When Nigerian-Born Kiwi Israel Adesanya took to the Octagon to defend his UFC middleweight crown over the weekend fans wouldn't have guessed the two narratives that emerged from the fight.
The first; Adesanya is so far ahead of the rest of the division it's almost unfair. A cold-blooded yet technical second-round TKO over his much burlier rival Paula Costa confirmed that.
The second; what was that weird growth on the champ's right pec?
Its presence undeniable, its appearance down-right bizarre, from the moment Adesanya walked out to headline UFC 253 on Fight Island fans were chattering.
The earliest suggestions that cropped up were steroid use.
Gynecomastia, the technical term for the enlargement or swelling of breast tissue in males, is a common side-effect of anabolic steroids, and was being bandied around Twitter from the moment Adesanya stepped into the Octagon (despite the condition typically affecting both sides of the chest).
When finally quizzed over his misshapen chest at his post-fight press conference after hours of rampant online speculation, the 31-year-old refused to buy in.
"Why are they looking at my titties?" Adesanya bluntly hit back at reporters when fronted with the commotion.
Despite the undefeated champion's stance there is legitimate cause for curiosity.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFoKORhJ8mZ/In his 20 UFC fights, not once has Adesanya's chest resembled anything like it did on Sunday afternoon. And while his lean 193cm frame has never lacked the power to down an opponent, it was Adesanya who was throwing suggestions of steroid use at Costa, a fighter famed for his bodybuilder-like physique, ahead of their fight.
Almost four days later with rumours still rampant, the Kiwi sat down with respected ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani to defend his reputation.
"F--- no! F--- no! I know you believe me, but come on!" he said when asked if the rumours had any substance to them.
"I'm not one of those people that need a crutch that when that s--- is taken away, they feel weak, they feel inadequate.
"You saw that when USADA came through, a lot of bodies changed and a lot of people didn't feel good enough without their little magic supplements.
"But that's not me. Skills pay the bills."
Brian Sutterer, a doctor and YouTuber who has grown a cult-following for his in-depth analysis of professional sports injuries has since offered up perhaps the closest explanation fans will ever get.
"I don't think this is a pec tear. I saw that pop up online and there's no way Adesanya would have been able to fight with a pec tear," he said.
"The other thing we need to think about here is whether this is just an accumulation of fatty tissue. That would be called pseudogynecomastia.
"That can be from a number of different totally benign things, even things like repetitive trauma to an area which would make complete sense for a mixed martial artist."
Adesanya has never failed a single drug test of the 32 he has been issued by USADA across his UFC career.
The UFC's website explains that the United States Anti-Doping Agency is the official, independent anti-doping agency for the UFC.
When Nigerian-Born Kiwi Israel Adesanya took to the Octagon to defend his UFC middleweight crown over the weekend fans wouldn't have guessed the two narratives that emerged from the fight.
The first; Adesanya is so far ahead of the rest of the division it's almost unfair. A cold-blooded yet technical second-round TKO over his much burlier rival Paula Costa confirmed that.
The second; what was that weird growth on the champ's right pec?
Its presence undeniable, its appearance down-right bizarre, from the moment Adesanya walked out to headline UFC 253 on Fight Island fans were chattering.
The earliest suggestions that cropped up were steroid use.
Gynecomastia, the technical term for the enlargement or swelling of breast tissue in males, is a common side-effect of anabolic steroids, and was being bandied around Twitter from the moment Adesanya stepped into the Octagon (despite the condition typically affecting both sides of the chest).
When finally quizzed over his misshapen chest at his post-fight press conference after hours of rampant online speculation, the 31-year-old refused to buy in.
"Why are they looking at my titties?" Adesanya bluntly hit back at reporters when fronted with the commotion.
Despite the undefeated champion's stance there is legitimate cause for curiosity.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFoKORhJ8mZ/In his 20 UFC fights, not once has Adesanya's chest resembled anything like it did on Sunday afternoon. And while his lean 193cm frame has never lacked the power to down an opponent, it was Adesanya who was throwing suggestions of steroid use at Costa, a fighter famed for his bodybuilder-like physique, ahead of their fight.
Almost four days later with rumours still rampant, the Kiwi sat down with respected ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani to defend his reputation.
"F--- no! F--- no! I know you believe me, but come on!" he said when asked if the rumours had any substance to them.
"I'm not one of those people that need a crutch that when that s--- is taken away, they feel weak, they feel inadequate.
"You saw that when USADA came through, a lot of bodies changed and a lot of people didn't feel good enough without their little magic supplements.
"But that's not me. Skills pay the bills."
Brian Sutterer, a doctor and YouTuber who has grown a cult-following for his in-depth analysis of professional sports injuries has since offered up perhaps the closest explanation fans will ever get.
"I don't think this is a pec tear. I saw that pop up online and there's no way Adesanya would have been able to fight with a pec tear," he said.
"The other thing we need to think about here is whether this is just an accumulation of fatty tissue. That would be called pseudogynecomastia.
"That can be from a number of different totally benign things, even things like repetitive trauma to an area which would make complete sense for a mixed martial artist."
Adesanya has never failed a single drug test of the 32 he has been issued by USADA across his UFC career.
The UFC's website explains that the United States Anti-Doping Agency is the official, independent anti-doping agency for the UFC.
https://ift.tt/2EOu6oJ//
No comments:
Post a Comment