T.J. Dillashaw on Aljamain Sterling: He’s not a fighter. He’s more of an athlete

• Sports

In April, Aljamain Sterling defended his title by winning a split decision over Petr Yan. T.J. Dillashaw is not impressed with what he saw and believes that Sterling is not a good fighter. “He won the fight,” Dillashaw told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.

“The first one was kind of a s***** way to win the belt, and the way he kind of handled it made himself really hated. But still, I don’t feel like he gained that much more respect for the fact that he’s not a dangerous fighter.

T.J Dillashaw on Sterling; He’s not a fighter

Dillashaw believes that Sterling has certain advantages, but that he is far from a fighter. “He’s not someone you have to go out there and worry about getting finished or put to sleep.

I’ve always known he’s great. He’s got some great skills in what he does. But to me, if I look at him, he’s not a fighter. He’s more of an athlete, which our sport is professional athletes, but we’re all fighters and want to go out there and get that finish”.

Dillashaw will have the opportunity to show his quality in the match against Sterling. He also made a comparison between Yan and Sterling and what their advantages are in the ring. “I think they both have their difficulties, just different aspects,” Dillashaw said.

“When you fight someone like Yan, you’ve got to go out there and be ready for someone to get put to sleep. He’s kind of like that gangster, in your face, ready to go. When you’re fighting Aljo, you’ve got to worry about him not putting the fight where he wants it and controlling it and making it a snoozefest. So it’s a little bit different, but I think I match up really well with Aljo, to be honest”.