T.J. Dillashaw: 'Cody Garbrandt Turning It Into WWE'
T.J. Dillashaw: 'Cody Garbrandt Turning It Into WWE'
After witnessing Cody Garbrandt's 41-second destruction of Takeya Mizugaki this past weekend, several fans and media have been calling for the Team Alpha Male fighter to get a title shot against UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
One man feeling forgotten in this conversation is TJ Dillashaw, the former champion and the man who beat the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division only last month at UFC 200.
Suffice to say, Dillashaw feels he is the only man who should be going on to face the champion.
"Absolutely man, it's the only thing that makes sense," Dillashaw told Brian Stann on the latest episode of his Toe-2-Toe podcast. "Look in any other sport, when the No.1 ranked fighter beats the No. 2 ranked fighter the thing up next for him is a title fight. Who else am I going to fight?
"All I want is that chance to prove that I'm the better fighter and I did that by beating the No. 2 Raphael Assunção and I did my job. I did what I had to do and I don't feel I need to go out there to speak a bunch of crap to get my shot."
Jan 17, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; TJ Dillashaw (red) punches Dominick Cruz (blue) during a world bantamweight championship bout at UFC Fight Night at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
One man who is being more vocal about his right for a shot at the belt is Garbrandt. After beating Mizugaki this past weekend, Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz have been locked in a heated war of words on social media and it's been getting a lot of people talking about a fight between the two of them.
Dillashaw believes Garbrandt wants no piece of him and doesn't agree that he deserves his shot at the champion.
"He [Garbrandt] knows what a tough fight I'm going to be and he knows I'm going beat him and that it's a tough fight and he wants to get his shot," Dillashaw said. "He's just trying to skip the line ultimately. He's doing a smart job of it and he's performing and knocking these guys out and he's adding as little extra talking a little crap.
"He's turning it into the WWE and creating this whole drama that people want to see. It makes no sense how No. 8 can beat No. 11 and skip everyone and get a title shot. There are a lot of tough guys ahead of him that he needs to fight."
Dillashaw then recalled that the UFC owners met him after his initial fight with Cruz and told him that he should've won. The former champion feels so strongly that he should get his rematch that he'd even question the morality of the sport if he didn't get it.
Jan 17, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; TJ Dillashaw (red) punches Dominick Cruz (blue) during a world bantamweight championship bout at UFC Fight Night at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
"When I went and met with Dana, Lorenzo and Sean Shelby and they were all telling me they thought I won that fight," Dillashaw said. "Them sitting there telling me to my face that I should still have the belt and that I beat Dominick Cruz so I figured for sure that I'd get an instant rematch. When that didn't happen, I knew I had a tough fight ahead of me with Assuncao and I went out there and did my job. I don't think there s any way of them denying it me that fight. If they do then it's a straight up robbery and it's not even a sport anymore.
"If they don't give me that title fight and they skip me and give it to someone else, then it's turning into more of an entertainment drama than it is an actual sport. I hope we stay on the side of it being a real sport and I hope the best continue to fight the best. I think that's the way to go."
One man feeling forgotten in this conversation is TJ Dillashaw, the former champion and the man who beat the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division only last month at UFC 200.
Suffice to say, Dillashaw feels he is the only man who should be going on to face the champion.
"Absolutely man, it's the only thing that makes sense," Dillashaw told Brian Stann on the latest episode of his Toe-2-Toe podcast. "Look in any other sport, when the No.1 ranked fighter beats the No. 2 ranked fighter the thing up next for him is a title fight. Who else am I going to fight?
"All I want is that chance to prove that I'm the better fighter and I did that by beating the No. 2 Raphael Assunção and I did my job. I did what I had to do and I don't feel I need to go out there to speak a bunch of crap to get my shot."
Jan 17, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; TJ Dillashaw (red) punches Dominick Cruz (blue) during a world bantamweight championship bout at UFC Fight Night at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
One man who is being more vocal about his right for a shot at the belt is Garbrandt. After beating Mizugaki this past weekend, Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz have been locked in a heated war of words on social media and it's been getting a lot of people talking about a fight between the two of them.
Dillashaw believes Garbrandt wants no piece of him and doesn't agree that he deserves his shot at the champion.
"He [Garbrandt] knows what a tough fight I'm going to be and he knows I'm going beat him and that it's a tough fight and he wants to get his shot," Dillashaw said. "He's just trying to skip the line ultimately. He's doing a smart job of it and he's performing and knocking these guys out and he's adding as little extra talking a little crap.
"He's turning it into the WWE and creating this whole drama that people want to see. It makes no sense how No. 8 can beat No. 11 and skip everyone and get a title shot. There are a lot of tough guys ahead of him that he needs to fight."
Dillashaw then recalled that the UFC owners met him after his initial fight with Cruz and told him that he should've won. The former champion feels so strongly that he should get his rematch that he'd even question the morality of the sport if he didn't get it.
Jan 17, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; TJ Dillashaw (red) punches Dominick Cruz (blue) during a world bantamweight championship bout at UFC Fight Night at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
"When I went and met with Dana, Lorenzo and Sean Shelby and they were all telling me they thought I won that fight," Dillashaw said. "Them sitting there telling me to my face that I should still have the belt and that I beat Dominick Cruz so I figured for sure that I'd get an instant rematch. When that didn't happen, I knew I had a tough fight ahead of me with Assuncao and I went out there and did my job. I don't think there s any way of them denying it me that fight. If they do then it's a straight up robbery and it's not even a sport anymore.
"If they don't give me that title fight and they skip me and give it to someone else, then it's turning into more of an entertainment drama than it is an actual sport. I hope we stay on the side of it being a real sport and I hope the best continue to fight the best. I think that's the way to go."