Kevin Holland slams TJ Dillashaw for claiming ownership of bantamweight belt

UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland was not impressed by a recent comment from former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.

Dillashaw ruled over the UFC bantamweight division for several years, but was stripped of that title in early 2019, after he tested positive for the injectable-only performance-enhancing drug Erythropoietin (EPO). The former champion’s indiscretion caused him to be suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, but that suspension will soon be over.

As Dillashaw’s suspension nears its conclusion, he’s been called out by several top-ranked bantamweights, most recently Jose Aldo and Rob Font. Speaking on Twitter over the weekend, Dillashaw suggested that he’s being called out because his rivals still consider him the true bantamweight champion. That remark drew the ire of many members of the MMA community, most notably Holland.

I heard everyone is calling me out, cause they all know that’s my belt 🥱 @ufc

— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) December 20, 2020

Dog if this was like NCAA sports your ‘titles’ would have been wiped out of the record books. #cmonman my money is with @funkmasterMMA in that division. https://t.co/llDsQxql8R

— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) December 20, 2020

“I heard everyone is calling me out, cause they all know that’s my belt,” Dillashaw wrote on Twitter.

“Dog if this was like NCAA sports your ‘titles’ would have been wiped out of the record books,” Holland wrote in response to Dillashaw. “C’mon man, my money is with [Aljamain Sterling] in that division.”

Prior to his suspension, TJ Dillashaw succumbed to a first-round knockout at the hands of Henry Cejudo in a bid to claim the UFC flyweight title. Prior to that, he was riding back-to-back knockout wins over Cody Garbrandt, and a pair of decision triumphs over John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao.

Kevin Holland, on the other hand, signed with the UFC in 2019. After going 2-1 that year, he rattled off a ridiculous five-straight wins in 2020, defeating Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart, Charlie Ontiveros and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza to become a frontrunner for the calendar’s Fighter of the Year honors.

What do you think of this comment from Kevin Holland? Is he right about TJ Dillashaw?