“Will miss you…agents” – Paulo Costa hilariously bids adieu to USADA following latter’s controversial exit from UFC

After the withdrawal of UFC 294, UFC star Paulo Costa addressed USADA's pullout from the UFC partnership in a series of funny tweets on X.

“Will miss you…agents” – Paulo Costa hilariously bids adieu to USADA following latter’s controversial exit from UFC

Paulo Costa happy with USADA exit ( Image via Imago )

Paulo Costa expressed relief over the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) exit. USADA had troubled Paulo Costa with a series of intrusive early-morning visits in 2022. However, news recently came that the UFC and USADA will no longer work together starting January 2024. This decision comes amid Costa’s absence from UFC 294.

Paulo Costa had an unforgiving relationship with the anti-doping agency. Thus when news came about the separation of the two organisations, Paulo Costa was clearly delighter. He recently took to X (previously known as Twitter), where he wrote:

 I will miss you Usada agents.
Paulo Costa via X.

In 2022, Paulo Costa experienced intrusive early-morning visits from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), prompting his discontent. In November 2022, Costa accused the UFC of using USADA as a tool in contract negotiations. He alleged it was a “dirt weapon” to pressure fighters into renewing contracts. Overall, Costa’s experiences with USADA had been pretty distasteful for him.

UFC CEO Dana White apologized to Paulo Costa for the incident. White expressed regret for the untimely test, acknowledging the inappropriateness of testing a fighter during a critical weight-cutting period. The UFC president assured Costa that such occurrences would not happen again and emphasized the need for better communication to avoid disrupting a fighter’s preparation.

Paulo Costa fought at UFC 294 even after withdrawing from the fight

Paulo Costa defended himself during UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi when a fan attacked him. The middleweight contender, who withdrew from the fight less than two weeks before the event, threw at least one punch to fend off the assailant, as captured in a video.

Khamzat Chimaev Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa withdrew from UFC 294 fight against Khamzat Chimaev ( Image source: L/R- Twitter )

The incident involved an unknown person leaping over a fence and lunging at Costa, prompting a physical altercation. The fan’s attempt to attack Costa led to a brief but intense brawl, with Costa effectively defending himself. Later, Costa took to X where he wrote things hilariously. Check out what he tweeted below:

Paulo Costa withdrew from UFC 294 due to an elbow infection. Costa’s withdrawal prompted a search for a short-notice replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, with former champion Kamaru Usman stepping in. Dana White defended Costa’s decision to withdraw, addressing accusations made by Chimaev. The situation generated discussion within the MMA community. Some expressed confusion, and others, like Dana White, offered explanations for Costa’s withdrawal.

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