Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw a BJJ blue belt under Philipe “Furão” Della Monica , one of the chief jiu-jitsu instructors at Gracie Barra Headquarters in Irvine, California.
Evidently, the encounter went well, with Dillashaw extending his gratitude to Della Monica in a social media post.
Related: TJ Dillashaw Training With Gracie Barra HQ’s Philipe ‘Furao’ Della Monica
“Soaking as much knowledge as I can from this Master in Jiu Jitsu,” he tweeted. “Thank you @philipefurao for being so awesome!”
Dillashaw rose to prominence in 2015 by putting an end to the 31-match unbeaten streak of then bantamweight champion Renan Barão. Dillashaw was only able to retain the title for two bouts, promptly relinquishing the belt to Dominick Cruz.
This year, Dillashaw was planning on taking a second shot at bantamweight glory, challenging Cody Garbrandt to a title bout at UFC 213, but the match has since been scratched from the ticket after Garbrandt withdrew due to a back injury.
