Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling did not hold back when reflecting on his career and discussing longtime rival TJ Dillashaw in a recent interview with Home of Fight.
When asked to name the best moment of his UFC run, Sterling (25-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC) bypassed the obvious answer of winning the bantamweight title and instead pointed to a far more personal highlight: landing punches on Dillashaw (17-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC).
“Probably punching T.J. Dillashaw,” Sterling said. “Because I just know he’s a cheat. He’s a lying cheat.”
Dillashaw, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, was suspended in 2019 after testing positive for EPO following his failed bid to win the flyweight title against Henry Cejudo. The failed test led to a two-year ban from the sport and the stripping of his UFC title credentials at the time.
Sterling suggested that Dillashaw’s drug use was an open secret long before the failed test, pointing to comments made by Dillashaw’s former teammate and rival Cody Garbrandt. Garbrandt infamously implied at a UFC press conference ahead of their 2018 title fight that Dillashaw was using performance-enhancing drugs, though no formal action was taken at the time.
“Your teammate outed you when you fought him,” Sterling said. “Before you fought him, at the press conference, no one even talked about it.”
Despite his harsh criticism, Sterling acknowledged Dillashaw’s abilities inside the Octagon. He credited Dillashaw as an elite technician whose style he studied closely during his own rise through the bantamweight division.
“Don’t get me wrong. I like TJ in terms of his skill set and everything. Fun to watch,” Sterling said. “But I’ve always heard the rumblings that he was cheating.”
Sterling added that he deliberately stayed silent until Dillashaw was officially caught, saying the failed drug test gave him the freedom to finally speak openly.
“He got caught,” Sterling said. “So I say everything I want to say now.”
