Tyler Jeffrey Dillashaw is a mixed martial artist (MMA) from the United States who has won multiple titles in his career, including the UFC Bantamweight Championship. He was a two-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state qualifier in amateur wrestling, and his success earned him an athletic scholarship to wrestle for the Cal State Fullerton Titans. After graduating from Cal State Fullerton, Dillashaw considered pursuing a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). He also made it to the final of ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller’ after capturing the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Three times he received the Battle of the Night and Performance of the Night bonus awards, and he became the first fighter to finish a title fight in the fifth round. His MMA record currently stands at 14 wins out of 17 fights, with 6 victories coming by knockout, 5 by decision, and 3 by submission. This amazing fighter, who holds a Black Belt in Bang Muay Thai and a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is now ranked #13 in the official pound-for-pound rankings of the world’s greatest MMA promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is ranked as the world’s #2 bantamweight by the MMA website Sherdog.
His Childhood and Adolescence
He was born on February 7, 1986, in Sonora, California, to Hal and Janice Dillashaw, and was raised in Angels Camp, California, as their only child.
For four years, he attended Bret Harte High School. He wrestled for Coach Jan Schulz there. He was also a member of the school soccer squad during his junior year of 2002-03.
He was a sectional qualifier four times and a state qualifier twice for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). He finished fifth in the CIF state championships as a junior, with a season record of 45-7.
He finished second in the CIF State Championships as a senior, with a 52-6 record and an overall record of 170-33.
A Career of T. J. Dillashaw
He graduated from high school in June 2004, and his successful wrestling record earned him an athletic scholarship to wrestle for the Cal State Fullerton Titans while attending Cal State Fullerton.
While he had a 14–16 record as a freshman, including a 10–8 record in dual matches, he had a 17–14 overall record as a sophomore, with an 11–4 dual match record and a 5–3 Pac-10 record.
He spent the summer of 2006 in Ukraine honing his wrestling talents.
In April 2007, he placed sixth in the University Greco Wrestling Championships in Akron, Ohio, with a weight of 132.25 pounds. He finished fourth in the Pac-10 championship that year.
He finished fourth at the Pac-10 Championships in 2008, and he went on to finish second at the Cliff Keen Invitational the following year.
This three-time NCAA qualifier considered MMA after graduating from California State University, Fullerton. Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, a former UFC Middleweight who taught at Cal State Fullerton for three years and trained with Team Reign for a year and a half, invited him.
Following Munoz’s advice, he trained with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento and amassed a 2-0 amateur record.
On March 26, 2010, he made his professional MMA debut, defeating fellow pro debutee Czar Sklavos in a dominant unanimous decision.
He then went on to win three more matches in a row, defeating Brandon Drucker, Mike Suarez, and Taylor McCorriston.
In 2011, he signed with the world’s largest MMA promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship, in order to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller.
He competed in the bantamweight division and won the elimination round by TKO against Matt Jaggers. He received Team Bisping’s second bantamweight selection. To reach the final, he defeated Roland Delorme in the quarter-finals and Dustin Pague in the semi-finals.
On December 3, 2011, he made his official UFC debut against John Dodson at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.
Dillashaw finished second in The Ultimate Fighter 14 after losing to Dodson via TKO (punches) in the bantamweight tournament final.
He defeated Walel Watson by majority decision at the UFC on Fuel TV 1 on February 15, 2012.
On July 11, 2012, he defeated Vaughan Lee at UFC on Fuel TV: Munoz vs. Weidman; on March 16, 2013, he defeated Issei Tamura at UFC 158; and on April 20, 2013, he defeated Hugo Viana at UFC on Fox 7.
Dillashaw was defeated by Raphael Assunço in a split decision at UFC Fight Night 29 on October 9, 2013. Both combatants received the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus award for their efforts.
On January 15, 2014, Dillashaw began the new year with a victory over Mike Easton at UFC Fight Night 35.
On May 24, 2014, Dillashaw was paired against Bantamweight champion and top 5 pound-for-pound fighter Renan Baro in an unexpected change of events at UFC 173.
Everyone was taken aback when Dillashaw not only won the fight but also became the new UFC Bantamweight champion by TKOing Baro in the fifth round with a head kick and punches. He also received extra honors for ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Performance of the Night.’
A rematch with Baro was slated for UFC 177 on August 30, 2014, but due to Baro’s hospitalization, Joe Soto was brought in to replace him. Dillashaw not only successfully defended his UFC Bantamweight Championship title by defeating Soto, but he also received his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award.
On July 25, 2015, he successfully defended his championship in a rematch against Baro at UFC on Fox 16. He won his third consecutive ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus award in the fight against Baro, which he won by TKO (punches).
In October 2015, he left ‘Team Alpha Male’ and began training with Duane Ludwig, a retired pro kickboxer and mixed martial artist.
When former champion Dominick Cruz defeated him at UFC Fight Night 81 on January 17, 2016, the UFC Bantamweight Championship title slipped from his grasp. The battle, though, earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award.
Following his title loss, Dillashaw defeated Raphael Assunço in a rematch on July 9, 2016 at UFC 200. He finished the year with a victory over John Lineker at UFC 207 on December 30, 2016.
On July 8, 2017, Dillashaw and current UFC Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt were slated to fight in the main event of UFC 213. However, due to a back injury, Garbrandt was forced to withdraw from the fight, which will now take place at the UFC 217 event on November 4, 2017.
Personal History and Legacy
He married Rebecca in June 2014, and on June 19, 2017, an Instagram video revealed that the couple is expecting their first child in late December.
Estimated Net Worth
His net worth is believed to be around $0.6 million as of August 2017.