Darren Till speculates that T.J. Dillashaw retired to avoid USADA
UFC middleweight Darren Till believes T.J. Dillashaw has retired from MMA to avoid failing another USADA drugs test.
Dillashaw announced his retirement from MMA this week following his second-round TKO loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 280. The former two-time champion was dominated from the offset and easily outwrestled by the bantamweight titleholder before the referee waved the fight over.
The 36-year-old appeared compromised early into the fight, with Dillashaw later revealing he had suffered a dislocated shoulder back in April and it had popped out at least 20 times between then and the fight.
Despite the injury, much of the fight build-up was based upon T.J. Dillashaw's failed drugs test in 2019. The former champ tested positive for EPO and was handed a two-year ban by USADA.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Darren Till said he suspects that Dillashaw's retirement may be due to a desire to use banned substances, alluding to the American's age and time away from the octagon as a factor:
"Has he retired? I think the USADA thing... It's quite tough getting around USADA because you have to travel your whereabouts constantly. I know T.J.'s going to want to come back and inject something in himself to get better for his shoulder... Has he retired or has he left USADA? I don't know how old he is, he still looks good! ... We'll never know the truth unless we get T.J. here."
Catch the full interview here:
Cody Gabrandt responds to T.J. Dillashaw's retirement announcement
Cody Garbrandt, a former rival of T.J. Dillashaw, shared little remorse following his former adversary's announcement that he'd be retiring from MMA.
Dillashaw recently underwent shoulder surgery after injuring it back in April and reportedly told his management team to inform the UFC that he'd no longer be competing.
Garbrandt shared the octagon with Dillashaw twice, coming up short against the 36-year-old at UFC 217 and UFC 227. A year on from their second bout, Dillashaw tested positive for EPO and was banned for two years.
'No Love' has regularly mainted that Dillashaw was using PED's for years, including during their clashes. The former bantamweight champ responded to the retirement announcement, stating that Dillashaw long fooled everybody with doping:
"Can't compete like a real man! Had y'all fooled for years!"
