UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently shared a story revealing just how invasive the United States Anti-Doping Agency can be.
Fresh off his successful UFC 288 title defense against former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo, ‘Funk Master’ is set to make a quick turnaround, putting his bantamweight strap on the line once again. He’s scheduled to face No. 2 ranked contender ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 when the promotion makes its long-awaited return to Boston. While discussing his upcoming contest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Aljamain Sterling shared details surrounding an awkward experience with USADA ahead of his latest title defense.
“[USADA] sat in the shower with me,” Sterling said. “I was like ‘Dude, why do you need to watch me shower?’ It was the weirdest thing…This was before the fight, this is when I was in Vegas. I was at 10th Planet [Jiu-Jitsu]. And he said ‘I have to make sure you don’t pee.’”
Aljamain Sterling Was Far From Amused By USADA’s Awkward Invasion of Privacy
While there have been multiple stories regarding USADA’s untimely arrivals and thought-provoking practices, this is the first time we’ve heard about a representative trying to climb into a shower with a fighter while attempting to conduct business. Needless to say, Aljamain Sterling was not amused.
“He wasn’t even really like looking at me kind of thing. So I go – and I was irritated, because I just finished training, so my blood is already like – I’m a little bit on 10 right now. I kind of barked at him… And I was just like ‘Dude, you talking about you need to be in the f*cking shower with me? You’re not gonna watch me like you wanna see my f*cking d*ck? You wanna see my d*ck?’ This is how I’m getting. You’re in the shower with me, my personal space, my private space. My time. How are you gonna tell me or know what I’m doing?”
The UFC partnered with USADA in 2015, implementing the first independent anti-doping program in U.S. professional sports. USADA also operates as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sports in the U.S.A.