TJ Dillashaw decided to fight Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280 despite knowing that he had a serious injury, with his shoulder popping out repeatedly and very noticeably throughout the fight. TJ, understandably, lost the bout but stirred the MMA community’s pot raising the question of whether it is fair to fans and opponents for a fighter to fight with such a serious injury.
UFC 280 had lots of interesting and entertaining fights, unforgettable moments, and of course, its unavoidable share of UFC controversies. One such controversy was the bout between TJ Dillashaw and Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title.
TJ Dillashaw vs. Aljamain Sterling
TJ Dillashaw is a tough SOB, that much is clear to everyone. It seems, though that the 36-year-old fighter thought he had something to prove, entering the co-main event with a detached shoulder that he knew full well was going to stop him from performing to his best, if at all.
Commentators noticed that TJ’s shoulder was dislocated, and as the corner cam followed him during a break, it became apparent from the communication with his team that they all knew about it. He just asked them to put it back in so he could keep on fighting.
TJ lost the fight via a TKO, and the fact that he fought without the use of one of his arms, and most likely, in lots of pain, takes nothing away from young Aljamain’s victory.
In the post-fight interview, TJ Dillashaw shared that he dislocated is shoulder during camp and that it had popped out on 20 different occasions leading up to the fight.
When Is A Fighter Too Injured To Fight?
We’ve repeatedly seen fighters inside the octagon fight with ears torn off, broken fingers and toes, and fractured hands. Yet, all these were injuries sustained in the fight itself. Is it really smart for a fighter to engage in a professional MMA fight with a serious orthopedic injury though, and when is a fighter too injured to be effective in such a match?
In the aftermath of TJ Dillashaw’s performance, Cub Swanson, who worked with TJ in preparation for the event shared: “When I worked with TJ about 5-6 weeks before this fight he couldn’t even lift his left arm….it’s the truth”
He also tried to justify the actions of TJ Dillashaw, by tweeting “Why do fighters fight injured? Because we are crazy and always believe we can win. Also we are taught to push thru pain and to always seize an opportunity.”
Unfortunately, not everyone sees it from Swanson’s perspective. Anthony Smith, ranked #5 at light heavyweight, sees TJ is to blame for “selling wolf tickets”. During his appearance on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast, Smith said he was disappointed with TJ Dillashaw for his actions.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m a little bit disappointed in TJ Dillashaw as a person,” Lionheart” said. “He sold us all wolf tickets and had everyone super excited for a fight that — I don’t care what anybody says, you can’t lie to yourself. In all your fight buildup and all the stuff you said to other people, you had to look at yourself in the face in the mirror and know what you’re capable of, and what the chances were that that was going to happen.
It sounded like a money grab, to be 100% honest with you. There’s no way if his shoulder went out that easy on that takedown and went out 20 times in training camp, there’s no way you were gonna beat Aljamain Sterling.”
While some praised TJ Dillashaw for his bravery, which is undoubted, others took Smith’s side in claiming it would’ve been better for TJ, the fans, whoever was in line to replace him against Sterling, and Aljamain himself if Dillashaw opted out of the fight.
What is your take on things?
