Jared Cannonier can’t hate on Paulo Costa for withdrawing from their previously scheduled fight.
The pair of hard hitters were set to collide in a middleweight headliner taking place at the UFC’s upcoming August 21 event.
That was until Costa was pulled from the fight, later revealing that he never signed a deal to fight Cannonier while also asking to be compensated better.
As we all know by now, that’s not something UFC president Dana White does as he unsurprisingly ripped into Costa for demanding “crazy money” amid YouTubers like the Paul brothers making millions.
Cannonier: Costa Took A Bold Stance
As for Cannonier, he’ll still be fighting on that date as Kelvin Gastelum stepped up to replace Costa.
But while it’s a hindrance as he has to prepare for a new opponent, he can’t be too mad at Costa at the same time.
“I’m not gonna trip on it,” Cannonier told Submission Radio. “It’s something outside of my power. If the man wants to fight, he’ll fight. If he doesn’t want to fight, we see how this is going for him. So, I’m just happy that I have an opponent. I’m happy Kelvin stepped up and I get to get in there and fight.”
“I don’t know how much he’s getting paid per fight, but it’s a common argument, MMA fighters, UFC fighters, MMA in general fighters, don’t get paid as much in comparison to the organizations or the promotions are getting paid. So, yeah, I mean, I understand the argument. I can’t hate on him or knock him or chastise him for having his stance. It’s a very bold stance to say ‘I’m not gonna fight unless you guys pay me some more money’. But, yeah. Someone’s gotta fight for us fighters to get paid more. And I’m not gonna turn down a fatter paycheck either.
“So, it is what it is. It’s his choice. With that being said, he has to be able to deal with the consequences of that. Not fighting and maybe even losing his position. He’s ranked number two right there. He’s just fought for the title, so he’s right there. He can get right back in there with a few wins. But once you get a title fight, that’s when you start getting pay-per-view points, that’s when I hear the money starts rolling in. I wouldn’t know, I’m not there yet.”
In the end, Cannonier even respects Costa for his actions.
“Absolutely. He’s fighting for something that I would fight for. He’s fighting for me,” Cannonier added. “So, it’s just like me talking down on our soldiers fighting someone a terrorist or something like that.”
You can watch the full interview below:
