BREAKING: Paulo Costa getting $1M per fight after new UFC deal
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa is very close to renewing his contract with the organization.
While 'Borrachinha' has one fight left on his current deal, he seemingly intends to stay out of action until his contract is renewed. However, Costa is now seemingly very close to signing a new four-fight deal with the UFC, thanks to his girlfriend and manager Tamara Alves.
Tamara recently claimed that Paulo Costa's new deal is sure to make him the highest paid Brazilian UFC fighter. Also alluding to a mammoth figure of $1 million per fight, 'Borrachinha's manager told Ag.Fight:
"[Paulo] went from being one of the most undervalued athletes to one of the most valued athletes within the UFC. I have no doubt that today Paulo is the highest paid Brazilian athlete within the organization. Don't know if you know any Brazilian athlete who earns more than a million dollars per fight." h/t YouTube auto-translate
Catch Tamara's comments below:
While Costa is seemingly on the cusp of sealing a lucrative deal, that wasn't the case until recently. 'Borrachinha' turned down a fight against Robert Whittaker for UFC 284, earlier this year, labeling the announcement 'fake news'.
Speaking of the delay in contract negotiations, Tamara stated that lengthy discussions are inevitable when the athlete is of Costa's stature.
Paulo Costa names two potential opponents for next fight
Paulo Costa, in a different interview, also claimed to have come to terms with the UFC regarding his pay. The former middleweight title contender thanked none other than his girlfriend and manager Tamara Alves for finally bringing the prolonged negotiations to a close.
Costa, who is targeting a return in October, also named the two matchups that have been offered to him by the UFC: Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev.
While Strickland has previously slammed Costa for being inactive, Chimaev had a run-in with the Brazilian ahead of UFC 279 last September. 'Borrachinha' told Brazilian outlet PVT:
“I haven’t signed the contract yet but we have reached a deal with the UFC regarding the pay. It wasn’t easy, there was a lot of hard work, and I have to highlight Tamara’s brilliant work here. I want that, too. [The UFC] wants to make sure this Chimaev fight happen at all costs, but I want to make both happen. We’ll see.” h/t Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting
Catch the full interview below: