NEW YORK : T.J. Dillashaw surrendered his UFC bantamweight crown on Wednesday after revealing a “adverse finding” in a doping test following a January loss in New York.
The 33-year-old American was stopped by flyweight champion Henry Cejudo in 32 seconds at Brooklyn, where Dillashaw submitted the sample found in violation, according to the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada).
“To all my fans, I wanted to be the first one to let you know that Usada and the NYSAC (New York State Athletic Commission) have informed me of an adverse finding in a test taken for my last fight,” Dillashaw said in an Instagram statement.
“While words can’t even begin to express how disappointed I am at this time, please know that I’m working with my team to understand what has occurred and how to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
“Out of fairness and respect to the rest of my division, I’ve informed the UFC that I’ll be voluntarily relinquishing my title while I deal with this matter.”
The New York commission fined Dillashaw $10,000 and suspended him for one year for “violations relating to the use of a prohibited substance.”
Usada followed with a statement confirming Dillashaw’s positive test.
“In light of Mr. Dillashaw’s social media post this morning, we can confirm that an in-competition test
conducted by Usada on January 18, 2019 resulted in an adverse analytical finding,” Usada said. – AFP
