Photo | TJ Dillashaw is looking jacked one month away from UFC eligibility

TJ Dillashaw seems to be in the best shape of his career as he prepares to make his long-awaited return to the UFC next year.

Dillashaw, who was suspended for two years by USADA after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) after his January 2019 loss to Henry Cejudo, has been receiving a number of call-outs as the former champion attempts to come back and reclaim the Bantamweight Championship that he technically never lost.

While no official opponent has been formally announced, Dillashaw himself has been keeping himself ready for this moment.

 

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“Sick push today with these animals in the Garage,” Dillashaw wrote in a recent Instagram post, showing off a rippling physique. “Thanks Coach Cal!”

As he prepares to return to action, Dillashaw has been open about what happened two years ago – even admitting that he probably would’ve been able to justify his EPO use if he’d been able to get away with it.

“With the way my brain works—I just gave you an example of how me dealing with the last two years and what I’ve had to do to trick myself into being positive about it no matter what—you kind of have to trick yourself into doing it,” Dillashaw said. “I probably would have done the same thing.

“At first I would have been guilty about it, but I was to the point where I probably should have just not taken the fight to be honest,” Dillashaw continued. “Actually I know I shouldn’t have taken the fight—but I probably would have done the same. I’m going to be honest with you, just like I’ve been with everything. I probably would have done the same. I probably would have been like ‘ah, I had to do it, it was something my body wasn’t letting me do, I wasn’t able to make the weight.’

“So yes, I did take something I wasn’t supposed to, and if I went and saw a doctor, he would have prescribed it to me, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to take it,” Dillashaw added. “I’m a professional athlete, I know I wasn’t allowed to take it, but I would have made that excuse to myself. I would have been able to justify it, how f**ked up that is.”

How do you think Dillashaw will look in his return to the cage?