With a win over top-five contender Cory Sandhagen in July 2021, former champion T.J. Dillashaw became the frontrunner to challenge current titleholder Aljamain Sterling. Nothing is set in stone, but this is the direction the UFC is headed, so far.
Given the depth of the UFC 135-pound division, not everyone is on board with this pairing. Ex-champion Dominick Cruz, for one, isn’t sure about its validity.
“He was suspended for cheating, so to get a shot after one win, OK, cool. Sounds like a hook-up to me,” he said on his Wednesday appearance on The MMA Hour.