It will be 2021 before we see TJ Dillashaw back in the Octagon.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was first to break the news that Dillashaw has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) ahead of his flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo at the beginning of the year.
Last month, Dillashaw announced that he was relinquishing his bantamweight title after being made aware of the USADA violation and on Tuesday evening, USADA announced the suspension, which was not contested by Dillashaw.
The suspension will be dated retroactively to January 18, the date that Dillashaw submitted the sample, meaning that we won’t see him compete again until 2021.
Bisping's not buying it https://t.co/fRDEROOATu
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 28, 2019
“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. “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.
“On a scale of seriousness in anti-doping, it’s up near the top.”
Days after Dillashaw vacated his 135lbs title, it was confirmed that 125lbs champion Cejudo would meet Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight championship in the UFC 238 main event in June.
Dillashaw was knocked out by Cejudo in just 32 seconds when they met on January 19.
