How the UFC’s chief doping agent gave himself away

TJ Dillashaw has tarnished his own reputation, but at the moment he has a chance to get his reputation back and fight for the UFC championship belt.

UFC 280 is coming up soon in the UAE and there will be a lot of interesting bouts. But many today are waiting for Dillashaw’s return, who will try to regain his belt and title after the high-profile doping scandal.

T.J. had some great fights a few years ago and won the flyweight belt. But after that some difficulties arose. First there was the defeat to Henry Sehudo when there was an attempt to take another belt.  The fighter even went down in weight class, but failed to achieve a result. And then they found doping in the athlete’s blood. And TJ actually gave up very quickly. After that, there was no question as to whether it was a mistake or an accident. The withdrawal meant an admission.

Dillashaw commented on his suspension from the tournament bouts: “USADA and the Nevada State Athletic Commission reported to me a trace of a banned drug in the doping sample from the last fight. It’s hard to find words for how disappointed I am, but know that I and my team are doing everything we can to understand how this happened and how to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Out of respect for the division, I have already informed the UFC that I am voluntarily relinquishing the title while I deal with the matter. Thank you all in advance for your support.”

In fact, the athlete’s fans were saddened by the fact, as Dillashaw was considered a standard bearer and spent a lot of time in the gym. The news of doping has shaken his faith in him.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) released the results of Dillashaw’s blood test, which showed that Dillashaw had erythropoietin. The USADA was surprised by some of the things during the tests. The samples, which were taken both just before the fight with Sehudo and taken a month before, turned out to be positive. And everyone was waiting for the information about the one-year disqualification received from insiders to be confirmed. But the commission did not show any leniency towards the fighter and was very strict to the extent that they suspended Dillashaw for two years.