Paulo Costa is expected to meet fellow middleweight contender Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 this February in Perth, Australia, but “Borrachinha” is now saying he doesn’t have a deal in place for the fight.
Costa, who has become one of the more vocal fighters on the UFC roster today, slammed his current contract earlier this month. The former UFC middleweight title challenger initially thought he had fought out his contract with a win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, but Costa officially has one fight left on his deal. He may not like the current financial terms of said contract, but the Brazilian knockout artist is locked in nonetheless.
That brings us to Costa’s impending matchup with Whittaker at UFC 284 this February. UFC officials announced the booking in late October in effort to bolster the card for the promotion’s return to Australia. At that point, fight fans assumed contracts were in place and each party was on board. That doesn’t seem to be the case, at least according to Costa.
On Thursday, Costa took to Twitter to explain that he doesn’t have a finalized contract to fight Whittaker this February. It’s hard to take what Costa says at face value, especially since he’s unhappy with his contractual terms, but UFC has jumped the gun with these type of pairings in the past. Maybe they announced the matchup before ironing out the details with Costa. Who knows.
Hey guys I’m here again to say the obvious. I don’t have a deal to fight in Perth A lot of fans are sending their regards for this fight, but ITSNOT FOR REAL , anyway see u soon in mma or boxing pic.twitter.com/Ieu68Nff4H
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) November 18, 2022
“Hey guys I’m here again to say the obvious. I don’t have a deal to fight in Perth A lot of fans are sending their regards for this fight, but ITS NOT FOR REAL, anyway see u soon in mma or boxing.”
Costa, 31, ended a two-fight losing streak with his recent decision win over Rockhold. Despite being one of the top contenders in the UFC’s ever-changing middleweight division Costa has already hinted at a possible crossover into boxing once his current contract expires. It may not be the best move considering his value in mixed martial arts (MMA), but Costa seems like the type of fighter to follow the almighty dollar.
We’ll have to wait and see if anything changes with Costa’s already-scheduled meeting with Whittaker at UFC 284 in Perth.