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UFC’s Yoel Romero wins tainted supplement lawsuit, awarded $27 million in damages

Yoel Romero’s name has been further cleared of wrongdoing after a failed drug test from 2016 was proven to have stemmed from a tainted supplement.

Romero (13-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) on Tuesday won a lawsuit based in New Jersey against Gold Star Performance Products with total damages of $27.45 million, according to Romero’s agent, Abraham Kawa. The UFC middleweight sued the company after a failed drug test caused him to be suspended from competition by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

According to Romero’s team, which includes attorney Howard Jacobs and Kawa, the breakdown of the damages was roughly $3 million for lost wages, $3 million for reputable harm and $3 million for emotional damage. The damages triple when a company is “found out to have committed consumer fraud,” per the New Jersey “Consumer Fraud Act.”

Romero shared his reaction to the news on social media (via Twitter):

In February 2016, Romero was informed by USADA that he tested positive for the banned substance Ibutamoren. Facing a potential two-year suspension, Romero immediately claimed innocence and pointed to a tainted supplement for the issue.

USADA confirmed that the supplement was provided to them, and they were able to confirm the presence of Ibutamoren – which was not listed as an ingredient – and Romero was suspended six months.

In January 2018, reports surfaced Romero had officially filed legal action against Gold Stare Performance Products. More than year later, his pursuit bared fruit (via Instagram):

He looked me in the eyes and said “Ibra! I don’t do nothing!” I told him I’d fight with him all the way through. Today we won and we won big, sure $27.45mil is a lot of money and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. That was not what we expected going into this thing but as I told @yoelromeromma after, God is always good and always on time! So we stopped and he got himself a watch before we headed back home #frm

Given the relatively small scope of Gold Star Performance Products compared to supplement industry leaders, it remains to be see what percentage of the $27.45 million Romero will receive before the company is devoid of cashflow and assets and forced to file for bankruptcy.

Romero is currently scheduled to fight Paulo Costa in a key middleweight bout at UFC 242 on Aug. 17. The event takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif, and airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more on UFC 241, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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