T.J. Dillashaw’s immediate plans don’t include a rematch with Cody Garbrandt.
Last night (Nov. 4), Dillashaw challenged Garbrandt for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title at UFC 217. Garbrandt looked to have things going his way in the opening round. He dropped Dillashaw and had there been 10 seconds left on the clock, a finish may have followed.
Instead, Dillashaw weathered the storm and finished “No Love” in the second round. This makes him a two-time bantamweight champion under the UFC banner. While this rivalry is likely far from over, the champion won’t be meeting Garbrandt for a rematch right away.
At the post-fight press conference, Dillashaw said that Garbrandt needs to get back in line if he expects another shot at defeating him (via MMAFighting.com):
“I just finished him in the second round. He doesn’t deserve a rematch. He’s very new in this sport, he needs to work his way back up. I should’ve gotten a rematch after that (Dominick) Cruz fight (in Jan. 2016), a very close split decision that I thought I won, and I did not get it. It took me a year-and-a-half — well actually, almost two years — to get it. So yeah, I think he’s going to definitely (need to) build himself back up.”
