Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has accepted a two-year suspension after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced on Tuesday.
Dillashaw’s suspension is retroactive to the date of his in-competition test from Jan. 18, meaning he’ll be eligible to fight again on Jan. 18, 2021. The positive EPO test stems from his failed bid to capture the flyweight title from Henry Cejudo at UFC on ESPN+1.
Three weeks ago, Dillashaw, 33, suddenly announced he’d been hit with an adverse finding and relinquished the UFC bantamweight title. The New York State Athletic Commission, which regulated UFC on ESPN+ 1, later confirmed a one-year suspension and $10,000 fine to the deposed champ, though it didn’t reveal the substance for which he tested positive. Dillashaw expressed disappointment at the adverse finding, but he didn’t explicitly deny using any banned substances.
The UFC has since booked a bout between Cejudo and No. 1 bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes for the vacant 135-pound title, which will take place June 8 at UFC 238.
Per USADA’s statement, rHuEPO is a synthetic hormone used to stimulate the body’s production of red blood cells, thereby increasing oxygen transport and aerobic power. It’s in the class of peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics and is banned at all times.
“We all know the pressures to win at all levels of all sport are real and intense,” USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart said in a statement. “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 has not commented publicly since his suspension was confirmed.
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