Israel Adesanya to undergo testing for swollen pec, refutes steroid accusations

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will undergo testing for a swollen pectoral muscle.

Adesanya returned to action at UFC 253 last Saturday, defeating Paulo Costa via dominant second-round TKO. While the victory was very impressive, many fans began to speculate about the reason for his visibly swollen right pectoral muscle, with some even suggesting it could be a cause of performance-enhancing drug abuse.

Unsurprisingly, Adesanya, who has been tested upwards of 30 times by the United States Anti-Doping Agency without issue, denies all accusations of PED use.

“I don’t know what this is, but you know what? With a performance like that, I would think I was on steroids, too,” Adesanya told ESPN post-fight (via MMA Fighting). “They need something. ‘It couldn’t just be him. It couldn’t be him.’ It must be something.’ So for me, it’s just fun and games.

“I’m not one of those people who needs a crutch, that when that gets taken away, they feel weak, they feel inadequate,” Adesanya added. “You see when when USADA came through, a lot of people fell off. A lot of bodies changed, and a lot of people didn’t feel good enough without their little magic supplements. But yeah – not me. Skills, bro. Skills pay the bills.”

While Adesanya assures that his swollen pec has nothing to do with drug use, he does intend to get it checked out.

“I’ll wait for the results,” Adesanya said. “I might keep you posted, or I might people speculate. It’s kind of fun to watch people cry about it.”

With his UFC 253 defeat of Paulo Costa, Israel Adesanya is now a perfect 20-0 as a mixed martial artist. From here, the champ is expected to defend his title against Jared Cannonier—provided the streaking contender gets by Robert Whittaker at UFC 254.

First, of course, the champion will need to ensure he has a clean bill of health.