Cejudo questions TJ’s retirement, thinks he wants out of USADA pool
Henry Cejudo thinks T.J. Dillashaw’s retirement will be short-lived.
Henry Cejudo thinks T.J. Dillashaw is using his retirement to avoid USADA testing while he recovers from injury — and he can’t blame him.
Cejudo opined on his YouTube channel that Dillashaw could return to competition after he has healed his shoulder, suggesting the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion wants out of the USADA pool while he recovers.
“Is T.J. Dillashaw really retired?” Cejudo asked on his YouTube channel (h/t Drake Riggs of MMA Fighting). “The first thing that comes to mind was — which I don’t think he’s dumb enough to do that — maybe he got busted again. I don’t think that’s the case. I think T.J. Dillashaw is getting surgery again which I believe that’s true, and I don’t think he wants USADA knocking on that door every other week.
“Guys, it gets annoying. As much as I love USADA, it’s a lot of tests you guys. It takes a lot of time and effort and time away from your family. So, me automatically thinking T.J. Dillashaw’s retiring, I think it’s just a thing to get him out of there and not get tested by USADA. I guarantee you with T.J. Dillashaw they’re probably taking blood every single time and that stuff just is not cool.”
With that said, at 36 years old and 12 years of fight mileage on the clock, Cejudo wouldn’t be surprised if Dillashaw had decided to call it a career and hang up the gloves. And, if that’s the case, ‘Triple C’ is all out of compliments.
Dillashaw may be one of the greatest bantamweights ever, but Cejudo finds it hard to respect him given the result of their 2019 flyweight title matchup at UFC Fight Night 143. Dillashaw suffered a 32-second TKO loss in a bout he tested positive for EPO, resulting in a lengthy suspension that saw him banned for two years by USADA.
“Do I believe the retirement?” Cejudo said. “I believe he’s out, but I believe when he’s starting to get ready to come back he’s gonna put his name back in the hat.
“He is one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, but I just think that asterisk of him — now you start to wonder if this dude was always fair. If he was always clean and honest. I think that’s the biggest thing. I don’t know, it’s hard for me to compliment T.J. Especially when he only lasted 32 seconds with me.”
Dillashaw announced his UFC retirement earlier this week after an eleven-year stint with the promotion in which he won bantamweight gold twice and ruled the throne for four years. Failed drug tests aside, he is widely considered one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history.