Shortly after earning his bantamweight title, T.J. Dillashaw departed from the highly acclaimed training camp Team Alpha Male. The fighter would go on to lose his belt to Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81 and to form a heated rivalry with Team Alpha Male’s Cody Garbrandt following his leave from the camp.
Having defeated Cruz for the belt at UFC 207, Garbrandt was set to defend his title in the co-main event of UFC 217 from Dillashaw. However, the fight did not go “No Love’s” way.
While Garbrandt dropped Dillashaw in the first round of their fight, Dillashaw was saved by the bell before “No Love” could capitalize on the stunning strike. In the second round, Dillashaw earned a title winning TKO victory over the champion. Now it would appear that the newly crowned champion is not interested in a rematch at the moment.
When asked about the possibility of a rematch during the UFC 217 post-fight press conference, T.J. Dillashaw said:
“I just finished him in the second round. He doesn’t deserve a rematch. He’s very new in this sport. He needs to work his way back up. I should have gotten a rematch after that Cruz fight. It was a very close split decision that I thought I won. And, I did not get it. It took me almost two years to get it, so I think he is definitely going to have to build himself back up.”
