TJ Dillashaw won his first UFC world title on shockingly low pay
Former multi-time UFC champion TJ Dillashaw has revealed that when he won the title, he was on shockingly low pay.
Way back in 2014, TJ Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. At the time, Barao was widely considered to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport – and yet, Dillashaw was able to put him away, and then the following year, he did the same thing again.
TJ Dillashaw would go on to win the belt for a second time, but due to a combination of injuries and a failed drugs test, he lost a lot of momentum in his career. Still, he will forever be remembered as one of the most important members of the UFC’s bantamweight division for the time that he was able to remain active.
In a recent podcast appearance, however, TJ Dillashaw revealed that when he first won the championship, he didn’t exactly earn a lot of money from it.
TJ Dillashaw discusses Renan Barao victory
“My life changed completely after beating Barao,” Dillashaw said on “The JAXXON Podcast” “I was on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ contract. I was fighting for a world title for $18,000. I got to rip that contract – you’re on a 10-fight contract when you get on from ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and you start off at $10-10, after three wins you go to 14-14, after three wins you go to 18-18. So I was getting $18,000 to show, $18,000 to win against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and I just shocked the world.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
There will forever be a lot of controversy surrounding the career of Dillashaw and rightfully so, but when he was performing at his best, there were very few better bantamweight fighters in all of mixed martial arts. In terms of his legacy, that will likely always be tainted, and yet if you speak the names of Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo at any point in the future, TJ is someone you have to mention – which is a testament to what he accomplished.
