TJ Dillashaw: ‘Frankie Edgar Or Chad Mendes Will Destroy Conor McGregor’
Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has not been one to buy the hype-train of Irishman Conor McGregor. In fact, the American fighter called McGregor's last win at UFC 178 over Dustin Poirier a "fluke" win and now he is again vocal that the up and comer who has strung up 12 consecutive wins and 2 Performance of the Nights does not deserve a title fight.
"I don't agree with Conor McGregor getting a title shot, especially after beating Dennis Siver, if he does. Why is that deserving of a title shot? Dennis Siver is not on the way up; he's not up there looking for a title shot himself," Dillashaw told Submission Radio during a recent interview.
The current champion who is also scouting for potential contenders to face him added that not only that McGregor is undeserving; he would be destroyed by the likes of Chad Mendes or Frankie Edgar. Nevertheless, the leader of Team Alpha Male added that he has much respect for the fighting style of McGregor and even thinks that he would fare well against Portuguese legend Jose Aldo, who currently holds the featherweight championship. There are musings inside the court of UFC President Dana White that they have a condition in place that if ever the Fighting Irishman records his 13th win over Siver in January, he will be rewarded with a title fight against Aldo.
The critical comments come from the Californian after he was also given a title shot against Renen Barao with just a 5-2 record in the Octagon. Still, he delivered a hell of a surprise during UFC 173 at Las Vegas and proved all his doubters wrong. The 28-year-old fighter stunned the Brazilian just 90 seconds into the match with a right punch and never looked back, taking the title and the shock victory in the fifth round via technical knockout to secure the 135-lb. belt.
Dillashaw is currently scouting for possible opponents given that two of his original targets in Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao both succumbed to injuries on the same day. Cruz will be out until late 2015 due to an ACL tear in his right knee while Assuncao is also nursing a broken ankle he suffered while training. The options for the bantamweight champion are limited but reports are coming in that he is open to facing either Jose Aldo, Frankie Edgar or a rematch with Barao.
Find the latest interview of TJ Dillashaw with Submission Radio below:
(Youtube/Submission Radio)