After Dominick Cruz returned to the Octagon in January, and defeated T.J. Dillashaw to reclaim the UFC bantamweight championship he never lost, there was much speculation as to whether Dillashaw would be getting an immediate rematch given how close the fight was.
After the bantamweight championship was wrapped around Cruz’s waist, it didn’t take long for Urijah Faber to call out his nemesis for a trilogy fight. While there was uncertainty as to whether Dillashaw or Faber would get the title shot against Cruz, the UFC ultimately decided to cash in on the hype of a trilogy fight between Cruz and Faber.
Given that, T.J. Dillashaw is admittedly “pretty pissed” that he isn’t getting an immediate rematch with Cruz. He spoke with ESPN.com to discuss the situation.
“I flew to Las Vegas and met with [UFC CEO] Lorenzo Fertitta to plead my case,” Dillashaw said. “They entertained the idea of an immediate rematch. They said they’d let me know in two weeks — then I found out on social media Faber got the fight.
advertisement – continue reading below“I’m pretty pissed. Faber isn’t deserving. The only way this guy has stayed relevant during the last year is talking s— about me. It’s unfortunate everything has become more about entertainment than sport. I just had a very competitive fight with Cruz. I don’t think Faber has a chance. I hope he does win, but it’s all about giving him his last title shot now. I think the UFC feels they can’t give him another fight before then and expect him to win.”
However, with that being said, Dillashaw is anticipating one of the men backing out of the UFC 199 co-main event scrap.
“I’m going to be ready and in shape if one of those guys gets hurt,” Dillashaw said. “One of them is old and one of them is constantly hurt, so, you know, I’ve got a good chance.”