Additional testing reveals earlier failure from TJ Dillashaw
Former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw has officially been suspended for two years due to a USADA drug test failure. But the test that did him in wasn’t his first time testing positive.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Dillashaw tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), which is a substance that is not found in contaminated supplements as it can only be used via injection and boosts an athlete’s cardiovascular performance.
Unfortunately for Dillashaw, this wasn’t his first positive testing as was confirmed by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
Another note in Dillashaw's EPO case, USADA went back and re-analyzed a test submitted on Dec. 28, and that also come back positive for EPO. The reason it went undetected initially, is that a special test is required to reveal EPO, and that test is not run on every single sample.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 9, 2019
“Another note in Dillashaw’s EPO case, USADA went back and re-analyzed a test submitted on Dec. 28, and that also come back positive for EPO. The reason it went undetected initially, is that a special test is required to reveal EPO, and that test is not run on every single sample.” Okamoto’s tweet read.
With the result of a prior test in mind aside from the positive one on January 18, it puts everything into even more question for the former champion. It also makes one wonder if the usage of EPO is a lot more common than people realize and if it should be tested more frequently by USADA.
None the less, Dillashaw is now out of the picture in the bantamweight division and the vacant title bout will take place at UFC 238 on June 8 when top contender, Marlon Moraes faces off with the flyweight champion, Henry Cejudo.
In Dillashaw’s last fight, he suffered a first-round defeat via TKO to Cejudo in just 32 seconds when he was looking to become a two-division titleholder.
For the former Team Alpha Male member, he will be 35-years old by the time that he’s eligible to return to action.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/9/2019
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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