UFC athletes have absolutely no problem whatsoever throwing performance-enhancing drug rumors around about one another – sometimes in an effort to gain a mental edge before a big fight, and sometimes just to keep a rivalry fire burning as bright and as hot as possible.
But this most recent PED allegation from out against Paulo Costa feels a little bit more vindictive.
Set for a middleweight title fight against fellow UFC fighter Uriah Hall in July, Costa is no stranger to PED allegation. In fact, they have followed him his entire career, mostly because of his incredible physique and proportions that other athletes at his same height and in his same weight class simply haven’t been able to achieve all on their own.
Hall, in a pre-fight press conference, decided to throw out performance-enhancing drug accusations while talking directly to Costa. Hall minced no words, saying that he wanted to go on the record directly as accusing Costa of using performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive advantage in the UFC, going so far as to tell the reporters who inquired about a little bit more detail to these allegations that they should quote him on his charges of Costa using steroids.
For his part, Costa seemed to be completely unfazed by this onslaught of PED allegations.
When it came time to answer reporters who inquired about the comments made by Hall, Costa told them that he wasn’t bothered even in the slightest and that these kinds of allegations had followed him every single step of his career, and likely always would.
In fact, Costa seemed to take these kinds of allegations as a positive sign that he had already climbed into the mind of his opponent and was winning the psychological war. He told reporters that these kinds of comments were an obvious sign that his opponent was already intimidated by his physicality and his fighting style, a style that has been widely praised for its aggressiveness, decisiveness, and attack focused orientation.
Costa went on to say that even though he has only been fighting professionally for a little over a year and a half, that he was already one of the most often tested athletes in the sport. He, along with all other UFC fighters, is tested before, during and after the lead up to a big fight. Costa has never popped positive for a PED test, either.
The USADA has gone on record as saying that Costa has so far passed all of his tests with them, the main drug testing organization for the UFC. If he had popped positive, the way other fighters have (probably most notoriously Jon Bones Jones), there’s no way that the UFC would allow him to fight – and his license to compete in this sport would be revoked as well.
At the end of the day, Hall is the fighter that has had a more contentious relationship with the USADA. He has gone on numerous rants on Twitter, railing against the USADA, and calling them a bunch of know-nothings and do-gooders trying to ruin the sport and the reputation of prize fighters. He’s done so using much saltier language, of course.
For his part, Hall has been consistent on his stance against PEDs and those that might be using them. He doesn’t like drugs, doesn’t believe they have a place in the sport, and thinks anyone that is using them to gain an edge over the competition is nothing but a loser that deserves to be kicked out of fighting.
It sure will be interesting watching this fight unfold when it finally rolls around!
Source: https://mmajunkie.com/2018/07/ufc-226-paulo-costa-steroids-related-jabs-opponents-intimidated