Paulo Costa has become quite an accepted and desired figure within the mixed martial arts community. Costa was shunned to the bottom of the pile following his weight-cut antics against Marvin Vettori. And although he lost that bout, since then the Brazilian has earned the commendation of fight fans across the globe. This is predominantly due to his social media frolics, earning him a reputation as a troll.
The former 185lbs title challenger was scheduled for a pivotal contest against the ‘Reaper’, Robert Whittaker in February at UFC 284. The victor would be awarded the spoils of a potential Israel Adesanya-Alex Perreira rematch.
Or so we thought. Since the fight was announced by Whittaker on his Instagram, Paulo Costa has reiterated multiple times that the encounter wasn’t close to being finalized as he had not accepted the fight. The Australian has now officially comprehended that fact as well.
The glaring issue was his payout for the potential contest. Borrachinha’s current contract dictates that he will be paid $70000 to show and $70000 to win. The 31-year-old wasn’t happy with the terms. He has now stated his price to step foot into the octagon again.
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Paulo Costa and his demands!
Fighter remuneration has been an integral issue for the better part of half a decade now. And although inflation has struck and the cost of everything MMA or UFC related has gone up, the one constant that remains is the payment received by the fighters.
Paulo Costa says he would fight Robert Whittaker for $500K.#TheMMAHour
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 21, 2022
Which in all honesty is below average for a professional athlete. More so, considering that the sport of MMA is like none other. The stakes are essentially life and death.
While appearing on the MMA hour, with Ariel Helwani, Costa discussed the canceled bout and has named his price to grace the octagon with Whittaker.
Paulo Costo: I say I want new terms to fight him (Robert Whittaker). I will not fight for the same money.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/wHHdUHe1mV
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 21, 2022
Costa said:
“I say, I want new terms to fight him, I will not fight him for the same money. It’s a big fight, the main event in Australia, Perth..So 70 is not enough for that.”
The ‘Eraser’ has demanded a sum of $500,000 to engage with the former Middleweight champion in Perth, Australia. The UFC has a reputation for being stubborn, so it’s difficult to see them cave into Costa’s demands.
At least it was worth a try!
Will Paulo Costa fight in the UFC again?
While the UFC has never negotiated from a position of weakness, the promotion just might lose one of the most exciting Middleweights due to their reluctance to increase his wages.
Paulo Costa is box-office entertainment. There are no two ways about it. His accomplishments and fighting style is a testament to that. Costa although, did state that this would be the last fight on his current contract if the bout were to come to fruition.
Perhaps the UFC will retain him, perhaps they don’t. Regardless of the outcome, it has been a fun ride while it lasted.
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