Joe Rogan is disappointed with the news of T.J. Dillashaw’s failed drug test.
Just about everyone not named Cody Garbrandt is disappointed with the news of T.J. Dillashaw’s positive drug test for EPO, and longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan is no different.
Speaking to guest Herb Dean on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan, who has had Dillashaw as a guest on JRE in the past, believes TJ’s failed drug test ‘taints his legacy.’
“To me, it’s a shame because I’m a TJ fan,” Rogan said (transcript via MMAjunkie) “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter and I’m a big fan of watching him perform. But it just taints his legacy. It just does. There’s no way around it. When you get caught cheating – this stuff, there’s no way it’s not cheating. This is just cheating. This isn’t any accident. It taints your legacy, and the guy had an amazing legacy: two-time bantamweight champion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters.”
EPO is an injectable only performance-enhancing drug, and UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky says that, “on a scale of seriousness in anti-doping, it’s up near the top.”
Rogan hailed Dillashaw ‘an amazing fighter’ but questions how much of an advantage he had over past opponents due to his use of EPO. In fact, Rogan wouldn’t mind trying the substance himself to better understand the reported benefits.
“TJ’s an amazing fighter, but (expletive),” Rogan said. “To test positive for EPO in the Henry Cejudo fight … You’ve got to think, if you’re on EPO – how much does that allow you to train extra time? How much does it allow you to recover? What is the quantifiable benefit? It must be pretty significant. … I almost want to try it.”
Dillashaw has been suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and will not be able to return to the cage until January 19, 2021 at the earliest.