Paul Costa, Charles Johnson, Jon Jones and UFC Fighters Tested Most by USADA in 2023
December 27, 2023
As UFC's relationship with the United States Anti-Doping Agency prepares to come to an end, a list of the fighters who have been subject to the most drug tests this year has been released.
Using testing data from USADA's website, MMA Junkie's Nolan King found that Paul Costa was the most-tested fighter (36 times) between Jan. 1 and Dec. 26.
Charles Johnson was the only other fighter tested more than 30 times (33), followed by UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones in third place with 26 tests under his belt.
Most USADA Tests for MMA Fighters in 2023
- Paul Costa: 36
- Charles Johnson: 33
- Jon Jones: 26
- Shara Magomedov: 25
- Ariane Carnelossi: 23
- Magomed Ankalaev: 22
- Jessica Andrade: 21
- Marlon Vera: 21
- Clay Guida: 20
- Kamaru Usman: 20
Per USADA's official policy, UFC fighters are subject to urine and/or blood collections when they are in or out of competition.
Any fighter who has withdrawn from the USADA testing has to be in the pool for six months and return two negative tests before they are allowed to compete.
This turned out to be a critical point for UFC when Conor McGregor, who withdrew from USADA testing while rehabbing the leg injury he suffered at UFC 264 in July 2021, returned to the testing pool on Oct. 8.
However, the six-month rule meant the earliest McGregor would be allowed to fight is in April 2024. UFC has a planned fight between Notorious and Michael Chandler, who were the two coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, but a date hasn't been determined.
McGregor's camp has been pushing for the bout to take place at UFC 300, which is scheduled for April 13.
Around the same time McGregor re-entered the USADA testing pool, UFC announced it was leaving the anti-doping agency to form its own testing pool amid a disagreement about McGregor's status.
As for the fighters who were tested, Johnson near the top of the list isn't a surprise. He fought four times this year, including three times in a 15-week period from Jan. 14 through April 29.
Costa's 36 tests came in a year when he didn't actually have a fight. There were three bouts lined up for him that never came to pass.
UFC announced Costa vs. Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in February, but it was scrapped a couple of days later because Costa hadn't signed a new contract with the promotion.
A bout between Costa and Ikram Aliskerov was announced for UFC 291, but the promotion scrapped that plan and moved Borrachinha to the Oct. 21 event against Khamzat Chimaev.
Costa suffered an elbow injury that required surgery, prompting UFC to replace him with Kamaru Usman in the bout with Chimaev. He's currently scheduled to fight Whittaker at UFC 298 on Feb. 17.
Jones returned to competition this year for the first time since 2020. He also moved up in weight class from light-heavyweight to heavyweight.
The 36-year-old won his return bout, defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to win the heavyweight title. He was scheduled to defend the crown against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on Nov. 11, but a torn pectoral muscle suffered in training led to the bout being canceled.
