Henry Cejudo doesn’t think T.J. Dillashaw has fought his last fight.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Dillashaw notified the UFC of his retirement following a recent shoulder surgery thanks to an injury that appears to be long-lasting. Dillashaw — now infamously — entered his last bout against the bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling with a dislocated shoulder that he said had been hindering him since April of this year.

Seemingly next in line for Sterling is Dillshaw’s old foe Cejudo, who returned to the USADA testing pool this year to end his short-lived retirement. Testing with USADA since his Olympic wrestling days, “Triple C” feels his old nemesis is now using retirement as more of an excuse for a break from the frequent testing regimen UFC athletes are required to undergo.

“Is T.J. Dillashaw really retired?” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “The first thing that comes to mind was — which I don’t think he’s dumb enough to do that — maybe he got busted again. I don’t think that’s the case. I think T.J. Dillashaw is getting surgery again which I believe that’s true, and I don’t think he wants USADA knocking on that door every other week.

“Guys, it gets annoying. As much as I love USADA, it’s a lot of tests you guys. It takes a lot of time and effort and time away from your family. So, me automatically thinking T.J. Dillashaw’s retiring, I think it’s just a thing to get him out of there and not get tested by USADA. I guarantee you with T.J. Dillashaw they’re probably taking blood every single time and that stuff just is not cool.”

Jan. 2019 marked the downward spiral of Dillashaw’s consistency as a competitor. Suffering a tough 32-second loss in his champion vs. champion encounter against Cejudo via TKO, Dillashaw tested positive for the banned substance EPO directly after and was stripped of his bantamweight title. Dillashaw was suspended for two years by USADA for his wrongdoing.

Returning in July 2021, Dillashaw got back in the win column, earning a split decision over Cory Sandhagen. Unfortunately for “The Viper,” a serious knee injury came along with the win and left him out of action for another year before facing Sterling.

At age 36, Dillashaw may very well be done for good because of all the wear and tear suffered over the years. But as history has shown, no one is ever truly retired in MMA.

“Do I believe the retirement?” Cejudo said. “I believe he’s out, but I believe when he’s starting to get ready to come back he’s gonna put his name back in the hat.

“He is one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, but I just think that asterisk of him — now you start to wonder if this dude was always fair. If he was always clean and honest. I think that’s the biggest thing. I don’t know, it’s hard for me to compliment T.J. Especially when he only lasted 32 seconds with me.”

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VIDEO STEW

Anything But Fighting with Jon Anik.

UFC 282 Embedded 2.

Free fight.

Fight Pass invitational.

Volk’s picks.

One-minute breakdown.

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LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses UFC’s response to the betting scandal, reacts to T.J. Dillashaw’s retirement.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Pavlovich literally hits different.

Anywhere but KC works.

Haters gonna hate.

Uh oh.

Perfect.

Osmosis Osbourne.

Anything at this point.

She don’t miss.

The ascent.

Funny flashback.

Don’t know.

Lol.

Owning it.

Patience.

Oh, yes.

What a picture, birthday boy.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cody Stamann (20-5-1) vs. Luan Luiz Lacerda (12-1); UFC 283, Jan. 21

Sabah Homasi (17-10) vs. Brennan Ward (16-6); Bellator 290, Feb. 4

Jasmine Jasudavicius (7-2) vs. Cortney Casey (10-10); UFC Fight Night, Feb. 25

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Dillashaw is 36 and he’ll need to work his way back to a title shot if he does come back. I’m not sure if he comes back, but I think if he does, it would only last for as long as he’s winning.

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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