Last week, T.J. Dillashaw revealed that there was an adverse finding by USADA in one of his drug tests for his fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC Brooklyn in January. Though not explicitly denying the use of any banned substances, Dillashaw did say that he was disappointed and did not know what happened to create the positive test. As a result of the findings, Dillashaw opted to vacate his title “out of fairness and respect to the rest of the division” while he and his team attempt to resolve the issue. But a key figure in the MMA community thinks that is a lie.

On his Believe You Me podcast, recently announced UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, after hinting that he knew more than he was willing to speak about, argued that Dillashaw would not have given up his title if he was innocent and that doing so was essentially an admission of guilt.

“I don’t break the circle of trust,” Bisping said. “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.”

Dillashaw coming out and admitting the adverse finding and then relinquishing his title was unexpected. USADA does not announce violations before cases are resolved so Dillashaw could possibly have cleared his name and retained his title without anyone knowing about the finding. Instead, by offering up the information voluntarily, accusations that had been thrown at him from his former teammates at Team Alpha Male now seem to warrant more credence and the “PED asterisk” will likely be attached to Dillashaw’s name and accomplishments for the rest of his career. It’s a harsh reality but one that Bisping maintains is a good thing for those who cheat in MMA.

“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.”

Dillashaw would likely have defended his bantamweight title this summer against the the man who knocked him out in January, Henry Cejudo, but now Dillashaw will be sitting on the sidelines while he attempts to resolve the situation, likely for at least a year. In the mean time, Cejudo will instead challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 238.

---

MUST-READ STORIES

205. Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight title against Thiago Santos at UFC 239.

135. Amanda Nunes returns to bantamweight to defend against Holly Holm at UFC 239.

135. Henry Cejudo vs. Marlon Moraes set for vacant bantamweight title fight at UFC 238.

Inception. Dana White on Conor McGregor wanting equity in the UFC: ‘That’s never gonna happen’.

Reprimand. Jack Marshman received ‘formal warning’ from British military for fighting at UFC London.

Debut. Paige VanZant to make live commentating debut for M-1 Global on UFC Fight Pass.

Missed Fists. Rounding up the best in non-UFC action from last week.

---

VIDEO STEW

The A-Side Live Chat.

Get to know Sabina Mazo.

Top 5 finishes of Edson Barboza. You’ll never guess what’s number one.

Justin Gaethje is a madman.

Conor retiring.

---

LISTEN UP

Heavy Hands. Taking an in-depth look at the leg kicking seminar that is Barboza vs. Gaethje.

A Few Good Fights. Discussing UFC Nashville and the upcoming Fight of the Year candidate this weekend.

---

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

This didn’t even have time to build momentum before Jones was already set to defend his title.

Costa sounds mad.

Happy birthday.

Chipotle tried to kill Jimmy Smith.

Dan Hooker is beefing with Wale and this is wild.

Call out.

GSP just rubbing it in.

Sticking around Bellator.

It appears Teruto Ishihara is retiring?

---

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cub Swanson (25-10) vs. Shane Burgos (11-1); UFC Ottawa, May 4.

Bea Malecki (2-0) vs. Duda Santana (3-0); UFC Stockholm, June 1.

Marlon Moraes (22-5-1) vs. Henry Cejudo (14-2); UFC 238, June 8.

Jon Jones (24-1, 1 NC) vs. Thiago Santos (21-6); UFC 239, July 6.

Amanda Nunes (17-4) vs. Holly Holm (12-4); UFC 239, July 6.

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

With Jon Jones set to defend against Thiago Santos, let it be known that 6 of his title 13 title fights will have been against middleweights. He’s the modern day Fedor.

Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.

---

EXIT POLL

---

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram, add us on Snapchat at MMA-Fighting, and like us on Facebook.