USADA Surprises Kamaru Usman Right Before UFC 268 With a Special Gift

Published 11/06/2021, 9:25 AM EDT

As UFC 268 is just hours away and fans are excited to know more about their favorite fighters. Chiefly, Kamaru Usman versus Colby Covington is one of the most awaited title fights of the year.

Covington has openly accused Kamaru Usman of taking performance-enhancing substances to help him achieve a higher level of performance heading into their rematch. He had challenged Usman to take medical tests. Some UFC fans also believe that ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is taking some prohibited extra help.

However, it seems that Usman believes in shutting down his haters not just with words, but with concrete results too. He took the mandatory USADA tests ahead of his UFC 268 fight with Covington and passed them.

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Kamaru Usman passes 50 USADA tests

Kamaru Usman has taken 50 USADA tests that have come back clean to this day. Aaron Bronsteter wrote on Twitter, “Kamaru Usman was awarded a jacket from USADA tonight for 50 clean tests.”

UFC’s Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, Jeff Novitzky gave Usman a jacket for this achievement. He said, “I don’t think there’s another professional athlete in any sport that has that validation behind it as Kamaru has with our program.”

He further said, “Those 50 plus tests not only test for all the prohibited substance but USADA keeps running biological passport on everybody. So, they’re looking at certain urine and blood markers over time to make sure they don’t get out of wack. Again, there’s not another professional athlete on the planet that has that behind them as Kamaru does.”

Kamaru Usman was awarded a jacket from USADA tonight for 50 clean tests.
He is the first athlete to achieve 50 clean tests who started competing in the UFC after the anti-doping program was already implemented. pic.twitter.com/XGjKlGdixZ
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) November 5, 2021

Usman said, “To have the validation of USADA, it feels amazing.”

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Usman seemed extremely happy to receive this appreciation. Finally, all accusations of him being juiced up can be laid to rest.

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Being accused of flouting rules and using prohibited substances can be heartbreaking for any athlete on Usman’s level. While his skills and sheer strength may have caused people to think that he was on medications, the Nigerian fighter can take these accusations as compliments.

It is great that Usman cleared up the air before his UFC 268 fight against Colby Covington. This will make sure that their fight is fair.

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What do you think about Kamaru Usman’s 50 clean USADA tests? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Watch this story: Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant Weigh-In Highlights: Mike Tyson Chimes In, Intense Face-Off, and More

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Written by:

Rohini Kottu is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. She is also a Psychologist and has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. Rohini, in her role as a UFC writer, combines her admiration for the mental resilience that MMA fighters have and her love for analysis.

USADA Surprises Kamaru Usman Right Before UFC 268 With a Special Gift

Kamaru Usman passes 50 USADA tests

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