Aljamain Sterling explains why he wants T.J. Dillashaw next: “He was never clean”

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has discussed his upcoming fight with T.J. Dillashaw.

‘Funk Master’ was last seen in action at UFC 273 earlier this month. Sterling moved to 2-0 in his series against Petr Yan, winning by split decision. Following the bout, UFC president Dana White opined that a fight against T.J. Dillashaw makes sense next.

Aljamain Sterling first shot down a fight against the former UFC bantamweight champion. He instead proposed a fight with Jose Aldo next, as he believed the Brazilian was more-deserving. However, it seems that Sterling has come around to facing Dillashaw next.

He discussed the situation on the DC & RC podcast. The UFC bantamweight champion noted that he wants to fight Dillashaw due to his previous drug test failures. The 36-year-old previously tested positive for EPO after his 2019 loss to Henry Cejudo. His old teammate Cody Garbrandt also revealed that Dillashaw was using performance enhancers as early as 2017.

PhotoCred: Bloody Elbow

“I did think there was three-headed horse race between him, Jose Aldo, and Henry Cejudo. I think TJ’s probably the fight I would be most enticed by, in the sense of what he’s accomplished in the bantamweight division. It’s the fight I want, people want to see that fight. I mean, his performances haven’t looked too great as of late, so I kind of want to ask him what it’s like to be on the sauce, and coming off of it.”

Aljamain Sterling continued, “[He was never clean] ever. I think before his John Dodson fight he was regular, and then after he kind of turned a corner like really, really quick. I don’t know man, his teammates kind of outed him. When he fought Cody Garbrandt, [Cody] said that he told the team how to do it, and the media brushed it under the rug.”

What do you think about Aljamain Sterling’s comments about T.J. Dillashaw?