Ludwig Martial Arts Team Alpha Male (2009–2015) Elevation Fight Team (2015–2017)[3] Treigning Lab (2017–present)[3] Huntington Beach Ultimate Training Center (2018–present)[4]
Dillashaw competed on the 2011 Ultimate Fighter season. In 2014, he won the UFC Bantamweight Championship by dethroning Renan Barão, who was on a 32-fight unbeaten streak. Dillashaw lost the title to Dominick Cruz by split decision in 2016 before regaining it against Cody Garbrandt in 2017. He was later stripped of the belt in 2019 after testing positive for a banned substance, erythropoietin, in the drug tests for his UFC Flyweight Championship bout against Henry Cejudo. He received a two-year suspension and made his comeback in 2021, challenging for the bantamweight championship again in 2022 before retiring.
Early life
Dillashaw was born in Sonora, California, to Hal and Janice Dillashaw. He grew up in Angels Camp, California,[8] alongside his two brothers Justin and KC with KC being the oldest one out of the three.[9]
Wrestling
High school
While wrestling for Coach Jan Schulz at Bret Harte High School, Dillashaw was a four-time sectional qualifier and two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state qualifier. As a junior, Dillashaw placed fifth at the CIF state championships, and ended the season with a record of 45–7. He placed second at the CIF State championships as a senior to cap off a 52–6 record and finished with an overall record of 170–33.[8]
Collegiate
With a successful high school career, Dillashaw received a full-ride scholarship to wrestle for Cal State Fullerton Titans. In the 2005–06 season, Dillashaw's freshman year, he posted a 14–16 record including a 10–8 mark in dual matches. He went 3–4 in Pac-10 dual meets. Dillashaw traveled to Ukraine in the summer of 2006 to work on his wrestling skills.[8] Dillashaw's sophomore season was a more successful one having an overall record of 17–14 with an 11–4 mark in duals, including 5–3 in the Pac-10. In April 2007, he placed sixth in the University Greco Wrestling Championships in Akron, Ohio, at 132.25 pounds.[8] In total, Dillashaw was a three-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier at Cal State Fullerton.[10]
Mixed martial arts career
After graduating from California State University, Fullerton, in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology,[11] Dillashaw contemplated turning to MMA. Mark Muñoz coached at Cal St. Fullerton for 3 years, while competing in the UFC middleweight division and invited Dillashaw to join the Reign Training Center fighter class at the conclusion of his senior year. After training with Team Reign for a year and a half, Munoz encouraged Dillashaw to move up north closer to his hometown of Angels Camp, California, to Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California. Dillashaw began training with Team Alpha Male, and collected a 2–0 amateur record before turning pro.[12]
On March 26, 2010, Dillashaw made his professional debut against fellow pro debutant, Czar Sklavos. Dillashaw used his superior wrestling to earn a dominant unanimous decision win. Two months later, Dillashaw returned to fight Brandon Drucker, winning the fight via first round submission. The fight took place at Fight For Wrestling, an MMA event located in California attempting to raise money to fund the Cal Poly wrestling team.
Dillashaw was selected as a part of Team Bisping, he was the second bantamweight chosen for the team (seventh overall). Dillashaw defeated Roland Delorme via rear naked choke submission in the preliminary round and moved onto the semi-finals.[14] It was there he fought Dustin Pague for the first spot in the bantamweight final on the finale card.[15] Dillashaw dominated Pague, grinding out three tough rounds to win the fight via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–26).[16]
Dillashaw's sophomore outing came on February 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 1 against Walel Watson.[18] Dillashaw dominated Watson using his superior wrestling to control him on the ground, while nearly ending the fight several times with multiple submission attempts. Dillashaw won the bout via unanimous decision (30–25, 30–25, 30–26).[19]
Dillashaw was expected to face Mike Easton on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5.[22] However, Dillashaw was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Bryan Caraway.[23]
Dillashaw faced Issei Tamura on March 16, 2013, at UFC 158.[24] Dillashaw won via knock-out 26 seconds into the second round.[25]
Dillashaw was briefly linked to a bout with Raphael Assunção on September 4, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 28.[28] The fight was delayed due to Assunção suffering a minor medical issue.[29]
The bout was rescheduled and took place on October 9, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 29.[30] Assunção defeated Dillashaw via split decision.[31] 10 out of 13 media outlets scored the bout for Dillashaw.[32] The back and forth action earned both the participants Fight of the Night honors.[33]
Dillashaw was expected to face Takeya Mizugaki on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173.[36] However, with the show losing its main event, Dillashaw was moved up the card to face Bantamweight champion and top 5 pound for pound Renan Barão in the featured bout.[37] In one of the biggest upsets in UFC and MMA history,[38] Dillashaw won the fight in dominant fashion, defeating Barão via TKO in the fifth round to become the new UFC Bantamweight champion. In addition to winning the title, Dillashaw received bonuses for Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night.[39]
While interviewing Dillashaw after the fight, Joe Rogan said:
That was the greatest performance I have ever seen in my life!… You surpassed all expectations tonight with this performance. This was just … stunning…. This was incredible .... T.J., this is one of the finest performances I have ever seen. The best performance—I’ll say it right now—this is the most spectacular performance I have ever seen against a guy in Barão who is easily one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Congratulations on just a masterful work tonight. It was an honor calling this fight. Thank you very much, brother.[40]
An immediate rematch with Barão was scheduled to take place on August 30, 2014, at UFC 177.[41] However, the day of the weigh-ins, Barão had to be admitted to the hospital as a result of his attempts to cut weight and was replaced by Joe Soto who was already scheduled to compete in a fight on the event's preliminary card.[42] Dillashaw defeated Soto via knockout in the fifth round.[43] The win also earned Dillashaw his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award.[44]
A rematch with Barão was rescheduled and was expected to take place on April 25, 2015, at UFC 186.[45] However a month before the event, Dillashaw was forced out of the bout after sustaining a broken rib while training.[46]
The rematch eventually took place at UFC on Fox 16 on July 25, 2015.[47] Dillashaw won the fight via TKO in the fourth round to retain his title. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus.[48][49]
Dillashaw faced former champion Dominick Cruz on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81[50] He lost the bout and the title via split decision.[51] Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.[52]
Dillashaw faced John Lineker on December 30, 2016, at UFC 207.[55] He won via a dominant unanimous decision, wherein the bout was scored a 30–26 in favour of Dillashaw by all three judges.[56]
Coaching The Ultimate Fighter and regaining the title
In January 2017, the UFC announced that Dillashaw would be one of the coaches, opposite current UFC Bantamweight champion (and former Team Alpha Male teammate) Cody Garbrandt on The Ultimate Fighter 25, with the pairing expected to face each other on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213.[57][58] However the bout was scrapped on May 23 after Garbrandt sustained a back injury.[59] The bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217.[60] Dillashaw won the fight via knockout in the second round to regain the UFC Bantamweight Championship.[61] This win also earned Dillashaw his fifth Performance of the Night bonus award.[62]
Dillashaw was initially scheduled to face Henry Cejudo on January 26, 2019, at UFC 233 for the UFC Flyweight Championship.[66] However, after that pay-per-view event was cancelled, the fight was moved a week earlier to headline UFC Fight Night 143 on January 19, 2019.[67] Dillashaw lost the fight via TKO just 32 seconds into the first round.[68]
Doping ban and relinquishment of Bantamweight title
On March 20, 2019, Dillashaw announced that he would be voluntarily relinquishing the UFC bantamweight championship after USADA and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) found adverse findings following his bout against Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw received a 12-month suspension from the NYSAC, retroactive to January 19, 2019, the date of his bout against Cejudo.[69][70][62][71] On April 9, it was announced Dilllashaw had been suspended for two years by USADA (an additional suspension to what was given by the NYSAC) due to testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) prior to the Henry Cejudo bout.[72] He became eligible to return on January 19, 2021.[73][74]
On April 12, Dillashaw broke his silence over the drug test failure and UFC suspension with a post on Instagram, acknowledging that he had used a banned substance and stated that the decision was his alone, and that what he "really [felt] bad about" was the bad light he brought upon his coaches, family and teammates by association.[75] He also said his use of EPO was limited to the Cejudo fight and said that USADA had retested all of the samples from his prior drug tests to confirm this.[76]
Return from suspension
After the two-year hiatus due to his USADA suspension, Dillashaw was scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen on May 8, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 24.[77] However, Dillashaw announced on April 27 that he had to pull out of the fight due to a cut he received from a headbutt in training.[78] The pair was rescheduled and served as the main headliner for UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw on July 24, 2021.[79] Dillashaw won the fight via split decision.[80] The decision was seen as somewhat controversial, with many fans, fighters, and media members expressing their belief that Sandhagen won the bout. 17 of 23 media outlets scored the bout as a victory for Sandhagen.[81] During the fight, Dillashaw suffered a knee injury which kept him out of action over the next year.[82]
Dillashaw faced Aljamain Sterling for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on October 22, 2022, at UFC 280, attempting to become UFC champion for a record-tying third time.[83] Dillashaw, who was hampered by a dislocated shoulder from early on in the bout,[84] lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[85][86] In his post-fight speech, Dillashaw admitted that he had come into the fight with an ongoing shoulder problem, saying "I probably dislocated it 20 times in training camp."[87]
On December 5, 2022, Dillashaw was removed from the UFC roster after deciding to retire from MMA.[88]
Personal life
Dillashaw married Rebecca, in June 2014.[89] In October 2015, Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male and moved his camp to Denver, Colorado, to train with his head coach, former UFC fighter Duane Ludwig.[90] It was later confirmed that Dillashaw had left Team Alpha Male as a result of a number of disagreements, including use of PEDs and accusations of injuring team mates on a number of occasions in training. Accusations included forcing promising Ultimate Fighter winner, Chris Holdsworth (6-0), to retire at the age of 27 due to concussions sustained from Dillashaw using illegal knees on a downed opponent during practice. [91]
