The heat between TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
The former Team Alphamale teammates once trained opposite each other in California, but have now begun a heated rivalry after Dillashaw decided to abandon the team in favor of longtime friend and coach Duane Ludwig. Since then, Garbrandt has pounced to the top of the UFC's 135-pound division by shocking the mixed martial arts (MMA) world with a unanimous decision win over longtime champ Dominick Cruz last December.
Dillashaw earned his way back to the title picture, and the pair were briefly scheduled to meet for the bantamweight strap at UFC 2113 on pay-per-view (PPV). Unfortunately, the champ Garbrandt was forced to pull out of the contest after suffering a back injury, leaving Dillashaw without a dance partner.
Dillashaw is beginning to question that injury, however, after the following video (of what looks to be an intoxicated Garbrandt and training partner Danny Castillo playfully wrestling) hit the internet:
On a recent edition of the Fight Society Podcast, Dillashaw got the opportunity to respond to what he say on the video, questioning the legitimacy of injury Garbrandt claims to have (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“Trust me, I want the Cody fight as well but he’s injured, I guess you can say,” Dillashaw said.
“It’s just the fact that I’ve seen him drunk and wrestling around with his buddies while his back is supposedly hurt doing rehab.
"There’s some posts that I got tagged in or got sent to me when I woke up one morning, of him getting all drunk with his buddies and him getting into a full blown wrestling match on the ground with Danny Castillo. It’s kind of crazy.
“If it was hurting you to walk, and you couldn’t take the title fight, then you should probably be doing some rehab.”
“He does not want to fight me because he’s scared to lose the belt. I respect Demetrious Johnson as a person. I like him, I like his wife.
"But by him acting this way and turning down the fight, he’s really tarnishing his career and reputation in my eyes.”
What are your thoughts on Garbarndt's video? Do you think his injury is a legitimate one? Or was "No Love" looking for a way out of his fight against his former training partner? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!