Cody is a good option to be Moreno’s rival.

When Brandon Moreno left The Ultimate Fighter hopes of getting into the UFC were slim. He was seeded number 16 and lost in his first fight. However, coaches that season were quickly convinced that the Mexican had a future and many opened doors for him.

One of them was TJ Dillashaw, the then bantamweight champion who didn’t make a big deal about his support, but he was one of the most important.

The American returns after two years to the UFC, after serving a USADA suspension, against Cory Sandhagen, and besides enjoying that moment, he is happy with his contribution in the process of the Tijuana native, who is now flyweight champion.

“It couldn’t have happened to someone better, I met Brandon Moreno after The Ultimate Fighter because (Joe) Benavidez was training him. He came to Colorado and trained with us, with Dwayne Ludwig, he stayed at my house in California. I knew how tough he is, his mataleon is one of the best I’ve ever worked with, once it takes your back it’s like a backpack, very hard to get out.”

As a fighter and a person, Moreno spreads his good vibes, and Dillashaw shares more than five years ago.

“I’m excited about what he’s done with his career, from making piñatas in Tijuana to being the UFC world champion, it’s incredible, to see his development and his performance, the body lock, the wrestling, the confidence with which he faced Figueiredo and overwhelmed him. It was a tough fight and he looked very dominant, I couldn’t be happier”, explained the American.

One of his biggest rivals, Cody Garbrandt, has announced that he will move down to flyweight and appears as one of Moreno’s likely opponents. Something that is not far-fetched for TJ.

“I do see him moving down, he was never a very big 135, he has small legs. In our fights he looked very light when he entered the cage, so I do see him moving down in weight and it would be a good division for him, he can compete with the best and I see him as a good opponent for Moreno. Garbrandt has a name, a brand behind him and it would be a good fight to watch.”

And although it seems obvious that Dillashaw would not seek to challenge the Mexican, dropping down to flyweight is no longer in his own plans, after the bad experience against Henry Cejudo.

“I’ll never give 125 pounds again, that’s why I got in trouble. I literally killed myself to do it, I thought I was fine. I looked really marked up and at the time I thought I was good, but now we look at my pictures and I didn’t look good, I didn’t look healthy. I go up to 160 pounds without looking fat. There’s no way I’m going back to 125,” he said.