Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has named his October 2022 victory over T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 as the most satisfying moment of his career, citing Dillashaw's history of performance-enhancing drug use.
Best moment? Probably punching T.J. Dillashaw," Sterling told Home of Fight. "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 studied his game. 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."
Sterling defeated Dillashaw via second-round TKO at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, successfully defending his bantamweight title against a challenger who entered the bout with a severe shoulder injury. Dillashaw underwent surgery shortly after the loss and has not competed since.
The animosity stems from Dillashaw's 2019 suspension after testing positive for EPO following his loss to Henry Cejudo. Sterling claims a teammate of Dillashaw's informed him about the cheating before their scheduled bout.
