Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw and reigning title holder Cody “No Love” Garbrandt have built a feud over their careers. Dillashaw used to train out of California’s Team Alpha Male, of which Garbrandt is still an active member. While the fighters used to be teammates, the two fighters are anxious to settle their heated feud inside the octagon.
One issue of note is that T.J. Dillashaw has been accused of ending the career of former Team Alpha Male fighter Chris Holdsworth. It was revealed that Chris Holdsworth and Dillashaw once sparred while training under Team Alpha Male. During the sparring session, Dillashaw allegedly truck Holdsworth with an illegal knee to the head. Holdsworth was struck in the head when he was on his hands and knees, with the strike allegedly causing Holdsworth to receive a concussion.
Holdsworth would later take some time away from training to recover from the concussion, but received an unrelated concussion when he returned. As a result, Holdsworth decided to retire his practice of mixed martial arts.
In a recent interview with The MMA Beatdown, T.J. Dillashaw offered a comment on the alleged cheap shot to Holdsworth. Speaking on Cody Garbrandt and Team Alpha Male founder Urijah Faber’s claims concerning Dillashaw’s alleged cheap shot, Dillashaw said:
“What they are doing is they are fabricating stories. I agree with a lot of what they said. I am an aggressive guy. There were times when I got a little too aggressive in sparring and vice versa.”
The fighter continued:
“I agree there were some things I did back in sparring that I wished I never had done, but never I have blatantly kneed someone in the back of the head after being submitted by them. That is just completely ridiculous. How does that even make sense what so ever?”
Dillashaw then offered his belief as to what caused Holdsworth to experience his career ending concussions, speaking mainly on the lack of “fluid on the brain.”
“It’s more of the fact that he cut weight wrong. He’s six feet tall, 135 pounds and always malnourishing himself.”
For the full interview, see the video below:
Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw will face off in the pay-per-view co-main event at UFC 217 on Nov. 4 inside the Madison Square Garden Arena in New York.
