TJ Dillashaw News

Cole Shelton - April 24, 2019

Marlon Moraes is getting a shot at the vacant UFC bantamweight title, this after T.J. Dillashaw relinquished his belt due to a two-year suspension from USADA. Dillashaw had tested positive for the banned substance EPO in the lead up to his fight with Flyweight champ Henry Cejudo. Although some fighters claim that they always knew TJ Dillashaw was using drugs, Marlon Moraes was still still shocked and disappointed by the 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:

Drake Riggs - April 12, 2019

As is the case with most incidents where fighters get busted for performance-enhancing drug (PED) use, it puts everything in the past into question. That has been no different with former two-time UFC champion, TJ Dillashaw who recently tested positive for EPO use a day prior to his last bout which took place in January. In turn, he is now suspended for two years.

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.”

Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2019

The nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach of TJ Dillashaw has released a statement on the former Bantamweight champs positive drug test results. The coach, Sam Calavitta, released the following statement (via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto) shortly following today’s news that TJ Dillashaw had been suspended two years for using EPO.

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.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Last month, we learned that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his UFC Brooklyn flyweight title fight with Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw broke this news himself, announcing that he was being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and that he was relinquishing the UFC bantamweight strap as a result. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the substance detected on the TJ Dillashaw test in question was recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), and that Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019, meaning TJ Dillashaw can fight again on the same day in 2021. Dillashaw reportedly didn’t contest this verdict.

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.

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2019

Unfortunate news came out this morning that TJ Dillashaw would be relinquishing his bantamweight title due to ‘adverse’ findings in a USADA drug sample. In addition, it was announced that TJ Dillashaw will be suspended for a year, retroactive to January 19.

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.