Paulo Costa has spoken out about rumors of a failed U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test.
Costa was pulled from the UFC on ESPN 3 card and no explanation was given. The UFC wanted Costa to meet Yoel Romero, instead Romero vs. Jacare Souza II has been booked. Romero told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that he heard Costa failed a drug test.
Paulo Costa & Manager Shut Down Drug Test Rumors
Costa’s manager appeared on MMAJunkie Radio. While he wouldn’t go into detail on why Costa was removed from the Florida card, he did claim that his fighter didn’t fail a drug test:
“He didn’t test positive for anything – that’s it for now.”
Costa ended up telling Tatame that he never tested positive for anything:
“I’m the Brazilian UFC fighter who gets tested the most by USADA – I never failed (a doping test), and I didn’t this time. I don’t need doping to get all the good results I’ve been getting and to be regarded as the new Brazilian star in the sport like I am.”
It’s an interesting situation as Costa was the one who kept goading Romero to take a fight with him. The two were scheduled to compete at UFC 230 back in Nov. 2018. “The Solider of God” needed more time to heal nagging injuries. Costa insisted that he’d wait for Romero as he was dead set on making the fight happen. We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.
