Sterling tops hobbled Dillashaw to retain title

Aljamain Sterling has had 1 of the astir bizarre rubric reigns successful caller MMA memory, but to his recognition nary of it has been his ain doing -- and each helium does is support winning.

Sterling bushed erstwhile champion TJ Dillashaw via TKO astatine 3:44 of the 2nd circular successful the co-main lawsuit of UFC 280 connected Saturday successful Abu Dhabi. Sterling retained the UFC bantamweight rubric with the victory, though determination were immoderate different circumstances astatine play that were retired of his hands.

Dillashaw's near enarthrosis popped retired of its socket aboriginal successful the archetypal round, was enactment backmost successful by manager Duane Ludwig successful betwixt rounds and past came retired again successful the 2nd round. Sterling kept the unit on, took Dillashaw down and utilized large punches and elbows from backmost power to get the TKO.

"I had nary idea," Sterling said of Dillashaw's injury. "I was conscionable successful the zone. I knew helium could get backmost connected apical and bash damage. I made definite I kept the unit on, bash what I request to do. Anaconda, quality backpack. I instrumentality you down, it's a f---ing wrapper wrap."

Dillashaw said successful his postfight interrogation that helium blew retired his enarthrosis successful April and dislocated it possibly arsenic galore arsenic 20 times during his grooming camp.

"It popped retired close distant [in the fight]," Dillashaw said. "I've gotta apologize to the value class. I held it up. ... It's a stacked value class, man. I took up a position. But I wasn't going to hold different twelvemonth for a shot."

The archetypal circular chiefly consisted of Sterling taking Dillashaw down, keeping him determination and doing immoderate harm from apical presumption and the back. It was much of the aforesaid successful the 2nd until referee Marc Goddard stepped successful to halt it erstwhile Dillashaw stopped intelligently defending himself with Sterling connected apical raining down blows.

Coming in, ESPN had Sterling ranked No. 8 connected its MMA pound-for-pound list. At bantamweight, Sterling was ranked No. 1 and Dillashaw is astatine No. 3.

Sterling (21-3) has won 8 consecutive fights. The Long Island, New York, autochthonal won the rubric with a disqualification nonaccomplishment against Petr Yan astatine UFC 259 successful March 2021 -- the archetypal clip a UFC combatant has ever won a title owed to DQ. Sterling, 33, defended the loop successfully successful a rematch against Yan successful a precise choky divided determination astatine UFC 273 backmost successful April.

Dillashaw (17-4) held the bantamweight rubric antecedently from 2014 to 2016 and past again from 2017 to 2019. The California autochthonal was coming disconnected a divided determination triumph implicit Cory Sandhagen successful July 2021 earlier needing genu surgery.

Dillashaw, 36, had won 5 of his past six fights coming in, but during that clip besides served a two-year suspension for investigating affirmative for EPO which forced him to springiness up the 135-pound loop successful 2019.