Khabib Submits 47th Drug Test To USADA

Photo by Press Office of the Head of the TASS via Getty Images

The UFC lightweight champ may say he’s retired, but he’s still got the belt and still in the USADA testing pool submitting samples.

At the end of October, Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and retired, riding off into the sunset with a perfect 29-0 record.

It took all of two days before UFC president Dana White called Khabib’s retirement into question, saying he had talked to the Dagestani lightweight champion and thought Nurmagomedov would end up going for that sweet, round 30-0 number. He followed that news up by announcing there was no totally awesome and radical UFC lightweight tournament in the works because the promotion wasn’t planning on stripping Khabib of his title either.

Now you can add this to the pile of evidence that Khabib may not retire: Khabib is still in the USADA testing pool. Not only is he still in it, but USADA actually showed up recently for the 47th time in Khabib’s UFC career.

“This is 47 times since 2015, as I have been tested for doping of USADA,” Khabib wrote. “Just think about this number.”

First, I love how annoyed Khabib looks / sounds in this Instagram post. Which makes you wonder: why is he still in the USADA testing pool if he’s done fighting? All it would take is one Ostarine tainted burger to ruin Khabib’s currently spotless reputation.

Perhaps it’s because there’s still a chance Nurmagomedov may return to face Georges St-Pierre, the ‘only fighter in the UFC that excites me’? Or he hanging around so he can get his 50 tests jacket?

We’re betting it’s totally the jacket.