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Whether you’re an ardent supporter or critic of how the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency handles drug testing for the UFC, I think we can all agree on one thing: the more the merrier when it comes to clean athletes.
With that in mind, here’s a list of fighters who’ve been tested the most during the USADA era without a single issue, per UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky (via Twitter):
- Conor McGregor – 49 samples (including 11 prior to his boxing match vs. Floyd Mayweather)
- Daniel Cormier– 45
- Rafael dos Anjos– 41
- Holly Holm– 39
- Stipe Miocic– 38
- Robbie Lawler– 37
- Amanda Nunes– 36
- Jose Aldo– 36
- Tyron Woodley– 35
Two things immediately jump out about this list. No. 1, these are all current or former UFC champions, and no matter how you might feel about the effect of performance-enhancing drugs, it’s great to know that some of the sport’s greatest athletes are clean. No. 2, that’s a lot of testing McGregor faced just for the Mayweather fight alone. It became official on June 14, 2017 and took place Aug. 26, which means McGregor was tested 11 times in a span of roughly two months? That’s a lot of peeing into a cup in such a short period.
The UFC and USADA joined forces in July 2015 in an effort to clean up the sport, but the partnership has been anything but smooth sailing. USADA’s integrity has been called into question by fighters, fans and media on several occasions, most notably around the recent case of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who’s been allowed to fight with picogram levels of a steroid metabolite in his system after a year-long suspension.
But like I said, regardless of how you feel about USADA, the champions on this list deserve to be recognized for doing things the right way and having the results to prove it.
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