TJ Dillashaw’s legacy has been left in tatters after his two-year suspension for EPO.
Dillashaw relinquished his bantamweight title two weeks ago before it emerged that he is the second of just two UFC fighters to test positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) – aka EPO – during the USADA era.
Dillashaw has been banned from competition for two years and elected not to contest the suspension, which amounts to an admission of guilt in the eyes of several fellow fighters.
Former rival Cody Garbrandt, who accused Dillashaw of using EPO over a year ago, has ripped into his ex-teammate and urged the United States Anti-Doping Agency to test previous Dillashaw samples for that particular prohibited substance, which has been summed up by UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky as “on a scale of seriousness in anti-doping, it’s up near the top.”
Dillashaw’s head coach, Duane Ludwig, admitted that the now-former 135lbs champion’s offence is “inexcusable” but revealed that he will stand by his star pupil.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwD96-JAApJ/?utm_source=ig_embed
Dillashaw’s nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta released a much lengthier statement on the subject in which he hastened to point out that his company, The Treigning Lab, does not condone the use of performance enhancing drugs.
Statement from TJ Dillashaw’s nutritionist/strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta. pic.twitter.com/2usauhm7ru
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 10, 2019
