Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance and former IRS shitbag, Jeff Novitzky, refuses to comment on the curious case of middleweight contender, Paulo Costa, then proceeded to comment anyway during yesterday’s appearance on UFC Unfiltered.
As most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are aware, the Brazilian was fined nearly $10,000 by New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after “failing to comply with Commission rules and policies regarding the use and disclosure of non-performance enhancing substances while licensed.”
Costa claims he took Plasil ahead of UFC 217 to help his ailing tummy.
“I don’t have any comment on that,” Novitzky told hosts Jim Norton and Matt Serra (via MMA Fighting). “My understanding is that New York has issued him a fine or a sanction and that USADA is still evaluating this. It’s not until cases are adjudicated and resolved that we comment on them. So I’m not gonna comment on that one right now.”
Longtime rival, Yoel Romero, is responsible for planting the “steroids” seed.
Costa was supposed to fight “Soldier of God” at the UFC event this weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, but was mysteriously bumped from the card and is still waiting for NYSAC to close the books on his 2017 penalty.
Paying the fine would probably expedite that process, but since the bill remains outstanding, there’s chance the Brazilian is contesting the charge. Nobody involved wants to comment, so all we can do at this point is speculate.
That said, I’ll be very interested in what United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has to say after all is said and done.