We already know that TJ Dillashaw is itching to get back and have a great comeback story. But who could he come back against?
Ideally, it would be against whoever the bantamweight champion is at the time. However, one fight that is now a possibility and would be as meaningful without the belt is against Urijah Faber.
The two haven’t seen eye to eye for years after Dillashaw left Faber’s Team Alpha Male, with both parties accusing the other of being liars. And with Faber having a successful return from retirement after his TKO win over Ricky Simon in July, they can actually settle their differences in the Octagon now.
“I have past grudges and relationships with him,” Dillashaw told Helen Yee in a recent interview. “The only thing is you hope he’s not coming back to fight because he has to for money. You always hope that’s not the case. But I wouldn’t mind smacking him a couple of times.
“… We’ll see, we’ll see. I haven’t really been paying attention to much to what’s going on with the UFC with everything I got going on. I’ve distanced myself on purpose. I’ve stayed in the gym but I haven’t paid attention to any of the drama, paid attention to too many of the fights. When I get closer and it becomes time to decide who I’m gonna fight, that’s when I’ll get involved in it. But yeah, that would be a very satisfying win for me.”
A win over Faber would even be more satisfying than Dillashaw’s wins over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt.
The pair had heated fights with all the drama of Team Alpha Male being involved in the buildup. In the end, it was Dillashaw who triumphed on both occasions.
“Yeah, probably,” Dillashaw responded when asked if a win over Faber would be more satisfying. “I mean, Cody was almost just like his little troll, his minion. I mean, everything Cody had against me or said didn’t make any sense. Because it wasn’t his gym, he came in as I was going out of the gym. So none of that stuff made sense. He just wanted to run his mouth and be colorful.
“I had to prove to Cody that he wasn’t as good as he thought he was. He couldn’t back up his mouth. Now we see a lot of other people proving that he has those holes in his game. He’s got no chin. So that guy is the least of my worries.”