Aljamain Sterling tops hobbled TJ Dillashaw by way of TKO to retain UFC title

Aljamain Sterling has had one of the weird title reigns in current MMA reminiscence, however to his credit score none of it has been his personal doing — and all he does is preserve successful.

Sterling beat former champion TJ Dillashaw by way of TKO at 3:44 of the second spherical within the co-main occasion of UFC 280 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Sterling retained the UFC bantamweight title with the victory, although there have been another circumstances at play that had been out of his arms.

Dillashaw’s left shoulder popped out of its socket early within the first spherical, was put again in by coach Duane Ludwig in between rounds after which got here out once more within the second spherical. Sterling saved the stress on, took Dillashaw down and used huge punches and elbows from again management to get the TKO.

“I had no concept,” Sterling stated of Dillashaw’s harm. “I used to be simply within the zone. I knew he might get again on prime and do injury. I made certain I saved the stress on, do what I must do. Anaconda, human backpack. I take you down, it is a f—ing wrap wrap.”

Dillashaw stated in his postfight interview that he blew out his shoulder in April and dislocated it perhaps as many as 20 instances throughout his coaching camp.

“It popped out straight away [in the fight],” Dillashaw stated. “I’ve gotta apologize to the burden class. I held it up. … It is a stacked weight class, man. I took up a place. However I wasn’t going to attend one other yr for a shot.”

The primary spherical primarily consisted of Sterling taking Dillashaw down, holding him there and performing some injury from prime place and the again. It was extra of the identical within the second till referee Marc Goddard stepped in to cease it when Dillashaw stopped intelligently defending himself with Sterling on prime raining down blows.

Coming in, ESPN had Sterling ranked No. 8 on its MMA pound-for-pound checklist. At bantamweight, Sterling was ranked No. 1 and Dillashaw is at No. 3.

Sterling (21-3) has gained eight straight fights. The Lengthy Island, New York, native gained the title with a disqualification loss in opposition to Petr Yan at UFC 259 in March 2021 — the primary time a UFC fighter has ever gained a championship attributable to DQ. Sterling, 33, defended the belt efficiently in a rematch in opposition to Yan in a really tight cut up determination at UFC 273 again in April.

Dillashaw (17-4) held the bantamweight title beforehand from 2014 to 2016 after which once more from 2017 to 2019. The California native was coming off a cut up determination win over Cory Sandhagen in July 2021 earlier than needing knee surgical procedure.

Dillashaw, 36, had gained 5 of his previous six fights coming in, however throughout that point additionally served a two-year suspension for testing constructive for EPO which pressured him to surrender the 135-pound belt in 2019.