UFC champ Israel Adesanya undergoes tests for swollen pec, but denies using steroids
The middleweight champ has offered an in-depth explanation of an apparent physical defect before UFC 253.
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UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya on Wednesday took a blood test and did two MRI scans of his pituitary gland to diagnose a swollen and painful right pectoral muscle that prompted speculation at UFC 253.
“I’ll wait for the results,” Adesanya told ESPN. “I might keep you posted, or I might people speculate. It’s kind of fun to watch people cry about it.”
Adesanya’s online detractors immediately assumed the worst about his appearance at this past Saturday’s pay-per-view event, accusing him of steroid use. Even his rival, former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones, cast a sideways glance before his dominant win over Paulo Costa.
Adesanya initially brushed off a question about his appearance, telling MMA Fighting at the post-fight press conference, “Why are they looking at my titties?”
Holed up in a New Zealand hotel per a mandatory COVID-19 quarantine, Adesanya is enjoying the surge of attention, good and bad. It’s been eight weeks since Adesanya’s right pectoral started swelling, increasing in size, and was “quite sore.” His girlfriend advised him to see a doctor, but he opted to fight Costa before seeking medical attention.
The champ had to Google the term gynecomastia, the medical term for enlarged male breasts that often goes hand-in-hand with steroid accusations, and pointed out that the condition effects both breasts – not just one.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if I died in five months and then it was cancer? It wouldn’t be funny,” he said, remembering the very real bad news of “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected death from the disease.