TJ Dillashaw returned to the latest episode of Submission Radio to discuss fighting Conor McGregor and to respond to Dominick Cruz.
According to TJ there’s no time like now to make the super fight between him and Conor McGregor especially after seeing his performance against Chad Mendes “I don’t think he’s gonna last that long. I would like to do it now if I could, because I don’t think he’s going to last and be champion forever. He’s definitely going to get beat. I think Mendes showed the holes in his game and I think people will take advantage of it. I think Chad Mendes beats him, I think Frankie Edgar beats him. You know, I don’t know if he’s going to beat Aldo after watching that.” While on the subject of McGregor TJ Dillashaw discussed if the lack of training camp was a major factor on Chad Mendes performance with Conor at UFC 189“Oh absolutely. I mean Chad was out drinking beer, fishing and hunting when he got the phone call. I mean he got 10 days to train for a guy that’s been training for three months for a title fight, you know, and Chad always had to work really hard to get in peak conditioning shape anyways because of the way he’s built. You know, he’s a very strong muscle-bound guy and he’s gotta work really hard on getting that cardio up for his fights. And anybody on 10 days notice and that much pressure and that much adrenalin going into the fight, I mean for one, he had an adrenalin dump, and two, he was out of shape. So it was hard to even think that Chad would have enough cardio to last five rounds. I don’t think Chad was going to finish him. I thought he had – I know he has the skills to do it, and he showed that in the fight. He was dominating the two rounds until the very end of the second round, and I still feel like it got stopped a little early.”
When it comes to Dominick Cruz TJ responded to his ‘wannabe’ comment made on the MMA Hour “He’s acting like Conor. He’s acting like Conor McGregor right now is what I really think. He’s just talking a bunch of nonsense, he’s trying to stay relevant while being hurt. You know, he’s been out of the game for the last four years, I mean no one’s seen him fight, and all of a sudden he thinks he’s a tough guy ’cause he got one finish in his career. You know what I mean? Like this guy’s crazy. He’s just talking a lot and keeping himself relevant so that he can get the next title shot, ’cause really he doesn’t even deserve it. He can’t even stay healthy for one fight. Only way he deserves it is by talking it up and making it a big fight. So I think that’s his strategy.” In the same interview Dominick said that the division has struggled without him commenting “Now that I’m coming back, it can get back on its feet again. That’s the truth.” TJ responded “I think it’s just trash talk. He knows I’m a good fighter. I’m gonna come in there and I’m gonna put it on him, man. I mean he keeps saying that I haven’t fought a guy like him, well he’s never had a guy in his weight class like me until now. You know what I mean? Like that’s what everyone always says “oh you haven’t fought a guy like me before”. Well yeah because I haven’t fought Dominick Cruz. He also never fought me. So it’s kinda just ridiculous things that I feel like he’s been saying and I’m gonna make sure to shut his mouth when we fight.” TJ is ready for Cruz but he won’t wait around for the match up forever “It’s all about him, I’m healthy. I came out of that fight unscathed and I’m ready to fight tomorrow. He’s the one with the bum leg and has to heal up and get ready, so I think that’s why he’s talking all this crap. He can’t actually even fight so the only way you’re still going to work your way to a title shot is by talking, and that’s the only shot. So as soon as he gets healthy, you know I gotta figure out when that’s going to be because I mean I don’t want to wait forever, and who knows if he can even get healthy. The guy’s been injured more than he hasn’t.”
Finally TJ responded to a recent call out by John Dodson where in an interview he said “When I’ve beat up Demetrious Johnson, I’m going to beat T.J. Dillashaw. He can sit there or run around and tell everybody that I’m just running my mouth, but I’ve seen him with his eyes glazed over, him being hurt, being cuddled after I knocked him out the last time.” TJ said in response
“Yeah I mean he’s not going to beat Demetrious either. I mean that guy gasses out as well. He’s got zero cardio, I’m not worried about John Dodson. I was a very immature fighter [in the original fight]. I had four fights back then, you know, and that fight got stopped early as well. So he got a little lucky. Looked like he closed his eye and threw a big left hook and I was the dumb guy running in with my hands down. So I’m a completely different fighter and I would tear that kid up.”
Full Interview: http://bit.ly/1UhWVqg
Transcript
TJ Dillashaw Transcript
On if his performance over Renan Barao lived up to his expectations
“Yeah, I mean I don’t know what the expectations were. I was just going in there with the mentality of wanting to punk him, stand in front of him and beat him. I wanted to beat him and break him all in the same fight.”
If he thinks Renan should move up a division after this loss
“I’m not really sure. I mean he was on weight, he was on weight early this time. He was on weight the morning of check-in. So I mean he looked a lot leaner, looked like he got his diet under control. I think he just needs to maybe change up some training a little bit. I’m not really sure. I mean he’s been doing the same stuff for so long now, been working with the same coaches. I’m not really sure, it’s a tough one. Maybe moving up makes him faster in his weight class. You know, he is a big dude, he could go to 145 very easily. You know, he might be a faster athlete if he does that. I don’t think it would hurt.”
Thoughts on Dominick Cruz calling TJ a ‘wannabe’ who doesn’t know what it’s like to fight a ‘real’ champion
“He’s acting like Conor. He’s acting like Conor McGregor right now is what I really think. He’s just talking a bunch of nonsense, he’s trying to stay relevant while being hurt. You know, he’s been out of the game for the last four years, I mean no one’s seen him fight, and all of a sudden he thinks he’s a tough guy ’cause he got one finish in his career. You know what I mean? Like this guy’s crazy. He’s just talking a lot and keeping himself relevant so that he can get the next title shot, ’cause really he doesn’t even deserve it. He can’t even stay healthy for one fight. Only way he deserves it is by talking it up and making it a big fight. So I think that’s his strategy.”
Thoughts on Dominick saying that the division has struggled without him and commenting “Now that I’m coming back, it can get back on its feet again. That’s the truth.”
“I think it’s just trash talk. He knows I’m a good fighter. I’m gonna come in there and I’m gonna put it on him, man. I mean he keeps saying that I haven’t fought a guy like him, well he’s never had a guy in his weight class like me until now. You know what I mean? Like that’s what everyone always says “oh you haven’t fought a guy like me before”. Well yeah because I haven’t fought Dominick Cruz. He also never fought me. So it’s kinda just ridiculous things that I feel like he’s been saying and I’m gonna make sure to shut his mouth when we fight.”
If TJ Dillashaw feels Cruz went too far by saying the following comments about his coach Duane Ludwig on the MMA Hour “I could be Duane Ludwig’s coach. Straight up. And so could (Alliance MMA head trainer) Eric del Fierro”
“Absolutely. Like I said, he’s trying to raise a stink and he’s doing a good job of it. I mean does he have any fighters, you know, other than himself? So right now I don’t think he could train Duane Ludwig at all. I think it’s just Duane being confident in me and saying in interviews that I would knock him out in two rounds, and I think that kind of pissed Cruz off so he’s just firing back.”
On when the fight between him and Cruz could take place and how it would go
“It’s all about him, I’m healthy. I came out of that fight unscathed and I’m ready to fight tomorrow. He’s the one with the bum leg and has to heal up and get ready, so I think that’s why he’s talking all this crap. He can’t actually even fight so the only way you’re still going to work your way to a title shot is by talking, and that’s the only shot. So as soon as he gets healthy, you know I gotta figure out when that’s going to be because I mean I don’t want to wait forever, and who knows if he can even get healthy. The guy’s been injured more than he hasn’t.”
On if Chad Mendes not having a proper training camp against McGregor had a major factor on his performance in the fight
“Oh absolutely. I mean Chad was out drinking beer, fishing and hunting when he got the phone call. I mean he got 10 days to train for a guy that’s been training for three months for a title fight, you know, and Chad always had to work really hard to get in peak conditioning shape anyways because of the way he’s built. You know, he’s a very strong muscle-bound guy and he’s gotta work really hard on getting that cardio up for his fights. And anybody on 10 days notice and that much pressure and that much adrenalin going into the fight, I mean for one, he had an adrenalin dump, and two, he was out of shape. So it was hard to even think that Chad would have enough cardio to last five rounds. I don’t think Chad was going to finish him. I thought he had – I know he has the skills to do it, and he showed that in the fight. He was dominating the two rounds until the very end of the second round, and I still feel like it got stopped a little early.”
On if TJ thinks if an in-shape Chad Mendes beats Conor McGregor
“Absolutely. 100 precent. I put my money on it.”
On if TJ Dillashaw still wants to have the Super Fight with Conor McGregor
“Absolutely, but I don’t think he’s gonna last that long. I would like to do it now if I could, because I don’t think he’s going to last and be champion forever. He’s definitely going to get beat. I think Mendes showed the holes in his game and I think people will take advantage of it. I think Chad Mendes beats him, I think Frankie Edgar beats him. You know, I don’t know if he’s going to beat Aldo after watching that.”
Response to John Dodson saying in a recent interview saying “When I’ve beat up Demetrious Johnson, I’m going to beat T.J. Dillashaw. He can sit there or run around and tell everybody that I’m just running my mouth, but I’ve seen him with his eyes glazed over, him being hurt, being cuddled after I knocked him out the last time.”
“Yeah I mean he’s not going to beat Demetrious either. I mean that guy gasses out as well. He’s got zero cardio, I’m not worried about John Dodson. I was a very immature fighter [in the original fight]. I had four fights back then, you know, and that fight got stopped early as well. So he got a little lucky. Looked like he closed his eye and threw a big left hook and I was the dumb guy running in with my hands down. So I’m a completely different fighter and I would tear that kid up.”