TJ Dillashaw is in no mood to settle his simmering beef with former teammate Urijah Faber.
The former UFC bantamweight champ recently told Inside MMA's Ron Kruck that a potential meeting with Faber – who dropped a lopsided decision to Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 – had reached its expiration date.
"After he got dominated by a No. 12, it doesn’t make sense for me to drop down and fight Urijah. For one, I don’t wanna beat the guy up. It’s not worth my time. Urijah hasn’t gotten any better in the last - I don’t know how many years. He’s kinda stuck in his ways."
Dillashaw and Faber were once training partners at California-based Team Alpha Male. In 2014, then-coach Duane Ludwig cut ties with the camp to open his own outfit in his native Colorado. Dillashaw, who'd just upset Renan Barao to win the bantamweight title at UFC 173, defected to Ludwig's gym and was banned from Team Alpha Male as a result.
While his unceremonious exit once made a grudge match with Faber all but imminent, Dillashaw believes "The California Kid" has hit his ceiling at 37 years old. Since losing the strap to Dominick Cruz in a highly contested split decision at UFC Fight Night 81, the former champion has been hell-bent on winning it back. A proponent of the age-old meritocracy, Dillashaw is not pleased with the chatter surrounding fellow contender Cody Garbrandt, believed by many to be next in line for a title shot.
"It just doesn’t make sense. It shouldn’t happen, that’s for sure. He beats the No. 11 ranked fighter and then gets the title fight. How does that make sense when I’m ranked No. 1 ... I walked through No. 2 (Raphael Assuncao). How does he leapfrog me to get a title shot?"
Dillashaw is no Cicero on the mic, nor is he a fan of Garbrandt's steady stream of verbal jabs at Cruz. Still, the growing, genuine disdain between "No Love" and Cruz has only legitimized their chance at meeting in the Octagon.
The California native's next fight has yet to be booked.
- With h/t to Bloody Elbow
