Jasudavicius fined $10,000 by Manitoba commission over chewing gum mistaken for dip

Jasmine Jasudavicius walked out of UFC Winnipeg with a victory over Karine Silva in April, but the Manitoba Combative Sports Commission ensured she also left $10,000 lighter, fining her after cameras appeared to catch her with chewing tobacco in her mouth during the fight. Jasudavicius maintains it was gum.

The Canadian flyweight addressed the incident ahead of her co-main event bout with Erin Blanchfield at UFC Edmonton this Saturday, describing her disbelief at the commission’s decision.

“That last frickin’ card I got fined because everyone thought I had a dip in my mouth,” Jasudavicius said. “I had gum. They charged me frickin’ $10,000. The Manitoba commission, man. They actually charged me. Check my frickin’ bank account. I was so frustrated.”

Jasudavicius says she offered the commission a straightforward way to verify her account — the gum had fallen out of her mouth onto the mat during the fight and could have been retrieved and tested. The commission declined.

“I told them, ‘Hey, it fell out on the mat. Go get it,’” she said. “He’s like, ‘Well, we wouldn’t do that.’ I was like, ‘That’s the evidence. Go get it if you can check. Peppermint gum, go check it and test, do whatever the hell you want with it.’”

Despite the financial sting, the Winnipeg card was otherwise a positive one for Jasudavicius. The win over Silva snapped a run of inconsistency that included a defeat to Manon Fiorot, and she now has six wins from her last seven outings.

Saturday’s matchup with Blanchfield — currently ranked ninth in the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings — carries significant implications. A win could position the Ontario native for a flyweight title shot in 2027.

As for the gum controversy, Jasudavicius has taken a pragmatic approach to ensuring it never becomes an issue again.

“I’ve stopped chewing gum now,” she said.