The 10 UFC fighters tested most by USADA in 2023

By far, nobody was disrupted by USADA in 2023 more than Paulo Costa. Could it be the flaunting of secret juice?

The UFC’s partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency nears its end, with a scheduled termination as soon as the calendar flips from 2023 to 2024.

In 2023, USADA tested 739 mixed martial artists a combined 4,231 times. While many athletes were randomly tested less than 10 times, some were tested two dozen – and some others, even more. The totals represented 48 more tests and 14 more athletes than in 2022.

With testing data available on USADA’s official website, here are the 12 fighters tested the most from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26, 2023.

Note: There may have been additional data from Dec. 27-31 that has not yet been updated in the USADA database.

UFC on ESPN 52 medical suspensions: Headliners, Bobby Green among 12 fighters facing 180 days off

A dozen UFC Austin competitors including Arman Tsarukyan, Beneil Dariush, and Bobby Green have been given lengthy suspensions by Texas.

UFC on ESPN 52 took place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and featured a dozen fights.

Of the 24 competitors on the card, 12 fighters were suspended 180 days due to injuries sustained in their bouts, according to documentation from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the commissioning body that oversaw the event.

Among those who received the lengthiest suspensions are both sides of the main event, Arman Tsarukyan and Beneil Dariush, as well as co-main eventer Bobby Green.

The TDLR does not reveal injury specifics, just the duration of the suspensions. Fighters are permitted to return to competition prior to the conclusion of their suspension durations should they be cleared by a doctor beforehand.

Check out the 24 medical suspension durations below:

Dana White on Tom Aspinall, stripping Jon Jones, Deiveson Figueiredo’s 135 debut and more

Dana White weighs in on Tom Aspinall, Jon Jones, Deiveson Figueiredo, Clay Guida, Bellator, the PFL and more.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] spoke to MMA Junkie along with other media following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52.

The UFC CEO touched on multiple topics regarding the event, such as [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]’s bantamweight debut, [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]’s knockout win over Bobby Green, [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]’s longevity in the promotion and more.

White also discussed other topics around the sport, like [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]’s recent comments asking to get the Stipe Miocic fight and for Jon Jones to get stripped of his UFC heavyweight title.

Below, you can find White’s comments from the UFC on ESPN 52 post-fight press conference.

UFC on ESPN 52 post-event facts: Clay Guida sets dubious record with 18th octagon loss

Check out all the facts from UFC on ESPN 52, which saw a record two slam KOs and Clay Guida tying the UFC record for most losses.

The UFC’s third-to-last event of 2023 went down as one of the best of the year. UFC on ESPN 52 delivered with nine stoppages in 12 fights.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) capped off the night with the quickest finish of the bunch. He dropped and stopped [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) just 64 seconds into their high-stakes lightweight headliner, solidifying himself as a top contender.

For more on the numbers behind the card, which featured a number of historic feats, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Four fighters get max non-title money

UFC on ESPN 52 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

AUSTIN, Texas – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $225,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 52 took place at Moody Center. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 52 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Punahele Soriano[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Zach Reese[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Joe Solecki[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Bellato[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Wellington Turman[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Veronica Hardy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,520; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $52,000 while title challengers get $52,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-52 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $7,689,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,208,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 results: Joaquim Silva edges Clay Guida by decision in entertaining scrap

Clay Guida showed he’s still formidable at 41 years old at UFC on ESPN 52, but it wasn’t enough to outwork Joaquim Silva.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] showed he’s still formidable at 41 at UFC on ESPN 52, but it wasn’t enough to outwork [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag].

Guida (38-24 MMA, 18-18 UFC) added another entertaining fight to his octagon catalogue against Silva (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in their lightweight bout, which took place at Moody Center and aired on ESPN, but came in a losing manner as he dropped a unanimous decision with a trio of 29-28 scores.

Guida came out of the gate looking to pressure forward and string together heavy combinations. He tagged Silva hard midway through the round, but it led to overconfidence and the Brazilian hit him back with a stiff uppercut that led to a near-finishing sequence as Guida tried to scramble from damage. He ultimately survived, and managed to make it out of the round.

The second round was classic Guida. He came forward and Silva and clinched him up against the fence, repeatedly connecting the hands and landing high-impact takedowns. To Silva’s credit, he never accepted bottom position and stood up over and over again, though he couldn’t get Guida off him well enough to mount his own offense.

With both men losing some steam going into the final frame, Guida tried to show he has more in the tank by moving forward with clinch and takedown attempts. Silva landed some timely counter shots and stuffed the advances of Guida. Silva attempted a pair of guillotine choke attempts late in the round, but Guida escaped them to close out a highly competitive contest.

With the defeat, Guida joins a dubious category for the most losses by a single fighter in UFC history, tying Jeremy Stephens with 18. He’s now 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to April 2022, and at 41, is the oldest active lightweight on the roster.

Silva turned around a tough stretch. He’d lost three of four – all by knockout – coming into the matchup with Guida, but got back on track with the triumphant performance.

“I respect Clay Guida a lot. This guy is a big legend in the UFC,” Silva said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I was so happy when he accepted the fight. This guy is amazing. It’s very exciting to fight him. It was a great fight.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 52 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Joaquim Silva def. Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 52: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Joaquim Silva’s unanimous decision win over Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)

Clay Guida always wanted to be in the movie ‘300,’ but UFC 300 would be next best thing

Clay Guida would love to be a part of the promotion’s historic UFC 300 card.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] would love to be a part of the promotion’s historic UFC 300 card.

One of the most long-tenured fighters on the roster, Guida (38-20 MMA, 18-17 UFC) makes his 36th octagon appearance when he takes on Joaquim Silva (12-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 main card at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Guida hopes to turn around in time for UFC 300, which takes place in April.

“Tell you what: The movie ‘300,’ I’ve always wanted to be part of that,” Guida told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “But I think the next best thing would be fighting at UFC 300.

“We started at UFC 64. I don’t think there’s too many people that can say they’ve been through 200 pay-per-views, not to mention all of the Fight Nights, all of the TUF Finales, all the other events. That would be a milestone in our career.”

Guida, 41, isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. He plans to continue competing as long as his body holds up.

“Forever is a long time,” Guida laughed. “I definitely don’t want to be doing this into my 50s because there’s a lot of water out there that I’ve got to fish and a lot of places I want to visit. But we’re still staying on the gas pedal. We’re going to keep on trucking, and as long as I’m having fun and able bodied and I’m competing at the highest level, you’re going to see us in the octagon.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Joaquim Silva is a Clay Guida fan, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to put him away at UFC Austin

Joaquim Silva predicts a late finish of Clay Guida.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag] predicts a late finish of [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag].

Silva (12-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) meets Guida (38-20 MMA, 18-17 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 main card at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

“Netto BJJ” acknowledges Guida’s strength of cardio, and is honored to share the cage with the longtime UFC veteran.

“Clay Guida is a very tough guy,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “It’s very difficult to fight him because he moves a lot and uses a lot of energy to fight.

“He’s 41, he has good conditioning and it’s hard to fight him. But I’m prepared for this fight. I love this guy. I’ve watched this guy my whole life, and I’m very excited for Saturday night.”

Silva, who’s finished three of his past four octagon wins, plans on outlasting Guida and scoring the eventual finish.

“I prepared for three rounds,” Silva said. “But I think second round, I hit him and I use my condition for this fight. I think the second or the last round, I finish the fight. This is my plan.”

[lawrence-related id=2699385,2699383,2699453,2699438]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 pre-event facts: Deiveson Figueiredo brings record resume to new division

The best facts about UFC on ESPN 52, which features a loaded lineup with multiple former champions who own key octagon records.

The UFC travels to Austin, Texas for the fifth time in its history Saturday with UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place at Moody Center with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Elite lightweights will meet in the main event of the card, with [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) looking to start a new winning streak against the surging [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a five-round bout that will have significant implications on the divisional rankings.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 52.

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