TJ Dillashaw won the UFC Bantamweight Title when he defeated Cody Garbrandt in the co-main event of UFC 217.
When it comes to a potential rematch between the two, the current champion is saying the former champion isn’t getting one.
“I just finished him in the second round. He doesn’t deserve a rematch,” Dillashaw said at the UFC 217 post-fight press conference. “He’s very new in this sport, he needs to work his way back up. I should’ve gotten a rematch after that (Dominick) Cruz fight (in Jan. 2016), a very close split decision that I thought I won, and I did not get it. It took me a year-and-a-half — well actually, almost two years — to get it. So yeah, I think he’s going to definitely (need to) build himself back up.”
Garbrandt and Dillashaw have been at each other’s throats since Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male a few years back.
While Dillashaw and Garbrandt might have a hatred for each other that will never die, the new champion admits he respects his rival as a fighter.
“I respect him as a fighter as well,” Dillashaw said. “I do not appreciate, me or my family — as you can see, my brother got very emotional after the fight — have not appreciated the accusations and just the crap talk, and trying to diminish my name and who I am. So, that’s one that I won’t ever forgive him for. But I do respect him for being a great competitor and I’m sure we’ll see him again. But yeah, he’s lost a lot of my respect. He’s lost all of the respect from my family.”
It should be noted that after Dillashaw lost the UFC Bantamweight Title to Dominick Cruz in January of 2016, an immediate rematch wasn’t granted to him.
