The best UFC bantamweight champion of all time, and the worst
The worst UFC bantamweight champion of all-time: TJ Dillashaw
TJ Dillashaw was one fight away from making history as the only bantamweight with three title reigns when he faced Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 in 2022. Sterling put those hopes on a shelf as he defeated Dillashaw in the second round by KO/TKO.
The fact that Dillashaw was even in a position to achieve such a feat is a contentious conversation. After all, he was only one fight back from a two-year suspension due to a positive test for the performance enhancing drug, recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).
Dillashaw had accepted responsibility for his actions and indicated it was the move to featherweight to face Henry Cejudo for a second title that pushed him over the edge. While it was an explanation that made sense, it was hardly enough to lift the doubt from his other fights.
In retrospect, Dillashaw's first title win against Renan Barao at UFC 173 was really his first win of any note. His two losses to that point were against John Dodson, in The Ultimate Fighter finale, and Raphael Assuncao. Hindsight being perfect, Dodson was a step up in competition, just as Assuncao was.
The timeline also coincided with Dillashaw's late-twenties and early-thirties, which are commonly considered the prime years of a fighter's career. The explanation for his sudden improved performance against a higher level of competition should have been that simple, but it never will be.
Dillashaw's story is another unfortunate bruise on the legacy of mixed martial arts as the world's greatest sport. It also begs the question if other regulatory steps should be taken, such as a shorter window between weigh-in and fight time, to dissuade large weight cuts. As science evolves, so must regulations, or discrepancies such as 'tainted supplements' will continue to occur.
Dillashaw has begrudgingly retired since his loss to Sterling and hopefully his hard lesson in life will stay fresh on his mind. The circus of Conor McGregor and USADA, as well as other athletes 'retiring' to leave the testing pool to partake in therapies not permitted during competition is not fooling anyone.
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