Yoel Romero isn’t saying that Paulo Costa failed a drug test, but that’s what he’s hearing.
Romero was initially pegged for a middleweight clash with Costa on April 27 at UFC on ESPN 3. The bout was never official and many pointed to Romero’s time as a contestant on a reality show as the reason. It turns out that the UFC switched gears and booked Romero vs. Jacare Souza II.
Yoel Romero Drops A Potential Bombshell
Romero appeared on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show. “The Solider of God” said that word on the street is that Costa popped (via BJPenn.com):
“What I can hear is Paulo Costa, he have the positive test for USADA is what happened. The UFC call my manager and they say, ‘Paulo Costa is out because he’s positive.’”
Following the interview, Romero wanted to make sure that he wasn’t misunderstood:
Re: the Paulo Costa story, Yoel Romero called me immediately after the show to clarify that he had only heard that Paulo Costa failed a USADA drug test but he is not sure if that is accurate at this time. He said he would never want to accuse anyone before the facts come out.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 11, 2019
“Re: the Paulo Costa story, Yoel Romero called me immediately after the show to clarify that he had only heard that Paulo Costa failed a USADA drug test but he is not sure if that is accurate at this time. He said he would never want to accuse anyone before the facts come out.”
Stick with MMA News for the latest info on Paulo Costa’s sudden removal from the UFC on ESPN 3 card. We’ll also be delivering the latest updates on the card as we get closer to the event.
Do you think Paulo Costa was pulled for violating the anti-doping policy or was there something else at play?
