Jesse Taylor 'shocked and surprised' by failed USADA drug test, says he didn't pop for steroids

Jesse Taylor is doing his best to keep his spirits high in the wake of his recent notification of a potential U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug test failure.

The UFC announced earlier this week that Taylor (31-15 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had been notified of the potential failure stemming from an out-of-competition test on Aug. 22. “The Ultimate Fighter 25” winner was subsequently pulled from a scheduled UFC Fight Night 121 clash with Belal Muhammad in November, leaving uncertainty around his future.

Taylor, who greatly redeemed himself after a disastrous first UFC stint in 2008 with an inspiring run through the “TUF 25” tournament, has finally broken his silence on the matter. He said he was taken off guard by the entire situation, and while many have rushed to label him as a cheater, Taylor insists he’s never done steroids, nor was the substance he tested positive for a steroid (via Instagram):

The truth will come to Light! I am just as shocked and surprised by this tragedy. Our Team is looking into this matter. Let due process do it work before judging on the matter. Those that know me know this is wrong. We will Fight this and I will be back. I am sorry to Aussie friends and fans but that fight is off due to to this matter I am very bummed but we will get to bottom of this. I'll Be BaCk??

A post shared by Jesse Taylor (@jtmoneymma) on Sep 14, 2017 at 5:06pm PDT

The truth will come to Light! I am just as shocked and surprised by this tragedy. Our Team is looking into this matter. Let due process do it work before judging on the matter. Those that know me know this is wrong. We will Fight this and I will be back. I am sorry to Aussie friends and fans but that fight is off due to this matter I am very bummed but we will get to bottom of this. I’ll Be BaCk??

Taylor kindly requested that fans allow his case to play out before completely assigning blame. The 34-year-old has the right to due process with USADA, and he appears optimistic that his name will be cleared.

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