Having heard the rumors that Marvin Vettori is without an opponent for UFC 275, middleweight contender Paulo Costa has offered to run it back with the Italian in Singapore.
Last month, it was announced that the previous two challengers to Israel Adesanya’s 185-pound throne, Vettori and Whittaker, would collide on June 11 in an effort to claw closer to a third crack at adding the first blemish to the champion’s middleweight record.
While nothing has been officially announced, a recent tweet from “The Italian Dream” appeared to reveal that his Australian counterpart has pulled out. The post, in which Vettori tagged matchmaker Mick Maynard, manager Ali Abdelaziz, and UFC President Dana White, saw the #3-ranked contender call out Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till.
However, the first to respond to the potentially open slot at the Singapore-scheduled PPV was not a ‘Smesh Bro’ but a familiar foe. In a tweet of his own, Costa, the current joint-#4 middleweight, revealed his joy at the apparent collapse of Vettori’s bout.
“Borrachinha” then offered his services for this summer, encouraging ‘dumb’ Vettori to accept a rematch.
“Vettori needs a pair to fight? Oh really? Lol how funny is it? send me the location dumbest”
Costa later added another insult, along with the infamous image of “The Italian Dream” donning his fight shorts backwards.
Vettori and Costa shared the cage in the main event of UFC Vegas 41 last October. While their five-round clash, won on the scorecards by the Italian, was a memorable war, it was somewhat overlooked due to the controversy surrounding the Brazilian’s weight.
Costa showed up to fight week around 30 pounds over the middleweight limit, forcing the bout to first be made a 195-pound catchweight, and eventually a light heavyweight headliner. The incident left Dana White claiming Costa would be made to fight at 205 pounds moving forward.
Nevertheless, it appears “Borrachinha” has convinced the promotion otherwise. He recently revealed that he’s been offered a bout with former champion Luke Rockhold, likely at middleweight. Having branded that a “worst-case scenario,” it’s perhaps unsurprising to see Costa calling his shot with ranked fighters on social media.
Would you like to see Paulo Costa face Marvin Vettori at UFC 275 if Robert Whittaker’s withdrawal is confirmed?
Continue Reading Costa Offers To Replace Whittaker For Vettori Rematch: Let’s Fight Moron at MMA News.