Jeff Novitzky Hopes T.J. Dillashaw Serves as Cautionary Tale for All UFC Fighters • MMA News
There are a lot of takeaways from T.J. Dillashaw’s recent
positive drug test that cost him two years of his career but if nothing else it
should serve as a cautionary tale to every fighter currently occupying a spot
on the UFC roster.
Less than six months ago, Dillashaw was hailed as arguably
the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time with a chance to become a
two-division champion on the horizon as he prepared to move down to 125 pounds
to challenge for the flyweight strap.
Now Dillashaw will have to sit out until 2021 after using
EPO prior to his 32-second knockout loss to Henry Cejudo in January.
“There’s a couple things to say. No. 1, I’m not in this
position to rub salt in the wounds. T.J. is now suspended for two years, which
I think is very significant,” UFC vice president of athlete health and performance
Jeff Novitzky said about Dillashaw when speaking to the UFC Unfiltered podcast.
“He’s definitely taking a beating publicly. I do think there is something to be
said about admitting right away a wrongdoing and guilt, which he did very
quickly here.
“Hopefully other fighters see that and say hey we’re not fooling
around with this program, it doesn’t matter where you fall on the UFC roster, whether
you’re a current champion or a former champion or your first fight in the UFC,
everybody is treated equally and anyone runs afoul of the program, they’re
going to be sanctioned accordingly.”
When Dillashaw initially tested positive and faced a
one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission, he made a statement
revealing partial information about his doping case and relinquished the UFC
bantamweight title.
Following the USADA release that he tested positive for EPO
and had been suspended for two years, Dillashaw released a second statement
apologizing for his wrongdoing and accepting fault for his mistake.
“I’ve dealt with hundreds of athletes that have used, have
got caught red-handed and not everybody has done what T.J. has done,” Novitzky
said. “Others will deny it to their grave.”
More than anything else surrounding this latest high profile
doping case, Novitzky says that it’s proof that the program is working and that’s
vital considering the physicality in a sport such as mixed martial arts.
“This sport and this
is why I love this sport so much and feel so proud of what we’re doing here,”
Novitzky explained. “The importance of anti-doping in this sport far outweighs
any other sport in the world, in my opinion, in my experience.”
The post Jeff Novitzky Hopes T.J. Dillashaw Serves as Cautionary Tale for All UFC Fighters • MMA News appeared first on mmHighlights.
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