USADA: Holly Holm Now The Most Tested Fighter
Holly Holm has had quite the busy year over the last 12 months. In November 2015, she scored the biggest victory of her storied career with a brutal head kick knockout of previously dominant UFC bantamweight champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. “The Preacher’s Daughter” then suffered a disappointing fifth round submission loss in her first title defense against Miesha Tate in a fight she was likely winning.
Holm is now just days away from headlining UFC on FOX 20 (July 23, 2016) against Valentina Shevchenko in what could be deemed a title eliminator. Aside from her fighting, however, the former champion has also been quite busy with USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency). Recently speaking during a media scrum (Via MMAWeekly), “The Preacher’s Daughter” claimed that she has been tested a whopping 14 times, making her the most tested fighter on the roster:
“I want to know I didn’t need help. I want to know that I did it on my own. Because If I knew that I needed the help, it would kind of be more of a mental thing, that I didn’t believe in myself and that’s what I needed to. So for me it’s never been something I thought to do. And, it also keeps stress off of me that I have to worry about when they show up at my doorstep for a drug test at 6 a.m., because Friday was number 14, by the way. Just within the last year. It’s the most. This was the first time only urine, but blood and urine always. They actually did a list of who had been tested the most and Conor and I were tied for the most before I was tested again.”
With some of the sport’s biggest stars popping for performance-enhancing-drugs in recent memory, it’s no surprise to see USADA ramp up their testing, but Holm doesn’t seem bothered, and she’s never failed a test to date.
Do you feel as if USADA has done a strong job since partnering with the UFC last summer?
