UFC News

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has been fighting for a very long time. And despite his long history in the rings and cages of the world’s top promotions, he’s still a force to be reckoned with, ranked as one of the top contenders in the perilous UFC heavyweight division. Speaking on The MMA Hour recently, Alistair Overeem explained that a big key to his longevity has been his frequent camp changes. For example, after his recent loss to Curtis Blaydes, he migrated to Elevation Fight Team to train alongside Blaydes.

Tom Taylor - April 10, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was hit with a two-year suspension from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that can only be injected, and is therefor not taken accidentally. Speaking on Instagram, Duane Ludwig, the long-time handler of TJ Dillashaw, issued a quick statement on the situation. He referred to Dillashaw’s EPO use as “inexcusable” but vowed to stand by his student.

Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2019

The nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach of TJ Dillashaw has released a statement on the former Bantamweight champs positive drug test results. The coach, Sam Calavitta, released the following statement (via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto) shortly following today’s news that TJ Dillashaw had been suspended two years for using EPO.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

The upcoming return of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series continues to take shape, with the addition of a 185-pound matchup to the season premiere on June 18. In a middleweight tilt, Puna Soriano (5-0) will square off with Jamie Pickett (9-3), BJPenn.com has learned. Only five fights into his professional mixed martial arts tenure, Hawaii’s Soriano is already starting to turn heads. All five of the 26-year-old middleweight’s bouts have ended in the first round with Soriano victorious.

Chris Taylor - April 9, 2019

Conor McGregor recently took to Twitter where he shared his reaction to the two-year suspension handed down on TJ Dillashaw by USADA. Earlier this afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that TJ Dillashaw’s positive test, which forced him to vacate his bantamweight title, was a result of the banned substance EPO. Consequently, Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

LFA champion Brendan Allen (11-3) and surging Canadian Aaron Jeffery (6-1) are potentially one fight away from a UFC contract. The two middleweights will be squaring off on the July 16 episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, multiple sources confirm to BJPenn.com Allen, 23, is highly regarded as one of the best unsigned middleweight prospects in North America. Competing against tough competition for the entirety of his stint in MMA, has suffered three career losses. All three men that beat Allen went on to make it to the UFC — Anthony Hernandez, Eryk Anders, and Trevin Giles.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

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.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

This afternoon, news broke that TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years for his use of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), an “injectable only” drug. “I’m quite familiar with EPO from my days investigating professional cycling teams,” UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN of EPO and how it is used. “It’s a very effective substance. It’s not a substance you find in contaminated supplements, it’s injectable only. You have to know what you’re doing when it enters your system.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

The Summertime is always a big time of the year for the UFC as evidenced by the big events they put on with all of them culminating at the end of International Fight Week. This year, the end event of that will be UFC 239 on July 6. But before we get there, the promotion has to head through Chicago, Illinois for UFC 238. And with plenty of fantastic bouts already on the bill, it continues to get more as finalization looms.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for EPO in an in-competition drug test. Whether it’s coincidental or not, it’s worth noting that former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt accused Dillashaw of using this banned substance specifically almost one year ago.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Last month, we learned that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his UFC Brooklyn flyweight title fight with Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw broke this news himself, announcing that he was being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and that he was relinquishing the UFC bantamweight strap as a result. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the substance detected on the TJ Dillashaw test in question was recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), and that Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019, meaning TJ Dillashaw can fight again on the same day in 2021. Dillashaw reportedly didn’t contest this verdict.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

Thirty-one-year-old welterweight Derrick Krantz has been competing in mixed martial arts longer than most. Last Friday night, Dana White validated all the blood, sweat, and tears Krantz has poured into the sport. After a short tenure as an amateur competitor, Krantz made the jump to the professional ranks in 2008. Battling the who’s who of welterweights on the Texas regional scene.