Paulo Costa has been fined by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).
Costa was initially set to fight Yoel Romero this month, but was pulled from the UFC Fort Lauderdale card for unknown reasons. Romero said he heard that Costa popped for drug use, but Costa denied it. It turns out that Costa had an issue with the NYSAC.
Costa Fined By NYSAC
Speaking to Combate, Costa said that stomach medication was to blame for not making it to UFC Fort Lauderdale (via MMAFighting.com):
“[Romero] came back from a reality show and could finally sign the contract. (But) on the same week the New York Athletic Commission asked me to talk about a stomach medication I had used. And they said: ‘For you to talk about this, unfortunately you won’t be able to fight. You will be ineligible for this fight because you have to notify us about what you used for your stomach.’ It was a simple medication, Plasil. That’s not doping. You take it when you have stomach pain. So, because of that, I didn’t understand it too, but they said I couldn’t fight, that I had to figure this out first.”
An NYSAC spokesperson told MMA Fighting that Costa “has been fined, not suspended, by the Commission.” The spokesperson also denied the NYSAC’s role in Costa being pulled from his bout with Romero and claimed that the Brazilian has yet to pay his $9,333.33 fine.
