Faber, Garbrandt: Dillashaw intentionally injured teammmates
Cody Garbrandt: “Chris choked him out and T.J. got up and f***ing kneed him in the back of the head when he was down.”
UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and his coach, Team Alpha Male founder Uirjah Faber, appeared recently on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The pair continuing trash talking former TAM fighter T.J. Dillashaw, a process that began very shortly after Dillashaw left TAM for an opportunity to stay with his primary coach Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig, at another gym.
T.J. was never the best teammate, said Faber, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. He would try to hurt people. He’s a very competitive guy and he has a temper.
Garbrandt too chimed in.
Cheap shots at the bell, in boxing he’d knee you, he added. Dirty s**t. Just dumb s**t.
And Faber picked up the chorus.
There’s no secret about T.J. he continued. We talked about it when he was still on the team that he had to be reeled in a little bit. He’s got a temper – Killashaw, Dillashank. It was his thing.
Chris Holdsworth won TUF 18 in 2013 and then won his next UFC fight in 2014, but hasn’t fought since. Garbrandt says the cause was concussion, caused by Dillashaw Kneeing him in the back of the head during a sparring session.
I’m competitive, said Garbrandt. I don’t want to lose. I’m fighting tooth and nail not to get taken down or win that round. It’s just at the end of the bell, knees – that’s why Chris is out. He kneed him in the back of the head. Concussions. That’s the truth.
It was him and T.J. going. I remember distinctively, Duane used to come up to Chris and be like ‘Hey, Grasshopper, T.J.’s fighting, can you take it easy on him?’ Chris is a killer, dude. Chris is f***ing him up. Everybody. Chris is an animal. And I guess Chris choked him out and T.J. got up and f***ing kneed him in the back of the head when he was down.
It happened twice in practice like that.”
I don’t respect him as a person but it doesn’t mean I don’t respect him as a fighter. The guy is skillful, he’s mean as f***, and he’s gonna bring a fight that’s gonna be what I love. I love a challenge and with T.J., I know him like the back of my hand. . .
He’s a bad motherf***er. He was ranked in the pound-for-pound top 10 before. He’s a killer. I’m gonna catapult my career with him.
Cody Garbrandt fights T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217 on November 4 in Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
