Paulo Costa Won’t Fight In New York After Mistreatment Of His Doctor

Middleweight contender Paulo Costa says he won’t be fighting in New York moving forward because the New York State Athletic Commission and USADA unfairly banned his doctor.

Costa was caught using IV’s – with the help of Dr. Lucas Penchel – to aid his weight cuts at UFC 212 and UFC 217. As a result, the doctor was handed a two-year suspension and fined, a decision Costa strongly disagrees with. Speaking to AG Fight, Costa said both the New York Commission and USADA are on his “blacklist” after unfairly punishing his doctor.

“Dr. Lucas Penchel knows everything, I call him a magician. But USADA has an important and fundamental role for sport, which is to regulate the use of doping and which I really support so much,” he said. “They did so much good and made the sport respected. But at the same time, they want to show service and end up exaggerating and punishing people who don’t deserve it. The UFC puts a lot of money in USADA. Sometimes they go overboard. [They] look for a horn on a horse’s head, seeking to punish people who have nothing to do.

“Dr. Lucas did nothing wrong and did not refuse to be an ethical and responsible person like him. I had a dehydration problem. I was on the verge of not being able to fight, with stomach pains and everything,” Costa continued. “He helped us with the medical prescription and a serum in the allowed amount. In his ethics as a doctor of not denying care to me he prescribed serum to help me get rid of that pain under USADA rules. But we had a problem with USADA to prove it. Then USADA ended up sanctioning this punishment. But it doesn’t affect his profession in any way, he continues to assist me, being my doctor.” (Transcribed by BJPenn.com)

Do you think Paulo Costa will stick to his word and avoid fighting in New York?