Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC) middleweight contender Constantinos Philippou recently said he wouldn't fight Vitor Belfort in Brazil because he didn't want "The Phenom" to have an "unfair" advantage over him with his TRT exemptions.
Since getting permission to undergo testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), Belfort has gone 2-0 in the division, knocking out Michael Bisping at UFC on FX 7 and Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8 ... both in Brazil.
According to Costa, while he doesn't want to label the treatment "cheating," he does say it gives fighters an "unfair" advantage over their opponents. His solution? Give everyone a TRT exemption or ban it altogether.
He explained on "The MMA Hour:"
"I don't feel it's cheating, but If I can prevent him (Belfort) from using TRT, why not? I know that some fighters say it's a technicality to say it is legal and by fight time their limits are a certain number, but two or three months before they load up and they go through the roof with hormones and then weeks before the fight they drop down to the legal level. I don't think it's fair. Either legalize it for everybody and give everybody an exemption to use it or ban it altogether."
Many have credited Belfort's career resurgence to TRT, therefore Philippou doesn't want the Brazilian striker to have any advantage over him should the find themselves locked inside the cage.
"Cypress Slugger" prefers an even playing field, one he feels he'll receive if UFC officials book the fight anywhere else in the world.
Anyone agree with Costa's stance on TRT? If athletic commissions can't grant everyone an exemption, should they just ban the controversial treatment?