Cody Garbrandt kept it real and honest about his former teammate, friend, and opponent, TJ Dillashaw, who tested positive for EPO or erythropoietin, after the two competed in two title fights that were both won by Dillashaw.
During the lead up to the fight, Garbrandt was a big advocate on the idea that Dillashaw had been using performance enhancing drugs for years. Although he was not caught immediately after the fights against Garbrandt, Dillashaw did eventually test positive for EPO, last year, in a post-fight urine sample after he lost to Henry Cejudo at UFC on ESPN+ 1.
“That’s why I asked for more basic testing,” said Garbrandt. “U.S. Anti Doping Agency (USADA) – they come there, you piss in a cup every couple weeks maybe, and that’s it. Like let’s do more. That’s all I asked for because I knew what TJ was on, I knew what he was doing.”
“When that came out about him getting popped, I was not surprised, you know. Truly not,” said Garbrandt.
EPO is regarded as one of the most enhancing permanence enhancers that medicine has to offer, it is the same drug that Lance Armstrong tested positive for and resulted in him losing seven Tour De France titles.
“EPO, that’s like the worst of the worst,” said Garbrandt. “You know what I mean? You talk about levels, that’s some real deal sh*t. Having unlimited cardio? Give me unlimited cardio. You know what I mean?”
Garbrandt wanted to be clear that the there is no beef with Dillashaw, despite the outcome in both fights drastically changing the trajectory of his career.
“He’s a good fighter, it’s just his lack of confidence, his self-confidence, being able to have to take (EPO), be aided by some kind of supplement like that, he won’t be the same fighter coming back,” said Garbrandt.
“I have no ill will towards TJ, (I) kinda feel bad for him, just about all that stuff (about) people looking up to him and taking that,” he said.
“That whole TJ situation – saga, is so far behind me, I think I held on to that for too long, (it) played too much (of) a role in a lot of my performances with TJ, and it cost me,” he said. “You know, people can say this and that, but ultimately it was my decision making in there.”
Garbrandt also says he would like to get that fight back one day, but for now he looks to drop down a weight class to 125 pounds, and save the flyweight division, once again.
