Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Aljamain Sterling is likely to defend the UFC bantamweight championship later this year.
Per Nolan King and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, a bout between Sterling and TJ Dillashaw for the 135-pound title is being targeted for UFC 279 on Sept. 10.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi added that Tiki Ghosn, Dillashaw’s manager, confirmed his client has agreed to the fight.
After a rough stretch from 2016-17 that saw him go 2-3 in five fights, Sterling has ascended to the top of the UFC bantamweight division. The 32-year-old has won seven consecutive bouts.
Sterling won the bantamweight title at UFC 259 in controversial fashion when Petr Yan was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee strike. It marked the first time in UFC history that a title changed hands on a disqualification.
“Everything I worked for to this point, and to have the fight go like that,” Sterling said after the event. “I thought the fight was very close; I thought I was down two rounds. That’s not the way I wanted to win. That’s not the way I envisioned this. I just took the belt off.”
A neck injury to Sterling prevented an immediate rematch from taking place. Yan defeated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 to win the interim title, setting up a second bout with the Funk Master.
Sterling earned a split-decision victory over Yan at UFC 273 on April 9 to become the undisputed bantamweight champion.
Dillashaw’s win over Sandhagen at a UFC on ESPN show in July 2021 is his only fight in three years. The 36-year-old relinquished the bantamweight title in March 2019 following a failed drug test.
The New York State Athletic Commission announced at the same time that Dillashaw was being suspended for 12 months and fined $10,000 “for violations relating to use of a prohibited substance.”
Dillashaw’s suspension was retroactive to Jan. 19, 2019, the date of his flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo. He lost to Cejudo via first-round TKO in his first career fight at 125 pounds.
Assuming this bout gets finalized, Dillashaw will have the opportunity to become the first three-time bantamweight champion in UFC history. He defeated Renan Barao in May 2014 to win the title for the first time.
Dillashaw defeated Cody Garbrandt in Nov. 2017 for his second title victory.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.