Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Paulo Costa denies ever taking performance enhancing drugs.
Costa was scheduled to take on Yoel Romero on April 27. Costa was pulled due to unknown reasons. Romero claimed he heard Costa’s removal from the card was an issue with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Romero, himself, ended up being scrapped from the card as well due to an illness.
Paulo Costa Wants To Fight ASAP & Denies Steroid Use
Costa was fined by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) due to stomach medication. The middleweight says the holdup prevented him from competing this month. During an appearance on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show, Costa said he’s ready to get back inside the Octagon:
“Yeah, I’m ready to fight in May or June or July. But I want to fight as soon as possible. I’d like to fight against Romero, but man Romero don’t want to fight against nobody I think. Because he’s number one, he will sit there and wait for I don’t know what. He’s 40 years old and he don’t fight against nobody. I don’t understand what’s happening in his mind.”
Costa went on to deny speculation that he’s on PEDs:
“It’s not true. I never used steroids in my life. I never used anything to cheat the game.”
Costa is the seventh-ranked UFC middleweight. He has gotten off to a perfect 12-0 start in his professional mixed martial arts career. While his next opponent is up in the air, rest assured that MMA News will bring you the latest updates when they become available.
