Tag: UFC Vegas 41

Aljamain Sterling Rejects Alex Caceres Comparisons From ‘Couch Fans’

Aljamain Sterling saw a fighter get hit in the face with an illegal knee, and he had to give his thoughts. For most MMA fans, the first thing that comes to mind when hearing about an illegal knee to a grounded opponent is UFC Bantamweight Champion Sterling. After all, he won the title after suffering […]

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Aljamain Sterling saw a fighter get hit in the face with an illegal knee, and he had to give his thoughts.

For most MMA fans, the first thing that comes to mind when hearing about an illegal knee to a grounded opponent is UFC Bantamweight Champion Sterling. After all, he won the title after suffering a similar situation, leading to a ton of backlash from fans, who have accused him of flopping and being overdramatic.

So naturally, considering this association, fans were quick to point out how well Alex Caceres was able to recover from the illegal knee he suffered in his UFC Vegas 41 main card fight and ultimately came back to submit Seungwoo Choi. However, Sterling is having none of this, swiftly taking to his Twitter to shoot down the comparisons between his own situation, and that of Bruce Leeroy.

“? fight fans from the couch always know better. I’m glad Caceres wasn’t severely compromised after that illegal knee. 5 in a row! Putting the division on notice that he’s still game for greatness!” Sterling wrote.

As always when discussing the situation involving Aljamain Sterling and any comparisons there within, it is important to remember that everyone has different reactions, and each individual situation is always different. That being said, like he said, the number one thing to be happy about is the fact that Alex Caceres was able to keep fighting and was okay after the foul.

As for the bantamweight champ, Sterling will be able to take steps towards “legitimizing” his reign as champ when he is able to return from neck surgery and face the winner of the interim title fight between former champ Petr Yan and perennial top contender Cory Sandhagen. Time will tell if he is going to be successful in doing so.

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Paulo Costa Shares His One Regret Coming Out Of UFC Vegas 41

Paulo Costa has given his thoughts on his UFC Vegas 41 loss to Marvin Vettori. Costa was facing a ton of controversy heading into his main event performance against Vettori, and understandably so. What was originally expected to be a middleweight bout, turned into a 195lb catchweight, before finally settle for a light heavyweight contest, […]

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Paulo Costa has given his thoughts on his UFC Vegas 41 loss to Marvin Vettori.

Costa was facing a ton of controversy heading into his main event performance against Vettori, and understandably so. What was originally expected to be a middleweight bout, turned into a 195lb catchweight, before finally settle for a light heavyweight contest, all because the Brazilian came into fight week at least 25lb overweight.

In spite of all of this drama during fight week, the bout itself actually delivered, with both men having good moments in a back and forth slugfest that ended with Vettori getting the nod on the judge’s scorecards. Following this setback, which sees him losing two straight, Borrachinha took to his Instagram to react to the fight, saying that he felt like he was doing more damage, regretting not going for the knockout.

“Thank you Lord, thank you all for your support. I think I caused more damage to my opponent and for that reason I should have won, but in order to leave no doubt, I had to get the knockout. Despite this, I didn’t do enough to feel like a winner, I’m very critical of myself because I know my potential. I’ll make sure not to leave it to the judges next time. I will correct what you need and I will continue to be aggressive and forceful. God be praised always, amen,” Costa wrote.

There is a level of logic to what Paulo Costa is saying about the way that the fight went, as it did appear that his strikes were significantly harder, particularly the body kicks. On the other hand, between the point deduction for the Brazilian, as well as the accuracy and control time of Marvin Vettori, the outcome of the fight itself is not noticably controversial.

What did you think of the fight? Who would you like to see both men face next?

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Marvin Vettori Believes Paulo Costa Was Ready To Fight: ‘It Was A Trap’

VettoriMarvin Vettori feels Paulo Costa was playing a bit of mind games. Vettori came out on top with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa in their back-and-forth light heavyweight war last night at UFC Vegas 41. There was plenty of drama going into the fight as well because of Costa’s weight issues. Unable to […]

Vettori

Marvin Vettori feels Paulo Costa was playing a bit of mind games.

Vettori came out on top with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa in their back-and-forth light heavyweight war last night at UFC Vegas 41.

There was plenty of drama going into the fight as well because of Costa’s weight issues.

Unable to make 186, the fight was moved to a 195-pound catchweight before finally becoming a 205-pound bout. Many observers felt Costa’s head wasn’t really in the fight and that he would struggle to compete with the extra weight.

Although he did looked gassed early on, he was able to rally and hurt Vettori with a head kick in the second round. He surprised even more fans by having a strong fifth round as well.

However, it wasn’t enough to get the win. But he did impress many with his performance, including Vettori who feels Costa was luring him into a trap.

“It was a very solid performance,” Vettori said of his own performance at the post-fight news conference (via Middle Easy). “I’m glad I didn’t let go of all that tension before the fight thinking that he’s not ready, he didn’t train, he came in fat, he’s not taking it seriously because he actually did. It was a trap a little bit, I think.

“He was willing to scratch the fight, that’s for sure, but he was ready also.”

In the end, Vettori remained focused and got the victory despite what everyone was telling him pre-fight about Costa’s mindset.

“In my head, this guy wants out of the fight because he’s not ready,” he added. “My rational mind was saying, ‘You can’t think that way because it could all be a f*cking trap.’ I can definitely see that he was willing to scratch the fight, because I don’t think a lot of people would have taken this at a higher weight, but at the same time if I do accept, I’m all in. I can’t expect him to not be ready. So it was weird on my side, too, because I had to stay completely focused, even on him making all this sh*t where it kind of looked like he wasn’t ready.

“I had people all the time telling me, ‘He’s not ready, he wants out of the fight, he doesn’t want to be here.’ You saw the performance, he came game. He wasn’t out of shape or nothing.”

Do you think Costa was playing mind games?

Paulo Costa Releases Statement Following Marvin Vettori, Won’t Leave It To Judges Next Time

CostaPaulo Costa released his first statement on social media following UFC Vegas 41 last night. Costa was outpointed by Marvin Vettori over five rounds in their light heavyweight headliner as both fighters took part in a back-and-forth war. He has since posted a statement on Instagram on Sunday. Here’s what he had to say (translated […]

Costa

Paulo Costa released his first statement on social media following UFC Vegas 41 last night.

Costa was outpointed by Marvin Vettori over five rounds in their light heavyweight headliner as both fighters took part in a back-and-forth war.

He has since posted a statement on Instagram on Sunday. Here’s what he had to say (translated via Google):

“Thank you Lord, thank you all for your support. I think I caused more damage to my opponent and for that reason I should have won, but in order to leave no doubt, I had to get the knockout. Despite this, I didn’t do enough to feel like a winner, I’m very critical of myself because I know my potential. I’ll make sure I don’t leave it to the judges next time. I will correct what you need and continue to be aggressive and forceful. God be praised always, amen.”

Although there was plenty of drama going into the fight with Costa’s weight issues, he performed extremely well given the circumstances and hurt Vettori with a head kick in the second round.

However, he was also deducted a point in the second round for an eye poke on Vettori. Even without the point deduction, Costa would have lost as all three judges scored it 48-46. However, Costa felt he should have won regardless.

“Man, I really don’t understand why the judges saw that result. I really believe I won,” Paulo Costa said during the post-fight press conference (via Middle Easy). “And about the referee, very good referee. I don’t understand why he took one point from me in the very first stoppage [accidental eye poke].

“…I’m disappointed because I think I won but Marvin did a very good job.”

How did you score it?

Marvin Vettori Continues To Rip Costa After Fight: “Go Run, Fatass”

Marvin Vettori had some choice words for Paulo Costa after their bout on Saturday. It’s quite common for fighters with bad blood to exit the Octagon with a sense of mutual respect at the conclusion of their contest. They’ll shake hands, maybe say complimentary things about their opponent, and move on to the future. That […]

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Marvin Vettori had some choice words for Paulo Costa after their bout on Saturday.

It’s quite common for fighters with bad blood to exit the Octagon with a sense of mutual respect at the conclusion of their contest. They’ll shake hands, maybe say complimentary things about their opponent, and move on to the future. That didn’t happen last night.

UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori has never been one to stand on ceremony. In contrast, he is known to say exactly how he feels, especially as it relates to someone he is adversarial with. He continued this trend when addressing his UFC Vegas 41 opponent, Paulo Costa.

Marvin Vettori Continues To Lay Into Paulo Costa After Weight Controversy

Paulo Costa Marvin Vettori
PHOTO: MMA JUNKIE

Heading into UFC Vegas 41, Costa showered the event in controversy by being unapologetically overweight and responsible for the multiple changes to the classified weight division for the main event. So when asked if Costa earned his respect after sharing the Octagon with him in a five-round war, Vettori did not mince words as to why that was not the case.

“He’s full of shit, to be honest. I don’t like how he carried himself,” Vettori said in the UFC Vegas 41 post-fight press conference. “I don’t like how he carried himself. Nah. If I see him right now, I probably won’t jump him, but I won’t even share a glass or nothin’. You go your fuckin’ way; I go my own way. You fuckin’ lost; you’re gonna give me [20%] of your purse; and go run, fatass.”

Vettori disclosed in the press conference that after being moved up to 195 pounds, there was also an agreement for the fight to take place at 198 pounds before ultimately landing at 205. But no matter how much Costa weighed or what other obstacles arose, Vettori was adamant that the fight would proceed.

Proceed it did, and Vettori has emerged from the UFC Vegas 41 ruckus with an additional 20% of a fight purse, another win on his résumé, and much more respect from the MMA community that he earned with his professionalism and unwavering willingness to scrap.

As evident by Vettori’s above comments, the Italian doesn’t believe Costa is worthy of such respect after the fiasco that was this past fight week.  

Do you have a different opinion of Marvin Vettori or Paulo Costa after UFC Vegas 41?

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Dana White Says Paulo Costa Must Now Fight As A Light Heavyweight

Paulo Costa’s days as a UFC middleweight are over, according to Dana White. Costa made his unintended light heavyweight debut against Marvin Vettori on Saturday thanks to his much publicized weight cutting issues. During the week, the Brazilian declared that he wasn’t going to make the middleweight limit, which saw the fight moved to a […]

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Paulo Costa’s days as a UFC middleweight are over, according to Dana White.

Costa made his unintended light heavyweight debut against Marvin Vettori on Saturday thanks to his much publicized weight cutting issues. During the week, the Brazilian declared that he wasn’t going to make the middleweight limit, which saw the fight moved to a 195-pound catchweight, then to the 205-pound light heavyweight limit.

Despite Costa’s shenanigans leading into the UFC Vegas 41 main event, the fight was an instant classic. The 30-year-old came close to finishing Vettori with a brutal head kick in round two, but the Italian absorbed Costa’s best shots, and landed plenty of devastating strikes of his own to grind out a unanimous decision victory.

Paulo Costa Marvin Vettori
PHOTO: MMA JUNKIE

Dana White Declares Costa’s Future Is At Light Heavyweight

Leading into the fight, some speculated that Costa’s increased bulk would see him gas early on. And while Paulo did seem to be breathing heavily during the five-round war, his best round was arguably the last.

Speaking at the UFC Vegas 41 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he was impressed by “Borrachina’s” performance, despite him failing to make weight. And when asked why he didn’t, White said even he didn’t know.

“No, your guess is as good as mine,” said White. “Yeah, we don’t know. Came in and did what he did. But with that being said, the guy fought his ass off tonight. At the end of the first round, I didn’t know if he was gonna make it to the end of the second round as far as gas, but he fought his ass off tonight, and he showed up and fought hard.”

So given Costa failed to make weight so spectacularly, does his future lie in the 205-pound division?

“Yeah, we absolutely tell you where to fight when this happens. Yeah, he’s gonna have to fight at 205,” said White.

Dana White
PHOTO: UFC

Dana said that it’s not only Paulo’s struggles with weight cutting that make him destined for the light heavyweight division, but also that he carried his bulked-up physique so well. 

“He’s a light heavyweight,” said White. “I mean, you guys saw him tonight. He’s massive. And the thing that stood out the most for me: as big as he is, look at the cardio that he had tonight. That was a fuckin’ dog fight. That was a war between two guys who both really wanted to win.”

The move up to light heavyweight may not be in Costa’s plans, however. Backstage, the 30-year-old told media that middleweight is his division, and when White was apprised of this statement, it drew a wry smile.

“This is gonna be fun. [CHUCKLE] I promise you it’s not,” said White.

What do you think? Is a move up to light heavyweight the right one for Paulo Costa?

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