"We absolutely tell you where to fight" - Dana White reacts to Paulo Costa's weight cut fiasco for Marvin Vettori fight at UFC Fight Night 196
During the UFC Vegas 41 post-event press conference, Dana White confirmed Paulo Costa will fight at light heavyweight moving forward.
He even mentioned that whenever there is a similar situation, the UFC will decide the weight class for the fighter.
"Yeah, we absolutely tell you where to fight when this happens. He's gonna have to fight at 205."
Days prior to this weekend's UFC Fight Night, Paulo Costa revealed he was massively overweight for his main event showdown against Marvin Vettori. The pair were initially supposed to face one another at middleweight.
Shortly afterward, it was confirmed that Costa and Vettori would meet at a catchweight (195 lbs). However, the Brazilian couldn't make that weight either, forcing the UFC's hand to move the bout to light heavyweight.
Dana White wants Paulo Costa to move on from middleweight ⚖️ #UFCVegas41
(via @bokamotoESPN) https://t.co/Hw4kiY8te4
Marvin Vettori edged past Paulo Costa in a thrilling main event
At UFC Fight Night 196, Marvin Vettori edged past Paulo Costa after five brutal rounds. Vettori was relentless in the early stages of the fight and was the smarter of the two in the first round. The Italian then seemed to have problems dealing with Costa's kicks in the next frame, but took the round after the Brazilian was penalized a point for an eye poke.
The Italian Dream gets it done at 205lbs! 🇮🇹
48-46
48-46
48-46
@MarvinVettori scores a unanimous decision victory in the #UFCVegas41 main event! 👏 https://t.co/flA0gi5Bzd
Paulo Costa looked like he was out of gas early but found a second wind and kept up his powerful flurries in the latter stages of the fight. The Brazilian once again proved why he's called 'The Eraser', hitting Vettori with brutal shots to the body and head.
In the final round of the fight, Costa came out all guns blazing. Despite losing three of the four rounds prior, the Brazilian showed impressive cardio to win the fifth frame. However, it was not enough, as Vettori claimed a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.