Cody Garbrandt unsure on ending rivalry with T.J. Dillashaw ahead of UFC 296: ‘there’s always going to be an asterisk’

Former undisputed bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt has claimed he’s unsure if he’ll ever share a similar sentiment to former teammate, Urijah Faber and end his long-standing rift with former two-time foe and former titleholder, T.J. Dillashaw, claiming there will always been an “asterisk” beside the veteran’s name.

Garbrandt, a former undisputed bantamweight champion, makes his return to the Octagon tonight at UFC 296 in Las Vegas, attempting to turn in a two-fight winning run for the first time since his 2016 title winning run – as he takes on Brian Kelleher in a bantamweight clash.

As for Dillashaw, the Angels Camp native briefly made his return to the Octagon in October of last year, attempting to become the first three-time bantamweight champion in promtoional history, before a lingering shoulder injury resulted in a one-sided second round TKO loss to Aljamain Sterling.

Cody Garbrandt addresses T.J. Dillashaw rivalry 

Sharing his thoughts on a potential squashing of a long-standing and heated rivalry with former Team Alpha MMA training partner, Dillashaw, Garbrandt appeared less interested in doing so than former teammate, Faber.

“I mean, it is what it is, T.J. (Dillashaw) is no longer in the UFC, you see with his career and towards the end of it, and that’s the reason why,” Cody Garbrandt told ESPN ahead of UFC 296. “The substances that he was taking, his body wasn’t able to uphold and good for him, hats off to him for what he was able to do. But, you know, there’s always going to be an asterisk and there should be an asterisk throughout his name and whatever he’s done in his career.”

“I know wholeheartedly that I can go through my whole UFC career and not ever had to take any performance-enhancing drug and just believe in my abilities,” Cody Garbrandt continued. (H/T MMA News)