'I never signed 195 or 185 contract' - Paulo Costa on why he's fighting Marvin Vettori at light heavyweight
Paulo Costa has claimed he never signed a contract to fight Marvin Vettori in a middleweight or a 195-pound catchweight bout. Costa asserted that the only contract he’s signed is the one he was handed yesterday – a contract for a light heavyweight bout.
Costa was initially set to face ‘The Italian Dream’ in a middleweight (185 pounds) matchup. However, earlier this week, the Brazilian MMA star revealed that he wouldn’t be able to cut down to the 186lb limit.
Following this, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori agreed to compete in a catchweight matchup of 195 pounds. However, this plan, too, fell apart. It was eventually confirmed that the Costa-Vettori fight would be a light heavyweight (205 pounds) matchup.
On that note, ESPN MMA’s Megan Olivi asked Paulo Costa how the fight went from a 185-pound to a 195-pound bout, ultimately to a 205-pound bout. Costa responded by stating:
“I have just one contract. I don’t get any conversation about the weight. I let for my team, and his team, and the UFC (to decide). And I took one contract yesterday. It’s the only contract that I see. It’s 205. So, I signed, and I came today, and I make that weight. So, I never signed 195 or 185. The only contract I see is 205 that I received yesterday.”
Additionally, Megan Olivi questioned Paulo Costa whether he’d have competed at 185 or 195 pounds. Costa replied by saying:
“Yeah, probably yeah. Probably yeah. But I left the conversation for my team, you know. I just was focused on cut weight.”
Paulo Costa stated that he’d cut about 7 kilos (15.4 pounds) before weighing in at 204.5 pounds at the official weigh-ins for his upcoming fight.
Watch Paulo Costa’s conversation with Megan Olivi below:
Paulo Costa’s future is shrouded in uncertainty
Speaking to Megan Olivi, Paulo Costa emphasized that he’s incredibly confident that he'll defeat Marvin Vettori. 'The Eraser' insinuated that a possible size advantage for him won’t play a role in the fight. He believes, however, that his strikes would be more powerful, and Vettori would be unable to survive five rounds.
The MMA community seems divided in its opinion regarding what the future holds for Paulo Costa. On the one hand, Costa’s been criticized for, self-admittedly, coming into fight week at 211 pounds despite initially being expected to make the middleweight limit.
On the other hand, some feel that the weight fiasco may have been caused due to an injury the Brazilian was dealing with that prevented him from cutting weight leading up to the fight.
Their light heavyweight bout is scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori on October 23. Presently, it’s unclear whether Paulo Costa will return to middleweight or continue competing at light heavyweight after this fight.