TJ Dillashaw accepts UFC's 2-year suspension for failed PED test

Gabrielle McMillen

TJ Dillashaw accepts UFC's 2-year suspension for failed PED test image

TJ Dillashaw has accepted the two-year ban handed down by the UFC for doping, the organization announced Tuesday.

Dillashaw, 33, tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) before his Jan. 19 bout against Henry Cejudo.

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According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, rHuEPO is considered a cleaner alternative to blood doping and increases oxygen to the body, along with aerobic power.

“We all know the pressures to win at all levels of all sport are real and intense,” USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart said. “It is exactly why strong anti-doping efforts are necessary to protect clean athletes’ rights, health, and safety, and to ensure that those who do succumb to these pressures and decide to break the rules will be held accountable in a real and meaningful way, as in this case.”

Less than a month ago, Dillashaw relinquished his bantamweight championship and released a statement expressing how he was "disappointed" with the situation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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"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 what has occurred and how to resolve this situation as quickly as possible," Dillashaw said, in part, on Instagram.

Dillashaw lost the fight to Cejudo in the first round on a TKO.

Per the UFC release, the suspension began Jan. 18, the date his sample was tested for banned substances. He would be eligible to fight again in January 2021.

Gabrielle McMillen