[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]
Tonight, Paulo Costa will headline UFC Vegas 41 against Marvin Vettori. Leading into the event, here’s a trip back to a story from two years ago surrounding a controversial IV video. The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 18, 2019, 2:29 PM]
Paulo Costa feels betrayed after a video surfaced putting him in a negative light.
Costa accepted a six-month sanction from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) due to prohibited IV use. While Costa took in legal substances, he did not have a use exemption. Costa was able to provide “substantial assistance” to have his suspension reduced.
Costa Explains IV Video & Accuses Ex-Trainer Of Blackmail
Video leaked of Costa supposedly being administered an IV. It was the USADA investigation that put a halt to Costa’s planned bout with Yoel Romero at UFC Fort Lauderdale. Speaking to Ag. Fight, Costa said the trainer responsible for the footage has been ousted from his team (via MMAFighting.com):
“He was already identified and removed from the team. This person tried to send it to several people. It’s a tragicomic situation. He hurt himself a lot because he was cut from the team. He was part of the team and betrayed not only my confidence, but every fighter’s (confidence), I believe. I don’t know if a trainer can have the confidence of a fighter or a gym owner now because if he does that to one fighter, he’ll do to another. This guy has to be banned from the sport.”
Costa went on to claim that the unnamed ex-trainer used the footage to try to get money:
“He tried to use that short moment to hurt me and extort me with that video. He said, ‘If you don’t give me this amount of money…’ That completely broke the confidence and I obviously didn’t even try to negotiate because I knew what I was doing.”
Costa is free to compete again as long as he pays fines to the Comissão Atlética Brasileira de MMA and the New York State Athletic Commission. He is scheduled to meet Romero at UFC 241 on Aug. 17.
