Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa, separated by just one spot in the 185-pound rankings, are both coming off losses to reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, which is why it makes sense to have “The Italian Dream” face off against “The Eraser.”
The winner gets to stay alive in the division title chase.
“I like to really destroy this drunk guy who can’t stay off drinking,” Vettori said after his UFC 263 loss to Adesanya. “Either way, I’m game, I’m as game as it comes, I’ll always show up. You can count on me, when there’s a fight, a date, I will show up. So we’ll see.”
Costa remains unimpressed.
“I could fight this Moron if he show to fight like that,” the Brazilian wrote on Twitter, referencing the promotional photo that had Vettori wearing his shorts backwards.
Whether or not matchmakers can put this bout together may depend on how much Costa is willing to negotiate for a non-title fight. “The Eraser” recently pulled a Jon Jones and decided to bench himself until he gets paid what he believes he deserves.
“Sounds like he’s gonna sit down and hang out for a while,” UFC President Dana White said (via MMA Fighting). “He said, ‘I wanted to be paid more because of what all the YouTube stars are making.’ Apparently he didn’t see his last fight.”