Retiring fighter T.J. Dillashaw will be considered one of UFC’s best bantamweights

The news broke Monday night that two-time UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw would indeed be retiring from mixed martial arts at the age of 36.

In his last octagon appearance at UFC 280, Dillashaw went into his bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling with a compromised shoulder. During the course of the fight, Dillashaw’s shoulder dislocated multiple times, leaving the former bantamweight champion to essentially fight with one arm, which led to a loss by TKO.

The subsequent shoulder surgery required more than a year out of competition. Looking at the potential timetable for his return, Dillashaw decided to retire.

With a wrestling background from his days at Cal State Fullerton, Dillashaw quickly took the UFC by storm. In 2014, he tasted UFC gold for the first time with an upset win over Renan Barao via a knockout at UFC 173. Following a second win over Barao, Dillashaw was on the wrong end of a tightly contested decision versus Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81 in 2016. He rebounded with two consecutive wins over Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker to get back into title contention.

Dillashaw’s popularity rose during his rivalry with former team Alpha Male teammate Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw dominated Garbrandt, earning knockout victories at both UFC 217 and 227. Then in 2019, Dillashaw made an attempt at double champion status, when he faced then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw was knocked out in just 32 seconds. Later in 2019, Dillashaw was suspended by USADA for two years due to PED use when EPO or erythropoietin was found in his system. EPO is used to stimulate red blood cell growth and help muscles operate more effectively. For a large segment of the fanbase, Dillashaw’s PED use completely tarnished his legacy. Dillashaw was stripped of his title.

The former champion returned to the octagon in 2021 to face Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw outlasted Sandhagen in a five-round war, before falling to Sterling most recently. Dillashaw retires with a 17-5 overall record. Dillashaw will be remembered as one of the greatest bantamweights of all time.