Earlier this month, TJ Dillashaw relinquished the UFC bantamweight belt after one of his recent drug tests turned up adverse findings. In the opinion of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who discussed the issue on his popular Believe You Me podcast, Dillashaw’s choice to relinquish the belt before the United States Anti-Doping Agency had reached a verdict on his case is nearly an admission of guilt.

“I don’t break the circle of trust,” Bisping said (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I don’t speak outside of school. I don’t tell tales outside of f*cking tale-telling time but I’m telling you this, circle of trust or not, no motherf*cker relinquishes their belt out of respect for the rest of the division. It ain’t about the rest of the division, it’s about me. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt once I destroy the competition and become the champion. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt out of respect for the competition. You just wouldn’t do that. So that in itself – and I apologize if I’m wrong – is almost an admittance of guilt. It really is.

“You would not relinquish your belt unless there was some kind of guilt and you know you’re in a no-win situation.”

Michael Bisping of course, is vehemently against the use of performance enhancing drugs, having previously fought fighters who have been using them — and suffered the consequences.

“To cheat in this sport, the danger is very, very real,” Bisping said. “I have the injuries still to this day. I’m not gonna go into them, but I do, from people taking steroids and cheating people. There’s supposed to be honor and a certain moral code when you fight.”

What do you think of these comments from Michael Bisping?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/28/2019.