Paulo Costa details anxiety issues caused by late-Night USADA visits: ‘I hate the way they chase me’

You can add Paulo Costa’s name to the list of UFC fighters speaking out against USADA after the anti-doping agency revealed that they would no longer be working with the promotion come 2024.

On Wednesday USADA CEO Travis Tygart announced in a statement that the UFC would not renew its contract with the organization, citing that their relationship had become “untenable” over Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the testing pool. Since then, UFC officials including Dana White, Hunter Campbell, and Jeff Novitzky have spoken out against Tygart and USADA.

UFC fighters have also gotten into the act with many of them celebrating the UFC’s split from USADA. Most notably, Jon Jones, who has had his fair share of issues with the anti-doping agency, shared his take on the situation. Now, Paulo Costa is adding his two cents, speaking of the anxiety USADA would regularly cause him with untimely visits during the most crucial parts of his fight prep.

“I hate the way Usada chase me,” Costa wrote on X. “Sometimes in hard training camp I often had anxiety before going to sleep because I was woken up at 4 am to urinate and have my blood drawn. I could only sleep after breaking my diet and slept 3 hours later, losing quality of sleep and morning training.”

Chase Hooper Echoed Paulo Costa’s Frustration Over Untimely USADA Visits

UFC lightweight standout Chase Hooper echoed similar sentiments on social media.

“Damn… they better give me my f*cking t-shirt,” Hooper posted. “You’re supposed to get one after you pass 25 tests, and I just did my 23rd one in August. Why else am I peeing in cups for these that dudes show up unannounced at 6 in the morning if I’m not at least getting a t-shirt out of it???”

24 hours after Travis Tygart broke the news of the pairing’s imminent split, the UFC revealed that as of January 1, 2024, they would partner with Drug Free Sport International, the agency that currently handles testing duties for the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NCAA. No other details have been announced as of yet, but UFC officials did confirm that any sanctions handed down by USADA will be honored beyond their contract end date of December 31, 2023.

Now, about Chase Hooper’s t-shirt…