Jasmine Jasudavicius responds to talk of fighting at UFC Winnipeg with banned item in her mouth

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC

The UFC Winnipeg star has addressed the rumors that she fought her fight with a nicotine pouch in her mouth.

Jasmine Jasudavicius made her return to the octagon at UFC Winnipeg this past Saturday, stepping back into competition after a six-month layoff to face Karine Silva.

The 37-year-old Canadian bounced back from her title eliminator loss to Manon Fiorot with a unanimous decision win, cheered on by a supportive crowd.

However, just days after the event, video clips began circulating online suggesting Jasudavicius had been using what appeared to be a nicotine pouch during the fight.

Jasudavicius explains the object in her mouth was just chewing gum

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

In the video that started making the rounds online, a white object was clearly visible in her mouth between rounds. Before she put her mouthguard back in, she moved it under her bottom lip.

That led fans to accuse her of having a nicotine pouch during the fight, which would violate the Unified Rules of MMA. Any foreign object in the mouth isn’t allowed under those rules.

Benson Henderson famously fought several times with a toothpick in his mouth, and Dana White once called it “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Jasudavicius has now responded to the speculation, saying it was just chewing gum.

“It’s so funny that everyone is saying I had a nicotine pouch in,” Jasudavicius said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “No, I train with gum and I was warming up with gum.”

“Sometimes I’ve fought with gum in my mouth in the past, but I forgot to spit it out before the walkout and it was just still in my mouth. Better than a toothpick,” she added.

“I think it’s hilarious, I don’t really care. It’s funny to me. Hey, I like that people are talking about it. I always have gum,” Jasudavicius continued. “Ok if I choke on it (it’s my fault), I always train with gum.”