On Monday, UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour. In light of comments made by Team Alpha Male founder Urijah Faber, he further opened up about his departure from Alpha Male for Elevation Fight Team in Denver, Colorado. That includes the issue of whether he’d ever fight Faber, something he’d been against in the past. Here’s what he said about Faber:
You know, I didn’t think I would be until Urijah started saying the stuff he did. He’s the one saying he’s more than willing to fight me. I felt we were a lot closer friends than that, so I put my heart and soul into this team and I thought we were a lot closer than that. I mean, he’s obviously looking for a big fight in his career, and I think I’m…I don’t want to have to do it, but you know, if I’ll be the last statement on his career, if that’s the way it’s got to be, but that’s not really the way I want to do it. [Would he take the fight if he was offered it right now?] Um…yeah, probably most likely. Yeah.
Dillashaw also added that he’s now banned from training with his former team, saying that “I’m not allowed to show my face at Alpha Male, which is kind of crazy to me,” Team Alpha Male had been his home gym since he started his mixed martial arts career, with Faber recruiting him into the sport, and Dillashaw also coached a kickboxing class there twice a week.
Urijah Faber fights Frankie Saenz at UFC 194 on December 12th in Las Vegas, while T.J. Dillashaw will defend his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night in Boston on January 17th. If both fighters win and come out of their fights injury-free, then they’d be on the right cycle time-wise to face each other next.
