Mixed martial arts is no exception when it comes to feuds and bad blood. Sometimes, those rivalries fade with time. Other times, they only grow messier. In the case of UFC star Aljamain Sterling, the tension appears to be reaching its most volatile stage yet.

One would think that Aljamain Sterling would respect TJ Dillashaw for stepping up to fight him at UFC 280 with a compromised shoulder. But no. Dillashaw’s past transgressions are unforgivable as far as Sterling is concerned. And he let his feelings be known almost four years after their meeting in the cage.

Aljamain Sterling revisits long-standing rivalry with UFC veteran

“I just know he’s a cheat. He’s a lying cheat. ‘Oh no, I only got caught that time.’ Yeah, you only got caught that time. Your teammate outed you before the fight. I always heard the rumblings that he was cheating, but I couldn’t say anything until he got caught. He got caught, so now I can say everything I want to say,” Aljamain Sterling told Home of Fight’s Jake Noecker.

Even before their match at UFC 280, Sterling and Dillashaw had started building up the match by throwing verbal jabs at each other. At one stage, Dillashaw even took a dig at Sterling by refusing to call him a legitimate champion. While ‘Aljo’ won the belt against Petr Yan at 259 when Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee, he defended the title against the Russian at UFC 273.

A fight against Dillashaw could have helped cement Sterling’s legacy. But TJ’s decision to come into the fight compromised put another asterisk on a title fight for the Jamaican.

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Sterling later responded to Dillashaw’s comments by calling the latter a cheater and a fake champion. Ahead of the fight, ‘Aljo’ claimed to have received a tip from someone connected to Dillashaw’s gym, suggesting the former two-time bantamweight champion might still be seeking an unfair edge.

When UFC 280 finally arrived, the fight unfolded decisively in the “Funk Master’s” favor. He knocked out TJ Dillashaw in the second round of the fight. However, it was later revealed that Dillashaw suffered a “career-ending” shoulder injury in the training camp. Later on, after PED allegations were levelled against him, his career came to an end.

Many would agree that when Dillashaw returned after a two-year suspension in 2021, he lacked the skills he once had prior to the suspension. After being removed from the UFC roster in December 2022, he has questioned on multiple occasions about returning to the Octagon.

TJ Dillashaw breaks silence on comeback talk

TJ Dillashaw retired with a 17-5 record at the age of 36. His suspension played a major role in his retirement, apart from the shoulder injury. After getting into controversy for using EPO, he later admitted that he “sold his soul to the devil.” With a 1-2 win-loss record in his final three matches, he was left with no choice but to retire.

While fans hoped for a comeback, the injury still stands in his way as Dillashaw ended all comeback talk and instead shifted his focus toward launching his own supplement business.

“After my shoulder injury, I kept telling myself I’d be back. I was a two-time UFC champion; setbacks were just part of the game. But this one hit different. And eventually, I had to face the truth: the comeback wasn’t happening. So I shifted focus. Same ambition. Same edge. New fight.”

With 2026 already underway, TJ Dillashaw is now in his 40s, a factor that further diminishes the likelihood of a return to elite combat sports. What’s your take on the former two-time champion’s legacy?