva’s title defense record with a spectacular submission finish never before seen in the UFC. Dillashaw has already been training, the fight was falsely teased, both parties want it and the UFC needs it. So, why hasn’t it been finalized yet? Aside from recovering from shoulder surgery, it’s because Johnson wants the best possible scenario for him and his opponent. “It’s the superfight everyone wants. I think TJ [Dillashaw] and I are both on board. We just want to make sure it’s on a stacked card. We want to make sure we can benefit from a good pay-per-view buy. I think I deserve it and I think he deserves it. I’d rather have somebody else [be the] main event, who is going to bring in way more PPVs. In my opinion, that’s held up the fight on my end. I’ve seen guys jump on [stacked] PPV cards and make $1.5 million, fighting an inferior opponent than who I’m about to fight. Me and TJ could fight on a smaller card and pull 275,000 buys, get an extra check for $75,000. My management told me, ‘You know what, we’ll hold out for a big event.’ A lot of media and fans think that’s a way of turning down fights or ducking someone, but that’s a way of being a smart businessman and getting the most money you can get.”

Tom Taylor - January 22, 2018

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, who owns the record for most consecutive title defenses of any champion in UFC history, is currently recovering from a surgery. That said, he’s already eyeing his next fight. While Johnson has expressed some disinterest in a potential fight with bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in the past, he seems to have come around. Speaking during a MetroPCS Q&A in the buildup to UFC 220, Johnson announced that he’s hoping to fight Dillashaw this July, on a big card in the midst of the UFC’s International Fight Week.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2018

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

Chris Taylor - January 12, 2018

T.J. Dillashaw fires back at Cody Garbrandt “You can’t even really be called champ without defending your belt”. Following his thrilling second-round knockout victory over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217, newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw set his sights on a super-fight with current flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson.

Jason Kindschy - January 11, 2018

BJPENN Radio returns tonight at 8PM ET/5PM PT and we are kicking off 2018 the right way! 8:15PM ET- First, we are joined by the No. 4 ranked featherweight in the UFC, Josh Emmett. Following his spectacular KO of Ricardo Lamas in Winnipeg last month, Emmett has catapulted up the rankings and now looks to prove himself amongst the elite of 145. We’ll recap the big win, discuss what’s next for the Team Alpha Male product, and get the inside scoop on a potential matchup with Brian Ortega.

Justin Golightly - January 9, 2018

Demetrious Johnson fighting TJ Dillashaw could be the biggest fight in 2018 and while Johnson has been quiet about the match-up, UFC bantamweight champ Dillashaw will not let it the idea of it fade away. He’s been training for it already for months now and is determined to take everything the ‘Mighty’ flyweight belt holder has earned throughout his record-breaking career. Now he’s gone on record saying if he beats Johnson, he’ll defend both the titles, throwing a little shade at ‘Champ Champ’ Conor McGregor. “This is a way to put a stamp on my legacy. I was a little hurt losing that split decision [to Dominick Cruz] and not being on a 13-fight win streak and being called the pound-for-pound best in the world. In my mind, I should be No. 1. So it comes down to beating Demetrious Johnson to prove I’m the best, and it’s a huge thing for my legacy to be the double champ in two weight classes. I’m not a Conor McGregor. I’m going to be active defending my belts. I’m not afraid to fight.”

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

After a false alarm leak, Demetrious Johnson released a statement saying that a Champ Champ fight with TJ Dillashaw still isn’t official yet. But hey, don’t tell Dillashaw that. He’s been training since early December now and is steamrolling ahead like the fight is tomorrow. This is a giant scrap for both fighters and could be one of the most high-level displays of MMA ever. TJ Dillashaw recently opened up about the match-up and the fact that it has a whole lot more on the line that just a belt. This is about legacy and the title of greatest of all time. “I’m looking to come in and dethrone [Demetrious Johnson] from his legacy. He won’t be able to call himself the GOAT anymore. It’s so easy for him to continue calling himself that and take the fights he thinks are a little easier. He’s a cerebral fighter. He and his coach are smart guys, and they know I bring the greatest threat. I think he knows that’s going to be a tough one for him to win. It’s frustrating, because I believe I should be a lot higher [pound-for-pound].”

Justin Golightly - January 2, 2018

UFC flyweight champ @MightyMouseUFC addresses recent rumors of him fighting T.J. Dillashaw that came out of Twitch stream. Watch #TheMMAHour LIVE: https://t.co/7soW7KTArj pic.twitter.com/iG6T44Qqiy — MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) January 2, 2018

Justin Golightly - December 19, 2017

With the insane year that we’ve had in combat sports, it’s easy to forget that Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and TJ Dillashaw seem to actually be headed towards one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Dana White said it was happening after UFC 218, while Johnson himself even said the only thing preventing it would be money at this point. Either way, Dillashaw is already training hard for the long, 10-pound trip down to flyweight. Duane Ludwig recently was interviewed and is confident that they will have the upper hand in the superfight. “I’ve already [spent time studying Demetrious Johnson]. There’s already notes and footage of game plans. I’ve dedicated my life to martial arts since the age of eight, this is what I do for 31 years. It’s very fascinating and super fun for me to do this and it’s already done and I’ll continue to do more of it but Demetrious Johnson has already been broken down and we feel that we have the upper hand in that fight. That’s for sure.”

Justin Golightly - December 8, 2017

Georges St-Pierre just left the middleweight division in just a month after becoming champion. TJ Dillashaw is training right now to change weight classes and challenge Demetrious Johnson. Meanwhile, John Lineker is about to fight Jimmie Rivera and he’s not happy. He recently expressed his dislike over fighters jumping around and thinks they should stay where they are at. …Especially guys he wants to fight against. “This business of challenging people in other divisions, I don’t like this. Every fighter has to stay quietly in his division and stay in his corner. But the UFC is now giving these opportunities to fight in other weight categories. Stagnation will not happen, because [TJ Dillashaw] still has the bantamweight belt. Either way, he’ll have to defend the title. But in my opinion, everyone should stay in their division instead of challenging people elsewhere to fight.”

Justin Golightly - December 5, 2017

Potentially the biggest fight of 2018 is the long-hyped super fight between UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Dana White announced the huge superfight at the UFC 218 post-fight press conference and Dillashaw has already started completely changing his training regiment in order to lose the weight to get down safely. While he’s been quiet on potentially the biggest fight of his career, he finally broke his silence. “We’re working on it. We’re working on it, you know. Like I said, I haven’t been out and about and talking about this whole logistics matter, but yeah, we got a call. [My manager] Malki [Kawa]’s doing his job and making sure we get everything right and in line.”

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2017

On the heels of Dana White announcing TJ vs DJ next, TJ Dillashaw is bringing his body weight down over a 20 week period and trying to lose 6.4lbs of muscle to make Flyweight. pic.twitter.com/KT4NSTYXjx — Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) December 4, 2017

Justin Golightly - December 2, 2017

It’s UFC 217 all over again with tonight’s UFC 218. The card is stacked from top to bottom and all the fighters are going to be fighting for the spotlight. Not to be left in the dark underneath the ridiculous main and co-main events, Henry Cejudo will fight Sergio Pettis in what is sure to be a lightning blitz of a battle. Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has said himself the the scrap between (#2) Cejudo and (#4) Pettis is for the number one contender spot. However, what if the superfight with TJ Dillashaw goes down? No problem, says Pettis. He’s actually willing to step aside and wait until Johnson finishes his business. “I’m 24 years old, I’m getting better and better, and if they want me to fight again before a title, I’m good with that. I’m building my resume, getting some money on top of it and getting some experience. TJ [Dillashaw] vs. [Demetrious Johnson], that’s an interesting fight, even for me. I’m a fan of the sport. It’s entertainment and it makes sense. It’s part of the business. I have no hatred towards that. I understand it. If they want me to build my resume and get to that DJ shot, I will. If I have a great performance against Henry Cejudo, maybe I can get there.”

Justin Golightly - December 1, 2017

Back in September at UFC 215, former flyweight title challenger Henry Cejudo returned with a vengeance and took it all out on Wilson Reis. He knocked the contender out in the second round to earn Performance of the Night. Not only did he bounce back from recent losses, he looked like he improved drastically and added tons of new tools to his game. The champion Demetrious Johnson said himself that Cejudo’s fight with Sergio Pettis at UFC 218 determines who the No. 1 contender will be, but TJ Dillashaw is pushing a move to flyweight for an immediate title shot. A fight that Cejudo thinks “Mighty Mouse” Johnson wins. “Hopefully, the winner of this fight [with Sergio Pettis at UFC 218] fights for the belt. I want to fight for the belt. Demetrious [Johnson]. If anything — I don’t know, I don’t mind mind the idea — I can welcome TJ Dillashaw to the flyweight division. You know, I’m not afraid. Cutting down 10 extra pounds to this weight class? It gonna’ be a big difference. I’m a big 125-er and I know what it’s like cut 10-pounds. An extra 10-pounds on top of that. And personally, I think DJ would easily get the win [against TJ Dillashaw].”

Russell Ess - November 27, 2017

It took TJ Dillashaw nearly two years to fight for the UFC bantamweight title after losing a close split decision to Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81. Even after the very close and competitive title fight against Cruz that took place in January 2016, there was no immediate rematch for Dillashaw who had successfully defended the title twice before meeting Cruz in the Octagon.

Justin Golightly - November 17, 2017

After reclaiming his UFC bantamweight title from Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217, TJ Dillashaw only has his sights set on one fighter: Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson. He’s arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter right now, a dominant flyweight champion, and has just broken Anderson Silva’s title-defense record with a move out of a comic book. A fight like this could be one of the most elite MMA fights of all time. It’s a no brainer that Dillashaw wants to make the fight happen, especially since it was in the works before Johnson’s last defense against Ray Borg. Coach and MMA legend Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig recently opened up more about the potential fight. “We were en route to fight Demetrious [Johnson] at one point and the direction he was taking with his strength and conditioning coach, TJ [Dillashaw] was looking phenomenal on the mitts and the sparring and the training and he looked good, his spirits were good. So, obviously we didn’t make 125 and fight and compete, but when were were en route of that, nothing really changed. TJ’s not a big ‘35er, so he can make ‘25. It’s not going to be easy, but he’s the most dedicated person that I’ve ever seen. He really is. I think it needs to happen.”

Tom Taylor - November 13, 2017

Earlier this month, in the co-main event of UFC 217, TJ Dillashaw put months of trash talk to rest, authoring a second-round knockout of his arch rival Cody Garbrandt to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title Despite the massive stakes of this fight, however, Dillashaw does not consider it the biggest of his career. Instead, that honor goes to his first win over Renan Barao.

Chris Taylor - November 12, 2017

T.J. Dillashaw reclaimed the UFC’s coveted bantamweight title by scoring a TKO victory over former teammate Cody Garbrandt in the co-main event of UFC 217. Following his thrilling victory over “No Love”, Dillashaw called out current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson for a super fight.