T.J. Dillashaw discusses coming clean about his PED use
T.J. Dillashaw will look to join Randy Couture in becoming the second fighter to capture a UFC belt on three separate occasions. The opponent standing in his way at UFC 280 is current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Dillashaw would have most likely gotten the opportunity to accomplish this feat sooner if not for his performance-enhancing drug suspension, which he recently opened up about.
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During UFC 280 Media Day, T.J. Dillashaw opened up about comments from UFC President Dana White praising how he handled his performance enhancing drug suspension. When asked if White's comments reinforced his belief that he handled the situation the right way, the No.2-ranked bantamweight stated:
"I mean I knew I did. It's the only way to kind of do it. It's like my own little therapy session to be honest, just kind of let everything off my chest and get it behind me. I think that I've gotten more ridiculed for it because I was so open with about it, but who gives a s**t what everyone else thinks?"
Dillashaw has often been criticized for his performance enhancing drug suspension. With an opportunity to capture the bantamweight title for the third time, a victory at UFC 280 could silence some critics. There will, however, always be fans who will credit any future success Dillashaw has to the PEDs.
Watch T.J. Dillashaw discuss admitting to using performance enhancing drugs below (starting at the 5:02 mark):
Aljamain Sterling disagrees with Dana White about T.J. Dillashaw
UFC President Dana White recently shared that he was impressed with how T.J. Dillashaw handled the suspension. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling disagreed with White's notion that Dillashaw handled the situation like a man.
During a recent appearance on My Mom's Basement with Robbie Fox, White stated:
"I think that he made a mistake, and he handled it like a man. We’ve had a lot of guys in the history of this company who have been busted for steroids and handled it the exact opposite way. They handled it not like men and Dillashaw did. He took it on the chin and you’ve got to respect him for that."
During his UFC 280 press conference, Sterling was asked about White's comments. He stated:
"Very strange, Dana's an interesting cat. I like Dana a lot, but some of the things that I just have to wonder, his reasoning and his rationale... What about that was manly? The guy got caught, he didn't come clean Dana. I don't get it and I think it's a very odd thing to say... What makes this situation more like a man versus anybody else?"
Sterling's comments were very reasonable as Dillashaw wasn't the first or last fighter to accept punishment for his actions. Dillashaw will look to silence his critics by recapturing the bantamweight title at UFC 280.
Watch Dana White's comments on T.J. Dillashaw below (starting at the 2:57 mark):
Watch Aljamain Sterling react to Dana White's comments below (starting at the 5:23 mark):