With UFC Fight night lurking around the corner, ESPN has shared exclusive footage of former two-time Bantamweight Champion, TJ Dillashaw a few moments after his loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC Fight Night:143.
Giving us insight into his frame of mind after the humiliating loss, one can witness TJ Dillashaw extremely upset and disappointed, pacing the length of his locker room in disbelief.
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After defeating Cody Garbrandt twice in a row, Dillashaw set out to earn “Double Champ” status by going down a weight class and taking on former Olympic wrestler, Henry Cejudo.
However, Dillashaw’s high flying aspirations came to a screeching halt merely 32 seconds into his flyweight debut, when Cejudo landed a right hand to his temple following it up with a barrage of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
While TJ immediately sprang back up and chose to protest the stoppage, claiming he was still in the fight, ‘Triple C’ went on celebrating his victory.
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TJ Dillashaw loses to ‘Triple C’ then tests positive for EPO
While the debate around the stoppage of the fight continued to be a talking point, news of TJ Dillashaw testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) after his flyweight bout left the MMA community in shock and disarray.
A month after TJ voluntarily gave up his bantamweight title, USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) announced that the 33 -year-old would serve a two-year suspension for use of the notorious performance enhancer.
Addressing the shocking revelation, Dillashaw was forthcoming and immediately posted a video on his Instagram. In the video, he apologized to his friends, family, and fans for going down the PED route.
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Going down to flyweight (125 pounds) meant cutting 10 more pounds. According to TJ Dillashaw, the weight cut turned out to be excruciating, leaving him feeling extremely weak and lethargic. However, blinded by his ambition, TJ decided to take a step which has earned him an asterisk next to his fighting record forever.
With the two-year suspension ending this year in January, TJ Dillashaw is set to return in a title elimination fight against no.2 ranked Bantamweight, Cory Sandhagen.
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Needless to say, Dillashaw will have all eyes on him as he steps into the octagon after the enforced hiatus. Fans hope that the questions surrounding his endurance, without the EPO or any other form of PEDs, will be answered, come fight night.
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