“You would not relinquish your belt unless there was some kind of guilt and you know you’re in a no-win situation.”
Last week, when it was announced that T.J. Dillashaw had failed a drug test in relation to his flyweight title bout with Henry Cejudo, the 33-year-old made the decision to voluntarily relinquish his bantamweight title out of respect for the rest of the division.
Or so he says…
According to UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, however, Dillashaw relinquishing his title had nothing to do with ‘respect’ or any other such notion.
Speaking on a recent episode of Believe You Me, ‘The Count’ claims TJ’s decision to give up the belt was most likely ‘an admission of guilt.’
“I don’t break the circle of trust,” Bisping said, per MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew. “I don’t speak outside of school. I don’t tell tales outside of f*cking tale-telling time but I’m telling you this, circle of trust or not, no motherf*cker relinquishes their belt out of respect for the rest of the division. It ain’t about the rest of the division, it’s about me. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt once I destroy the competition and become the champion. I’m not gonna relinquish my belt out of respect for the competition. You just wouldn’t do that. So that in itself – and I apologize if I’m wrong – is almost an admittance of guilt. It really is.
“You would not relinquish your belt unless there was some kind of guilt and you know you’re in a no-win situation.”
It hasn’t been revealed what substance Dillashaw tested positive for, but the former two-time bantamweight champion has been suspended for one year by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).
Bisping, the former middleweight champ, says using PEDs demonstrates a lack of honor for one’s fellow fighters.
“To cheat in this sport, the danger is very, very real,” Bisping said. “I have the injuries still to this day. I’m not gonna go into them, but I do, from people taking steroids and cheating people. There’s supposed to be honor and a certain moral code when you fight.”