‘Not the Smartest Human Being Inside that Cage’- T.J Dillashaw Questions Cody Garbrandt’s Approach Inside the UFC Octagon
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J Dillashaw turned back the clock and spoke about his former teammate Cody Garbrandt on ‘The Schaub Show’. Both men have a long-standing shared history, and they fought each other on two blockbuster occasions. Dillashaw came out victorious on both occasions and it seems as though the days of their competitive rivalry are a thing of the past.
Dillashaw recounted his days sparring Garbrandt in the gym and praised his former friend turned rival for being a ‘pretty freak athlete’. However, he also called into question Cody Garbrandt’s decision-making skills inside the octagon. Given Garbrandt’s recent results, it might be hard to argue against T.J Dillashaw’s assessment.
“He’s a pretty freak athlete. He’s fast. He’s the fastest guy I’ve ever sparred or fought, by far the most speed, but I’m not trying to be a complete a**hole, but he’s not the smartest human being inside that cage.”
He also talked about how Garbrandt would benefit greatly from using his wrestling acumen to secure an advantageous position in the fight. Additionally, Dillashaw also called out Garbrandt’s ability to absorb a hit.
Here's the official poster for #UFC227 featuring TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt and Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/k1fYqGgP4H
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) June 22, 2018
“To be able to stay on the top, you’ve got to change who you are and fight to fight to fight, he’s the exact same fighter. He’s a wrestler. He knows how to wrestle. Why not learn some jiu-jitsu and stop relying on your chin and hands because your chin is not there.”
“So change up who you are as a fighter, and he’s just not willing to do that. He’s gonna keep his head in the same spot, his hands are gonna be low, and he’s gonna throw hard, fast hooks.” [h/t mmafighting.com]
Cody Garbrandt vs TJ Dillashaw for the UFC Bantamweight Championship tomorrow night at #UFC217 pic.twitter.com/56xUStkX6B
— MMA Crazy (@MMACrazy) November 3, 2017
Dillashaw trained with Garbrandt for several years at Team Alpha Male and both men had their come up at more or less the same time. However, their career trajectories have diverged greatly in the last couple of years.
Cody Garbrandt desperately needs a win to stay on track in his UFC run and Dillashaw is perhaps one fight away from securing the opportunity to fight for the undisputed title once more.
