It is no secret by this point in time that former UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw and Team Alpha Male aren’t exactly on the best of terms.
Urijah Faber and UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, where Garbrandt claims that Dillashaw ended Chris Holdsworth’s MMA career during a sparring session.
“The super competitiveness -- I’m competitive,” Garbrandt said. “I don’t want to lose. I’m fighting tooth and nail not to get taken down or win that round. It’s just [the dirty stuff] at the end of the bell, knees - that’s why Chris (Holdsworth) is out. (Dillashaw) kneed him in the back of the head. Concussions. That’s the truth. It was him and T.J. going. I remember distinctively, Duane (Ludwig) used to come up to Chris and be like ‘Hey, Grasshopper, T.J.’s fighting, can you take it easy on him?’ Chris is a killer, dude. Chris is f--king him up. Everybody. Chris is an animal. I guess Chris choked him out and T.J. got up and f--king kneed him in the back of the head when he was down.”
Faber is quick to add that Dillashaw used that technique on Holdsworth more than once.
“It happened twice in practice like that,” Faber stated.
Holdsworth was the winner of the UFC Ultimate Fighter 18 and hasn’t competed in over three years, with his last bout being a win over Chico Camus at UFC 173.
Garbrandt battles Dillashaw at UFC 217 and the champion plans on catapulting his career to new heights with a win over the former champion.
“I don’t respect him as a person but it doesn’t mean I don’t respect him as a fighter. The guy is skillful, he’s mean as f**k, and he’s gonna bring a fight that’s gonna be what I love. I love a challenge and with T.J., I know him like the back of my hand. He’s a bad motherf**ker. He was ranked in the pound-for-pound top 10 before. He’s a killer. I’m gonna catapult my career with him,” says Garbrandt.
UFC 217 takes place on Saturday, November 4 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York with Michael Bisping and Georges St. Pierre headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
