MMA community reacts to TJ Dillashaw drug test result, suspension
On Wednesday morning, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw announced that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) have discovered an adverse finding on one of his recent drug tests, and that he has decided to relinquish his bantamweight title as a courtesy to his peers as a result.
Dillashaw explained the situation in an Instagram post.
“To all my fans, I wanted to be the first one to let you all know that USADA and the NYSAC have informed me of an adverse finding in a test taken in my last fight,” he wrote. “While words can’t even begin to express how disappointed I am at this time, please know that I’m working with my team to understand how this occurred and how to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. Out of fairness and respect to the rest of my division, I’ve informed the UFC that I’ll be voluntarily relinquishing my title while I deal with this matter. I want thank all of you in advance for the support.”
Unsurprisingly, this shocking news promptly generated some interesting reactions from the rest of the MMA community. Here are some of the first reactions to this development.
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— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) March 20, 2019
Mr. Faber himself told me in person once that his former team mate abuses from substances and of course other members that we know as well.
— Raphael Assuncao (@RaphaAssuncao) March 20, 2019
Punishment for PED use should be a life time ban #cheatsout
— Paddy Holohan (@PaddyHolohanMMA) March 20, 2019
Exactly!! There are no ways to compliteley reverse the advantage gained, so a life time ban is fair!!
— Artem Lobov (@RusHammerMMA) March 20, 2019
He already lost to the flyweight champ, so let’s keep the division alive!! #WeAintFuckingLeaving https://t.co/odVAP32PrO
— Tim Elliott (@TElliott125) March 20, 2019
If UFC will ask me to fight for the vacated title tomorrow I will agree without a doubt in my mind and I don’t care who will be my opponent. I want that belt!
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) March 20, 2019
Cut @usantidoping already @danawhite https://t.co/IqvIMw4WmP
— phil baroni (@philbaroni) March 20, 2019
T.J. Dillashaw news is great for flyweights, especially Jussier Formiga and Deiveson Figueiredo. Whoever wins Saturday should get a shot at Henry Cejudo next.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) March 20, 2019
“This throws a wrench in our plans.” Here’s what Henry Cejudo’s head coach @CPTdasAmericas told me moments ago about the TJ Dillashaw news. pic.twitter.com/chKqu6xayO
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 20, 2019
The New York State Athletic Commission has suspended TJ Dillashaw one year as a result of this incident, per Ariel Helwani. This suspension is retroactive to the date of his last fight, January 19, which means he’ll be allowed to fight again on that date in 2020.
At present, it’s not clear whether the United States Anti-Doping Agency will suspend TJ Dillashaw for the same length of time, or if the agency’s punishment will differ from the NYSAC’s. Stay tuned for further details as they emerge.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/20/2019.
Topics:
TJ Dillashaw UFC
