"I would think I was on steroids too"- When Israel Adesanya addressed the pectoral controversy following his Paulo Costa fight

UFC 253 saw Israel Adesanya thrash Paulo Costa as he recorded a finish in the second round of their main event clash. However, his performance was not the only aspect of the event that made headlines. Adesanya's right pectoral muscle was a major talking point following the event.

Adesanya addressed the issue in the aftermath of his excursion inside the cage at UFC 253 on Ariel Helwani's show. However, the explanation that the Kiwi had to offer was a bit wanting to say the least. Adesanya said:

"I didn’t want to speak on it until I knew what it was because it’s been on me the last eight weeks and it was growing. I was like, ‘This is quite sore.’ I don’t know what it is but from what I read about (gynecomastia), it happens to both your boobs and this is just one."

'The Last Stylebender's condition prompted speculation about potential steroid use by fans and competitors alike. They cited reasons like hormonal imbalance due to the incorrect use of steroids as the reason for the growth. However, the Kiwi soon scuffed the speculation surrounding his alleged steroid use and said:

“I don’t know what this is, but you know what? With a performance like that, I would think I was on steroids, too. They need something. 'It couldn’t just be him. It couldn’t be him. It must be something.’ So for me, it’s just fun and games."

Catch the entire segment of the Helwani Show with Israel Adesanya and Ariel Helwani right here:

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What was Israel Adesanya suffering from?

After dismissing major health concerns, Israel Adesanya blamed the devil's lettuce as the reason behind his swollen pectoral muscle. He revealed that he had been asked by his doctors to stop indulging in the consumption of marijuana.

Israel Adesanya, though, was clear that he was not going to stop the use of marijuana completely but admitted that he was certainly going to slow it down. He said:

"To be honest, it might have been unhealthy living a little bit, like smoking weed. That's what the doctor from the UFC said. He said I need to stop but I said I'm not stopping, I'm just going to slow down on the smoking weed."

It should be noted that over the course of his career in the UFC, Israel Adesanya has never failed any drug tests.