UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa had something to prove at the UFC 278 weigh ins on Friday in Salt Lake City after failing to make weight for his UFC Vegas 41 headliner last October. So “The Eraser” was putting every effort into making the division limit during the wee hours of the morning when an unexpected knock came at the door of his hotel room.
It was United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) looking for some of that Brazilian blood.
Like every fighter on the UFC roster, Costa is subject to random pre- and post-fight drug testing at any hour of any day and I think most fans support that rule, which has gone a long way in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). But to draw blood when a dehydrated fighter is in the final hours of a difficult weight cut is (more) bad business.
Not surprisingly, Costa was a volcano at today’s weigh ins.
“Fuck the the boss [of] USADA who sent their agents this morning at my sleep room 6am to take my blood out!” the hulking middleweight wrote on Twitter. “I was cutting weight, very dehydrated, and they want to take my blood! Fuck those guys!!! I never been caught by USADA test I don’t need this fuck shit.”
Here’s another look:
Paulo Costa says “f*** USADA” after making weight for #UFC278 pic.twitter.com/6ApljAXmZE
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) August 19, 2022
Costa has never failed a drug test in UFC but did get suspended for IV use back in 2017.
The 31 year-old “Eraser” (13-2) will look to snap a two-fight losing streak when he battles former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold in the UFC 278 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event this Sat. night (Aug. 20, 2022) at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, in what marks the final bout of the Brazilian’s current UFC contract.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 278 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 278: “Usman vs. Edwards 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 278 fight card and PPV line up click here.