Paulo Costa's manager says he'll try to convince Dana White to let the Brazilian stay at middleweight

Dana White, Paulo Costa, and Wallid Ismail [Photo via @wallidjfc]

Paulo Costa's manager, Wallid Ismail, said he intends to convince UFC president Dana White to let his client stay in the middleweight division despite this week's snafu.

Costa found himself in hot water after failing to make weight for his scheduled middleweight bout against Marvin Vettori. As a result, the UFC was ultimately forced to move the matchup to light heavyweight. However, Ismail said Costa's stint in the 205-pound division was just a one-off.

ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported that Ismail has admitted that 'The Eraser' had some issues ahead of UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori. However, the Brazilian manager believes Costa can still make 185 pounds in future fights.

Paulo Costa's manager Wallid Ismail tells me he intends to speak to the UFC and Dana White about keeping Costa at 185 pounds. Says the issue was real for this particular fight, but Costa can still compete and make weight at 185.

In the past, the UFC has forced fighters who repeatedly struggled with weight cuts to move up a division. The most notable instance of such an occasion was when the UFC mandated Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson climb from welterweight (170 pounds) to middleweight (185 pounds).

Despite having a size advantage, Costa looked unremarkable in his light heavyweight debut against Vettori. 'The Italian Dream' was the sharper fighter as he outworked Costa through five rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored it 48-46 for Vettori.

Paulo Costa says bicep injury is to blame for weight mismanagement

Paulo Costa has revealed that his weight mismanagement troubles were due to a left bicep injury. In the post-fight press conference, the former UFC middleweight title challenger said:

“I came in a little bit higher [in] weight because I needed to stop some weeks of training. The only problem is I lost this fight, so it will look like an excuse. I don’t have an excuse for anything. I did a good job there — Marvin as well. Congratulations to him, and to me, I think. But I had some problems to not come in here with my usual weight.”

This isn't the first time Costa has cited a bicep injury as the cause of his issues. The Brazilian underwent corrective surgery to repair the muscle in October 2019. His recovery from the injury delayed his title opportunity against champ Israel Adesanya, opening the door for Yoel Romero to challenge for the strap at UFC 248.

Check out Paulo Costa's post-fight interview below: