UFC president Dana White believes it’s possible that former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw eventually shakes his reputation of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Ahead of UFC 280, which takes place Saturday in Abu Dhabi and features Dillashaw (17-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) challenging champion Aljamain Sterling (21-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) for the title, White explained how Dillashaw handled his positive drug test and subsequent punishment exceptionally well compared to the status quo.
“First of all, the guy is probably, and I don’t know this for a fact, but I would assume he’s one of the most tested guys in the company right now,” White recently told Barstool Sports. “USADA is probably all over him. But I think he made a mistake, and he handled it like a man. I’ll tell you what: 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. Dillashaw did. He took it on the chin. You’ve got to respect him for that.”
