UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has relinquished his title after failing a drugs test, he has announced on Instagram.
The 33-year-old revealed on Wednesday that he had been informed by both the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) and New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) that he had returned an “adverse finding” in one of his tests taken from his last fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC Fight Night in January.
Dillashaw lost the bout in a fight for Cejudo’s flyweight title, but he retained the bantamweight strap as it was not on the line in Brooklyn, New York, on 19 January.
But one of the samples that Dillashaw provided surrounding that fight has returned a positive sample, and as a result a “disappointed” Dillashaw has chosen to step down as champion while the matter is investigated, with the American claiming that he hopes to discover how the adverse test result was caused.
"To all my fans, I wanted to be the first one to let you know that Usada and the NYSAC have informed me of an adverse finding in a test taken for my last fight,” Dillashaw said in a statement.
"While words can't even begin to express how disappointed I am at this time, please know that I'm working with my team to understand what has occurred and how to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Out of fairness and respect to the rest of my division, I've informed the UFC that I'll be voluntarily relinquishing my title while I deal with this matter. I want to thank all of you in advance for the support."
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