Petr Yan has taken a rare break from trolling his fellow bantamweights on Twitter to dole out a bit of respect—namely to former champ T.J. Dillashaw.
Following his win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday, Dillashaw is now first in line to fight either Yan or Aljamain Sterling, who will face off for the bantamweight title at UFC 267 in October.
So eager is T.J. to reclaim the title that he even expressed his desire to be an alternate for the bout, despite carrying multiple nagging injuries. Dillashaw’s fight on Saturday was his first since serving a two-year USADA suspension for testing positive to EPO.
T.J. is now aiming to win the bantamweight title for the third time. He first captured the belt in 2014, before losing it to Dominick Cruz in his third title defense. Dillashaw then reclaimed the strap in 2017 with a KO of Cody Garbrandt, defending it once before he was stripped due to his positive EPO test.
Petr Yan Praises “Warrior” T.J. Dillashaw On Twitter
In a rare departure from his usual trolling antics on Twitter—which typically consist of back-and-forths with Sterling, Sean O’Malley, and Henry Cejudo—Petr Yan has heaped praise on Dillashaw, saying that he’s always wanted to fight the former two-time champ.
He did, however, make sure to let T.J. know that since his day’s at the top of the bantamweight division, there’s been a changing of the guard.
“Respect to the warrior @TJDillashaw. Beating you is always been my goal. This is my division now,” tweeted Yan.
Like Dillashaw, Yan will be looking to reclaim the bantamweight title when he faces Sterling in a rematch this October. “No Mercy” first won the belt in July last year by defeating Jose Aldo. In his first title defense, he lost in controversial fashion to Sterling after earning a disqualification for landing an illegal knee.
What do you think? Is T.J. Dillashaw most likely to face Petr Yan for the title?
