TJ Dillashaw Out For Three Months To Recover From Knee Surgery Following Win Over Cory Sandhagen

TJ Dillashaw and rival Corey Sandhagen put on a show in late July. Dillashaw won via split decision, but the fighter came out with some injuries from the battle.

Dillashaw (18-4) returned to the octagon and engaged in a close, brutal fight with Sandhagen (14-3) at UFC Fight Night in Vegas on July 24. With the win, Dillashaw also sustained injuries including a cut on his eye and — the most severe –- a damaged knee.

The American fighter said he damaged his knee in the first round, but he still managed to fight all five rounds.

“So it was the last 30 seconds of the round, and I was in like a lazy leglock,” Dillashaw told Brendan Schaub at UFC 265: Calabasas Fight Companion. “We were in the 50/50 position, and I was completely out of it, but I was chilling. I knew I won the round, so I would sit up top and let the round finish out, but then he turned and started punching me. So I was like, ‘All right, b*tch,’ and I started hitting him back for my ground-and-pound. I came in hard on my leg and started ground-and-pounding, and we got into a scramble.

“He tried to get up on his feet, and I went to sit up on top, so I leaned my chest over my own body, and at the same time my LCL just went, ‘pow.’ It was loud, dude,” Dillashaw concluded.

Dillashaw said he was surprised that Sandhagen didn’t notice his injury during the fight because he heard his knee pop. Regardless of the status, he said he’s still planning for a quick recovery and the title shot.

“I had a medial meniscus bucket handle tear, a lateral meniscus tear, and a PCL tear,” Dillashaw added.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t ACL. I’m happy with the results because it would’ve been nine months (if it would’ve been an ACL tear). I’m looking at a three-month recovery right now until I get back to training, (then) fight for the title at the beginning of next year.”

Aljamain Sterling is going to defend his title against Petr Yat at UFC 267 in October, which will take place in Abu Dhabi and air on the ABC Network. The winner of this match will be likely to oppose Dillashaw in 2022.