TJ Dillashaw suspended two years by USADA following positive test for EPO

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw, has been suspended from mixed martial arts (MMA) by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and will remain sidelined for two years after failing his UFC Brooklyn drug test.

Dillashaw, also under a one-year suspension from New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), did not dispute the charges and surrendered his title just last month, which is now up for grabs in the UFC 238 main event between Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes.

“We all know the pressures to win at all levels of all sport are real and intense,” said USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart (via ESPN.com). “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.”

Dillashaw, who was making the drop to flyweight to (unsuccessfully) challenge Cejudo for “The Messenger’s” 125-pound strap, tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), a peptide hormone used to stimulate red blood cell production, typically administered intravenously.

His suspension is retroactive to Jan. 18, 2019.