"It was always just another excuse" - UFC middleweight Derek Brunson weighs in on why the fight with Paulo Costa never happened
UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson has explained why a fight against fellow top-10 fighter Paulo Costa never got booked.
After beating Kevin Holland in a dominant performance back in March, Derek Brunson opted to call out Paulo Costa as someone he could be interested in fighting next.
After it didn’t quite come to fruition, BT Sport’s Adam Catterall wanted to know why fans didn’t get the chance to see it.
“Paulo Costa, he didn’t want to fight. He had an opportunity. The UFC sent him a contract but it was always just another excuse on why he wasn’t ready, so ultimately, he didn’t want to fight. It’s funny, everybody always asks about what’s next with a win - if Paulo Costa would’ve taken the fight and that’s the number two guy, a win over him would’ve for sure had me next [in line] for a title shot,” Derek Brunson told BT Sport.
Catch Brunson's comments in his interview with BT Sport below:
It’s no secret that Paulo Costa hasn’t been in the UFC’s good books for a while now, and if you’re Derek Brunson, all you can do is take the fights that are put in front of you.
Paulo Costa’s return is bound to be a big moment for the middleweight division whenever it takes place. But for Derek Brunson, he needs to have one focus and one focus only - beating Darren Till.
UFC Vegas 36: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
Derek Brunson is set to return to action this weekend when he takes on Darren Till in a fascinating 185-pound battle in Las Vegas. The expectation is that a win for either man could vault them to within just one victory of a title shot, and for Derek Brunson especially, he’ll be hoping to prove a whole lot of people wrong in Sin City against 'The Gorilla'.
The Liverpudlian has been linked with getting the next shot at Israel Adesanya (after Robert Whittaker) with a big win this weekend.
But if Derek Brunson gets the win, it would mark the third straight fight in which the 37-year-old has been severely overlooked ahead of a bout, but still had his hand raised.
Based on recent evidence, we’d say he’ll be just fine with that as he continues to prove the doubters wrong on the big stage.