A Tarnished Legacy That Deserves No Sympathy

The eagerness to win has led many athletes to try to obtain unfair advantages, something we are familiar with in definition: cheating. TJ Dillashaw, a multiple-time UFC champion, is now the latest culprit. It will cost him two years out of competition but the severity of his actions should have cost him his career.

On March 20 Dillashaw, 33, relinquished his bantamweight championship belt after “adverse findings” informed to him by The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC). These findings were from his U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report after his last bout against Henry Cejudo on January 19, which he lost by technical knockout (TKO).

This hormone is the specialist for carrying oxygen through the blood when the body is in dire need of it. Needless to say, such effects can be the slight advantage that separate the winners from the losers in any form of physical competition.

Armstrong, despite being a cheat, had a fair share of admirers for being the founder of Livestrong, an organization focused on helping people diagnosed with cancer. The amount of backlash he received was not surprising as he tainted his legacy irreversibly.

Armstrong’s accomplishments associated him with professional cycling as much as cycling was associated with him. Nevertheless, he was given a lifetime ban from the sport, albeit it was partially lifted in 2016.

TJ Dillashaw is not Lance Armstrong and mixed martial arts is not cycling. He is not the leading limelight in a sport with little mainstream recognition and, understandably, has not received the shame Armstrong dealt with. But his suspension makes a mockery of Armstrong’s.

A more just punishment would be a lifetime ban. Fighting another human being inside of a cage in front of millions of fans worldwide is already daunting enough, but to cheat at the expense of other fighters’ physical and financial well-being is unforgivable.

MMA is an extremely cruel sport. Its ultimate goal is to hit an opponent unconscious or submit them when caught in a physically inescapable position. This includes scenarios where parts of the body are being stretched, tightened or pulled.

Besides the physical repercussions, reputations and money are on the line. The winners make significantly more than the losers and performance bonuses are estimated to be around $50k for those who finish their opponent in fashion.

For Dillashaw to have almost mutated himself to gain an advantage in such a high-risk competition is nothing short of evil. Until recently, he had entered the conversation of being one of the best bantamweights of all time. Not anymore.

The MMA community has condemned him, and rightly so. But this will not change the fact that he will be eligible to compete again in less than two years. And who is to say he will not cheat again?

Arguably, the most affected person in all of this is Cody Garbrandt, the previous bantamweight champion. He was also a teammate of Dillashaw’s when they trained together at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento until 2016, when Dillashaw departed the team.

Having left in bad circumstances, the drama created a big rivalry when the two matched up for the championship belt in November 2017. It was a highly anticipated bout for the bantamweight division, which resulted in Dillashaw defeating Garbrandt by TKO.

An immediate rematch followed nine months later in August 2018 with the same outcome. Garbrandt had lost his belt, undefeated record and damaged his professional reputation in less than a year, all because of Dillashaw. The latter had gotten the better of him, it seemed.

With the cheating revelations surfacing now, Garbrandt has been outspoken amid USADA’s findings. He previously claimed he knew Dillashaw was taking EPO even before their two bouts.

In the lead-up to their rematch, in response to another tweet by Dillashaw, Garbrandt posted, “No shit! I’m talking about the March fight and then you said you were hurt, must be all that EPO going to your head! Have a safe camp see you in aug!”

Nevertheless, the doubt still remains. How long was Dillashaw cheating the system for and at how many fighters’ expenses? What is sure now is that his legacy will forever be tarnished. That fails to change the fact that a two-year ban does not suffice the effect of his irreversible actions.

What do you guys think? Given the sport and how severely the act of someone cheating an affect the lives of others, do you believe Dillashaw deserves a second chance? Or Am I right in saying he should be banned forever?

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