Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about performance enhancing drugs.
Online sleuths are speculating heavily about Israel Adesanya, and tossing allegations on performance enhancing drugs simply based on the appearance of his swollen right pec. The UFC champion has laughed off these accusations, and also revealed that he recently had blood tests and MRIs to try and diagnose the “sore” pectoral muscle.
Chael Sonnen, who knows a thing or two about PEDs and has been very open about his past use, isn’t shy about discussing who he thinks are trying to game the system. He quickly came to Adesanya’s defense on this case though.
“That’s not how it works. You don’t look at a guy and do an eye test. That’s never been the standard. He’s passing the scientific test of USADA, but somehow you saw something?” Sonnen told Submission Radio. “I mean, come on.”
“It’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t warrant it with a response. But I am with you, I appreciated his transparency. It sounds like a medical issue,” he continued. “He certainly did not owe us an explanation on that, but I definitely took him at his word. He talked about, ‘its sore,’ and he noticed it himself and he’s getting MRI’s done. I mean, if he wants to update us, great. But if he doesn’t, man, that’s his personal info.”
According to USADA’s numbers, Adesanya has undergone 33 tests and hasn’t had a single issue. He has had six tests this quarter alone, and 11 total for 2020.