UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has claimed he’ll put $3 million on the line if anyone can prove he’s taken steroids in the past.
The MMA star hit back at critics who had speculated that he had taken PEDs following his UFC 253 fight against Paulo Costa.
Adesanya was clearly sporting a swollen pectoral muscle during the fight, saying it was the result of marijuana use.
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As he sat at the podium and spoke to reporters ahead of UFC 276, Adesanya sported a new jacket that signified 50 clean drug tests undertaken with USADA.
He took the opportunity to slam any steroid accusations while also having a sly dig at rival Jon Jones, referencing a 2015 incident when Jones hid under a cage to avoid taking a drug test.
He started off, saying: “You’ll never find me under the case. I’m always in there fighting.”
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Adesanya then took aim at his critics, saying: “When you’re great, they talk about ‘T***ygate.'”
“At the same time, I’m like, ‘How the f**k?’ They just need to find excuses to take away my greatness. I understand this is what people are supposed to do, so I let them.
“Look, I will give $3 million to anyone who can ever have concrete evidence that I even know what the f**k I’m doing with steroids or how to take steroids.
“I promise you, $3 million if you can find anyone who has concrete evidence that I’ve ever even purchased, touched, or done any kind of performance-enhancing drugs or whatever.”
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USADA’s 50th clean test signals the first time a fighter had achieved that distinction since the program was implemented in 2015.
The UFC star then claimed he barely knew much about steroids apart from what he learned in the documentary Icarus, a film that delved into doping in sports.
He continued: “I watched Icarus. That’s how much I know about steroids, from that documentary. It opened my eyes. It shocked me.”
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Adesanya added: “It’s easy to talk and type online, but really, it got to me a little bit after the Costa fight, because I was like, ‘these f*****g c***s are just trying to take away my greatness,’ because I had a f*****g spectacular performance, and I’m like, how the f**k are you going to try to take that away with accusations based on nothing?
“So I’m like, yeah, pull up. $3 million. I know you don’t have that in the bank. I do.”
Adesanya goes up against Jared Cannonier this weekend in Las Vegas.
Topics: MMA, UFC, Israel Adesanya
Jayden Collins