Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw recently tested positive for the injectable only performance-enhancing drug EPO, and was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) as a result. While this development has slowed his promising career, he’s using his time off to get some long-needed surgeries and do some physical healing.
TJ Dillashaw updated his fans on his first surgery on Instagram:
“Battle scars added to my hawk,” he wrote in a Tuesday evening post. “Surgery went well, torn rotator cuff, labrum and some biceps tendon repair. Two months from now I’m getting my left shoulder done, it’s the worst of the two. The recovery time is long and sucks but it will be nice to have them finally fixed. Been needing these surgeries for three years now.”
As MMA Mania points out, TJ Dillashaw also interacted with a fan in the comments section for this post. The fan encouraged him to stop posting on social media for awhile, as the fighting world is still digesting news of his PED use.
“Id seriously consider not posting any social media for a while champ. All the haters guna have a field day,” the fan wrote.
“let em I made the mistake,” Dillashaw replied. “If talking to someone like that is what makes them feel better that’s on them.”
Do you think we’ll see a healthier, stronger TJ Dillashaw when he’s allowed to return to the Octagon in a little less than two years’ time?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/17/2019.