Paulo Costa is not happy with his current UFC deal, and could make the decision to jump over to boxing instead.
Costa has made quite the name for himself throughout his current run with the UFC. Signing with the promotion back in 2017, Costa has only lost two fights under the promotion’s banner. Those also being the only losses of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. The Brazilian powerhouse at one point racked up a five-fight win streak that earned him a shot at the title.
However, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was too much for Costa to handle, as he was knocked out in the second round. In his return against Marvin Vettori the following year, Costa again suffered a loss, this time via unanimous decision. Costa since bounced back with his first win since 2019 when he decisioned Luke Rockhold this past August. Now, the No. 6-ranked middleweight looks to string together a few more wins to get back at the title.
Paulo Costa Not Happy With UFC Deal
However, Costa doesn’t appear to be too happy with the financial compensation he’s receiving from the UFC. He’s slated to fight the final fight of his current UFC deal at UFC 284 on February 12 against Robert Whittaker in Australia. After that, as Costa mentioned on Twitter, he’s ready to shed his “miserable” UFC contract and move on to boxing in hopes of better compensation.
“My miserable contract with the UFC was up in a few short months. will expire in time . A new #boxer is coming to town,” Costa wrote on Twitter.
My miserable contract with the UFC was up in a few short months. will expire in time . A new #boxer is coming to town!🙌
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) November 3, 2022
Of course, a big win over someone like Whittaker could certainly change Costa’s mind. Whittaker is currently undefeated at 185 pounds with the exception of two losses to champion Adesanya. He’s clearly established himself as the gatekeeper to the title at middleweight, so Costa could be looking at the opportunity to rematch “Stylebender” for the UFC’s ultimate prize if he gets the job done against Whittaker.
However, with other former UFC title challengers such as Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, and now, perhaps, Nate Diaz, capitalizing on their star power for some big paydays inside the squared circle, Costa could soon follow suit.
