TJ Dillashaw had to relinquish his UFC bantamweight title because of a two-year suspension by USADA back in 2019. Now, the former UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, reveals why and how this unfortunate incident came to fruition.
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The then-UFC two-time bantamweight champion, Dillashaw, was on his way to create history against Henry Cejudo in an attempt to claim the UFC two-division crown. However, he failed to win the UFC flyweight title against ‘Triple C’.
Following his failed bid at 125 lbs, Dillashaw also tested positive for banned substances. As a result, the USADA suspended Dillashaw, forcing him to relinquish his bantamweight title.
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Demetrious Johnson, who recently appeared on ‘The MMA Hour’ in an interview with Ariel Helwani, shared details of his interaction with Dillashaw and revealed why this unfortunate incident occurred.
In the interview, the ‘Mighty Mouse’ said – “I was like, why did you do it? He [T.J. Dillashaw] was like, ‘dude, I wanted to make 125 so bad, and when I was coming down to, you know, try to, I would wake up in the morning, I would be exhausted, and you know. So, I started taking this stuff, and it just helped me, you know, bounce back.'”
What happened to TJ Dillashaw after the USADA suspension?
As aforementioned, Dillashaw had to serve a two-year suspension for testing positive for banned substances. In 2021, Dillashaw made his UFC comeback against Cory Sandhagen on July 24 at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. The pair left it all in the cage and went the distance.
It was an intriguing fight for the fans as both fighters had their moments. However, Dillashaw had done enough to make an outstanding comeback as he claimed a split decision victory. On the back of his win, he rose to #2 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
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However, as he suffered an injury, he is back on the shelf. Unfortunately for him, his physical setback cost him a shot at the UFC interim bantamweight title at UFC 267.
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