David Larsen 
@adminFormer UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is ready for his much-anticipated comeback fight against top-ranked bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen. TJ will be back in the octagon after a long span of 917 days. He last fought for the flyweight championship against then-champion Henry Cejudo. He lost the fight in mere 32 seconds of the very first round of their fight. What followed after the fight was very shocking to his fans. TJ tested positive for EPO, which is widely considered to be one of the more effective substances for an MMA fighter. TJ was suspended by the USADA AND NYSAC commission and the suspension lasted for two long years.
Since that incident, TJ has been very vocal about it and accepted his mistake, and was very sorry for the things he did. But now he is back to grind and will be fighting Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC on ESPN 27, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN.
TJ Dillashaw Says He Is Going To Dominate Cory Sandhagen
“There’s not going to be a slip in my performance,” Dillashaw told the reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 27 media day. “I’m going to go out there and look dominant, so it’s going to be a great one. … I think (my performance is) going to erase (the controversy) after Saturday when I come out there, and you see how good I look.”
“I’ve always done very well against guys I’ve trained with,” Dillashaw said.
“I’m a very good guy about game planning. I know where guys weaknesses are at, and it’s nice for me to know that. But it’s all about when the lights turn on. You can talk about practice all you want, but we ain’t here to talk about practice. We’re here to talk about when everyone is watching.”
TJ Dillashaw also shared his thoughts on the current champion Aljamain Sterling and former Petr Yan and He still believes that Cory is the toughest fight for him in the bantamweight division and also said that he feel like this is the true title fight in the bantamweight division.
“This is a real title fight, to be honest,” Dillashaw said. “I was not very impressed with Aljamain and Yan in their last fight. I think Cory Sandhagen’s the toughest in the weight class right now. This is a true title fight. I’m the champ coming back, and it’s time to prove it.”
Ultimately, Dillashaw said he’s ready to be back in a big way. He’s put all his career controversy in the past and said there’s nothing that can fluster him as he prepares to re-enter the cage.
“Everything’s already been said,” Dillashaw said. “I didn’t hide behind anything, and it is what is. It’s something you’ve just got to – I’m a very mentally tough guy. It’s not going to ever break me.”
This fight is really an intriguing matchup and the fans are excited about it. This will be a really important fight in the bantamweight division as TJ Dillashaw is the former champion fighting the no.2 ranked guy in the division. The winner of the fight will definitely be next in line for the title shot.
