UFC’s TJ Dillashaw gets two year suspension from USADA

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was officially suspended for two years by USADA Tuesday, putting him on the shelf until January 2021.

The 35-year-old was busted for injecting recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), something not found in supplements. Dillashaw did not fight the suspension and voluntarily relinquished his bantamweight title in January when the New York State Athletic Commission first announced he would be suspended for a year. Both suspensions will run concurrently.

The test was taken prior to his January knockout loss to flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. He’s only the second fighter in UFC history to pop for EPO and the first since Gleison Tibau did in 2015.

UFC VP of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN that EPO “is a very effective substance. You have to know what you’re doing when it enters your system. On a scale of seriousness in anti-doping, it’s up near the top.”

Cejudo and top contender Marlon Moraes will compete for the vacant belt this June at UFC 238.