TJ Dillashaw News

Cole Shelton - June 14, 2019

Back at UFC Brooklyn in January, bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw was moving down in weight to try and become a champ-champ. There he was taking on the UFC’s reigning flyweight champion in Henry Cejudo. However, for Dillashaw, the night did not go his way. The bantamweight champion was knocked out in just 32 seconds. Then, weeks after the fight it was announced he was flagged by USADA and suspended for two years for EPO use.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

Earlier this year, news broke that UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for the injectable-only banned substance EPO. Dillashaw was stripped of his title, and suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for this crime. Though he quickly admitted to his mistakes on social media, Dillashaw has been quite quiet since this unfortunate news surfaced. Speaking on Chael Sonnen’s You’re Welcome podcast, however, the former bantamweight champion opened up on the ordeal in a way that he has not done yet.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2019

At UFC Sacramento, Urijah Faber will return to the Octagon for a bantamweight tilt against Ricky Simon. It will be nearly three years since ‘The California Kid” last fought, but the 40-year-old is eager to return. Although Simon is not the biggest name, a win at UFC Sacramento could help setup a future fight with former teammate turned bitter rival T.J. Dillashaw. The former UFC bantamweight kingpin, Dillashaw is currently suspended for two years due to EPO use.

Cole Shelton - May 22, 2019

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is currently sidelined with a two-year suspension, this after testing positive for EPO. As soon as the news came out, many people questioned what this will do to his legacy, and how he will look when he returns to the Octagon in two years time? Well, according to his former friend turned bitter rival Urijah Faber, TJ Dillashaw will likely be even better than ever when he comes back from suspension. And, not only will he be better, but the 40-year-old believes people will also forget he got caught by USADA.

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2019

TJ Dillashaw is no longer the UFC bantamweight champion, having been stripped of that honor when he tested positive for EPO earlier this year. Despite the fact that Dillashaw no longer holds the UFC bantamweight division’s ultimate prize, however, top contender Marlon Moraes still wants to fight him. “Yes I want to fight him 100-percent,” Moraes told MMA Weekly recently. “I don’t care if he’s taking, if he’s not taking, I want to put my hands on him one day. I want to make him pay for everyone he made pay. I want to put him in a bad spot and show him what is real. I know I’m better than this guy, especially now knowing what he was doing.

Tom Taylor - May 3, 2019

Cub Swanson was as shocked as the rest of us when he found out his friend and training partner TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, an injectable only performance-enhancing drug. That being said, he says that he hand his teammates at Treigning Lab are attempting to forgive the former bantamweight champion. “I kind of found out like everybody else. It was quite a shock, because as far as our team, we have standards and stuff like that about being honest and going through stuff,” Swanson said during a scrum ahead of his UFC Ottawa fight with Shane Burgos (via MMA Junkie). “But he’s still a part of our team, and it’s a decision he made. We forgive him for it.”

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 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.”

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

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. https://youtu.be/_TiGMStO5G4 “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.

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.

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.