BOSTON — TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz weren’t always feuding. The trash talk between them in recent months wasn’t the norm.
Being rivals for Sunday night’s UFC bantamweight title fight at TD Garden, however, changed the equation.
“I’ve always been super respectful with the guy and pretty easy going with each other, but once the fight got announced, he turned into someone else,” Dillashaw said Thursday at UFC Fight Night Boston media day at The Westin Copley Place. “He turned into a little trash talker and a little disrespectful, you know, but he’s just selling the fight. He’s doing his best to be relevant. He’s got three more days to do so, and after that, I’m going to retire him.
“I’m not too worried about it, I’m going to walk out with a smile on my face. None of that’s really bothering me.”
Dillashaw typically is more reserved. He has struck back at Cruz with trash talk to defend himself, but the reigning bantamweight champion doesn’t make it an important part of his plan in the build-up to fights.
“I’m just excited to fight, man,” Dillashaw said. “I can’t worry about being pissed off and shutting him up and being overly aggressive with that because that’s what he wants.
“I feel like he’s insecure with his abilities, so he’s trying to get under my skin so I come out of my game plan. I’m not going to do so. I’m not going to buy into that. He’s not a good (expletive) talker, he’s just a trash talker.”
The time for talking is just about over. Just a handful of days remain until these fighters step into the octagon for a career-defining fight.
Dillashaw (13-2-0) is aiming to defend his belt against the best opponent he has ever faced, while Cruz (20-1-0) finally has a shot to reclaim the title that he was stripped of after multiple injuries.
Both men have given their predictions. Now it’s a matter of who will back up that talk with a championship victory.
Thumbnail photo via Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports Images
