Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is currently sidelined with a two-year suspension, this after testing positive for EPO. As soon as the news came out, many people questioned what this will do to his legacy, and how he will look when he returns to the Octagon in two years time?
Well, according to his former friend turned bitter rival Urijah Faber, TJ Dillashaw will likely be even better than ever when he comes back from suspension. And, not only will he be better, but the 40-year-old believes people will also forget he got caught by USADA.
“He’s going to be a beast. He’ll put the scientist’s cap back on and figure out how he can have an advantage. That’s the way he plays it’s one thing if people just cheat,” the UFC Hall of Famer said on MMA Tonight (h/t Aaron Bronsteter). “It’s another thing if they cheat and they’re really intelligent about it and they work really hard and they have natural gifts and that’s the scenario here. If you’re going to be a cheat, you may as well be a cheat like that.
“Now, do I think he’ll be clean? Will there be after effects from whatever he’s been doing all these years? Probably, he’ll have made some gains on that,” he continued. “There’s no doubt that he’ll be a tough guy and people will forget about it like all the other guys who’ve been caught cheating.”
Ultimately, no one truly knows how good TJ Dillashaw will be when he returns. But, even former champion, Dominick Cruz said something similar. He believes the time off will be good for him as he can rehab his injuries and be 100 percent when he returns.
Currently, Dillashaw is five months into his two-year-long suspension.
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This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 5/22/2019.