TJ Dillashaw News

Tom Taylor - April 22, 2019

TJ Dillashaw is no longer the UFC bantamweight champion. He surrendered that title when he tested positive for EPO, an injectable-only performance-enhancing drug, and was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Many members of the MMA community were shocked to learn of Dillashaw’s PED use. But not everybody.

Tom Taylor - April 22, 2019

Back in January, UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo conquered a supremely tough test in former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who he knocked out in less than a minute. His next challenge will come in the form of Brazil’s Marlon Moraes, who he’ll meet for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238.

Tom Taylor - April 17, 2019

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw recently tested positive for the injectable only performance-enhancing drug EPO, and was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as a result. While this development has slowed his promising career, he’s using his time off to get some long-needed surgeries and do some physical healing. TJ Dillashaw updated his fans on his first surgery on Instagram:

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2019

Speaking to the media backstage amid the UFC 236 festivities over the weekend, UFC flyweight champ Henry Cejudo divulged that he received warnings about his last opponent TJ Dillashaw’s performance enhancing drug use. “I’ve heard TJ, and I really never brought it up, he was on supposedly in the days prior to USADA, even Cody (Garbrandt), himself, was like, ‘Hey, watch out dude, he’s dirty,’” Cejudo explained (via MMA Junkie). “People would come up to me, and I never really brought it up because I thought that that part of MMA is over, but I think once you find out he’s on it, it’s like, this dude ain’t playing fair.”

Nolan King - April 12, 2019

Earlier this month, the MMA world was sent into a tizzy when UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw tested positive for EPO. As a result, the 135-pound king was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Despite statements being issued from his teammates, coaches, and trainers, Dillashaw remained silent on the issue. However, that changed on Friday afternoon when the 33-year-old bantamweight released a video on Instagram.

Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019

Earlier this week, news surfaced that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, a powerful performance-enhancer that can only be ingested through injection. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handed Dillashaw a two-year ban for this incident, but in the eyes of former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra, that might not be enough. Matt Serra went off on TJ Dillashaw on the UFC Unfiltered podcast this week.

Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019

This week’s news that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, an “injectable only” performance-enhancing substance, sent a shockwave through the MMA community. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is just as disappointed by this news as the rest of us. “To me, it’s a shame because I’m a TJ fan,” Rogan told his guest Herb Dean on Wednesday’s edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show (transcript via MMAjunkie) “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter and I’m a big fan of watching him perform. But it just taints his legacy. It just does. There’s no way around it. When you get caught cheating – this stuff, there’s no way it’s not cheating. This is just cheating. This isn’t any accident. It taints your legacy, and the guy had an amazing legacy: two-time bantamweight champion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters.”

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was hit with a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that can only be injected, and is therefor not taken accidentally. Speaking on Instagram, Duane Ludwig, the long-time handler of TJ Dillashaw, issued a quick statement on the situation. He referred to Dillashaw’s EPO use as “inexcusable” but vowed to stand by his student.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2019

Conor McGregor recently took to Twitter where he shared his reaction to the two-year suspension handed down on TJ Dillashaw by USADA. Earlier this afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that TJ Dillashaw’s positive test, which forced him to vacate his bantamweight title, was a result of the banned substance EPO. Consequently, Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

Former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw has officially been suspended for two years due to a USADA drug test failure. But the test that did him in wasn’t his first time testing positive. It was revealed on Tuesday that Dillashaw tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), which is a substance that is not found in contaminated supplements as it can only be used via injection and boosts an athlete’s cardiovascular performance.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

This afternoon, news broke that TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years for his use of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), an “injectable only” drug. “I’m quite familiar with EPO from my days investigating professional cycling teams,” UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN of EPO and how it is used. “It’s a very effective substance. It’s not a substance you find in contaminated supplements, it’s injectable only. You have to know what you’re doing when it enters your system.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for EPO in an in-competition drug test. Whether it’s coincidental or not, it’s worth noting that former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt accused Dillashaw of using this banned substance specifically almost one year ago.

Tom Taylor - March 28, 2019

Earlier this month, TJ Dillashaw relinquished the UFC bantamweight belt after one of his recent drug tests turned up adverse findings. In the opinion of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who discussed the issue on his popular Believe You Me podcast, Dillashaw’s choice to relinquish the belt before the United States Anti-Doping Agency had reached a verdict on his case is nearly an admission of guilt. “I don’t break the circle of trust,” Bisping said (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I don’t speak outside of school. I don’t tell tales outside of f*cking tale-telling time but I’m telling you this, circle of trust or not, no motherf*cker relinquishes their belt out of respect for the rest of the division. It ain’t about the rest of the division, it’s about me. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt once I destroy the competition and become the champion. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt out of respect for the competition. You just wouldn’t do that. So that in itself – and I apologize if I’m wrong – is almost an admittance of guilt. It really is.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2019

Former WEC featherweight champion and long-time UFC bantamweight contender Urijah Faber is reportedly considering a return to MMA. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA show on Monday, Faber divulged that he is still being tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and that he was actually offered two fights last year.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

Early on Wednesday morning, TJ Dillashaw took to Instagram to announce that he was vacating the UFC bantamweight title because one of his UFC Brooklyn drug tests turned up an ‘adverse’ finding. Former UFC bantamweight champ Miesha Tate believes Dillashaw’s situation could be similar to that of Jon Jones, in that his failed drug test could be the product of his previous ingestion of banned substance, rather than recent ingestion.

Tom Taylor - March 21, 2019

Conor McGregor has gotten wind of TJ Dillashaw’s drug testing drama, and well, he doesn’t seem surprised. See how McGregor reacted to this unfortunate news below:

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

This morning, TJ Dillashaw announced that he failed an in-competition drug test for his January showdown with UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw added that he has chosen to relinquish his UFC bantamweight title as a result of this unfortunate situation. Shortly after this news broke, Ariel Helwani reported that the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), who oversaw Dillashaw and Cejudo’s Brooklyn battle, had suspended the former for one year. That being said, it was not immediately clear how the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would react.

Tom Taylor - March 20, 2019

On Wednesday morning, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw announced that he failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his January showdown with UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Cejudo has now issued a statement on this dramatic turn of events.