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 vacate the bantamweight throne as a result.
TJ Dillashaw made this shocking announcement on Instagram.
“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,” Dillashaw 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.”
According to Ariel Helwani, TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for one year by the NYSAC after this incident. It’s unclear if USADA will follow suit, or if they’ll issue a different punishment.
“TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for a year by the NYSAC, according to sources,” Helwani reported. “A formal announcement is expected to be made this AM. Unclear at this time if he will be suspended longer by USADA but this is a NYSAC and USADA issue. Also unclear what he failed for. Developing.”
Dillashaw’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his last fight, January 19, which means it will end on that day in 2020.
TJ Dillashaw’s last fight, which occurred in Brooklyn, saw him drop down to the flyweight division to challenge reigning champion Henry Cejudo in a bid to become a two-division champion. He lost this fight via TKO in the first round.
Stay tuned for further updates on this situation as they emerge.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/20/2019.