Despite their history, TJ Dillashaw expected Cody Garbrandt to raise his hand at UFC 300.
Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) defeated Deiveson Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, UFC 12) in the second round of their bantamweight bout last Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. (3 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw) was submitted.
Dillashaw believes Garbrandt has the ability to win, going so far as to praise his former rival.
“I thought Garbrandt was going to win,” Dillashaw said on “JAXXON PODCAST.” “I think he’s a good athlete overall. They both have power – we know that going into the fight. Figueiredo had power in the 25s, but that doesn’t translate. Garbrandt has power — he’s just fast. He’s like the fastest guy I’ve ever trained with or fought with. He’s crazy fast. His fast-twitch muscles are crazy.
“I thought he was going to win. I wanted him to win and I was actually rooting for him even though there was some shitty drama going on with him and our fight. I was rooting for him. I hate to see fighters lose confidence because when you lose confidence, your skill goes downhill. If you don’t believe in yourself when you get in there, what you’re capable of. You can’t reach your full potential.”
Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt in back-to-back title fights at UFC 217 and UFC 227. The former bantamweight champion said Garbrandt’s jaw worsened after that and he became more cautious during the fight.
“Unfortunately, he no longer has a jaw,” Dillashaw said. “People have seen it. He can get cracked, and after I beat him, he got knocked out. He got knocked out a few more times, so everyone got knocked out. Now they’re trying to hate him for being too defensive.”
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