LAS VEGAS – Israel Adesanya says he doesn’t have a staph infection – and never will.
In an enthusiastic open workout scrum held Wednesday, UFC middleweight champion Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) was asked about an unusual lump on his arm in a recent interview with Combat TV. Adesanya was quick to shoot down any potential rumors of staph.
“It was nothing,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Everybody wants to go, ‘Oh look at this.’ I licked it on (ESPN). Nothing is going to happen. I’ll rub it on Yoel’s face if I have to. I’ll give him a little something if he wants to wrestle me.”
The unusual patch of skin is not a concern from the UFC’s perspective, Adesanya said. According to him, the UFC doctors have checked out his arm and didn’t express concern.
“We’re good,” Adesanya said. “I’ve seen the UFC doctors. They checked it. It’s fine. It’s nothing crazy. There’s no fluid – no nothing. I don’t even know what staph feels like. It happens at every gym sometimes. Some people have had it where I’m from. I’ve never had it and I never will.”
UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Adesanya headlines the main card on pay-per-view against multi-time title challenger Yoel Romero (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC). This following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Check out Israel Adesanya’s full UFC 248 open workout scrum in the video above.
Israel Adesanya denies staph infection entering UFC 248: 'I've never had it and I never will'