Paulo Costa’s Manager Responds To Yoel Romero’s USADA Claims

Yesterday, Yoel Romero made some bold claims by suggesting his expected opponent Paulo Costa had been forced out their fight due to a failed USADA drug test. It’s time Costa’s manager responds to those claims.

Costa’s manager Wallid Ismail addressed the supposedly false claim on Tuesday in a short statement:

“He didn’t test positive for anything – that’s it for now,” Ismail told MMA Junkie.

Romero interestingly walked back on the claim he made on ‘Ariel Helwani‘s MMA Show.’ He said he had only heard rumors about the failed test. Because of that, the Cuban slugger didn’t want to reveal false accusations. As of now, they are false according to Costa’s manager.

‘The Soldier of God’ is now set to battle Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in a rematch. The two will face off again in the main event of April 27’s UFC on ESPN 3 event from the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. It remains unknown when Costa will fight again due to his removal.

Costa has also denied using any performance-enhancing drugs. UFC VP of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky did not respond a request to the situation when contacted by MMA Junkie.