UFC News

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.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

Last month it was announced that perennial top UFC middleweight contender, Yoel Romero would be rematching with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza in the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale on April 27. That is opposed to Romero fighting Paulo Costa who he was originally expected to face. Costa and Romero have been linked to fights with one another on two separate occasions now. The first of which was targeted for UFC 230 in November 2018. The reason for the fight not coming to fruition was due to Romero still recovering from a broken orbital bone.

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.

Mike Pendleton - April 9, 2019

The UFC’s strawweight division has seen a fair share of new title contenders rise to the top of the division ever since Rose Namajunas dethroned former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November 2017. While names like Tatiana Suarez, Nina Ansaroff, and Weili Zhang rising up the ranks and inching towards title contention, a veteran, Michelle Waterson, coming off the biggest win of her career, feels she deserves the next title shot and believes the timing is perfect for it.

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.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Dillon Danis has become one of the most polarizing fighters in MMA. While he has definitely elevated his station in the industry with his ceaseless trash talk and bravado, he also receives a ton of hate from the fans and his fellow fighters as a result. If there’s anybody who could mentor Danis on how to deal with this kind of backlash, it’s his friend and training parter Conor McGregor. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Dillon Danis explained that Conor McGregor has actually given him a few crucial pieces of advice to this end.