Watch: Bobby Green taunts Paulo Costa during playful sparring
Bobby Green showcased impressive speed in a recent sparring session against Paulo Costa. While the session was seemingly playful, and the fighters weren't trying to hurt one another, the speed advantage possessed by 'King' stood out as he easily evaded Costa's punches.
Additionally, the veteran UFC lightweight (155-pound) fighter lightheartedly taunted Costa during their sparring session.
Slipping Costa's punches by small margins, mostly with his hands down, Green jestingly asked the Brazilian fighter to calm down. The duo were all smiles while sparring, as 'King' landed multiple lightning-fast counterpunches, albeit with low intensity.
UFC middleweight (185-pound) star Costa subsequently put forth an Instagram post featuring a video of their sparring session. He notably alluded to his lighter and faster sparring partner's hilarious taunts during the session.
Costa also referenced his 'Secret Juice' -- a running joke in the MMA community wherein he attributes his ripped physique to his secret recipe that may or may not contain steroids. 'The Eraser' attached the following statement alongside the video:
"Calma te rage bull. Lol. Bob green @bobbykinggreen lol Front hand box after smoke I’m secret juice man Bob sorry. Footage by @pizzadillan"
Watch video footage of their sparring session below:
Notorious for his relentless trash talk, Bobby Green is coming off a second-round KO defeat against Drew Dober at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland earlier this month. It's unclear as to who he'll fight next.
Meanwhile, Paulo Costa is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, whom he faced at UFC 278 in August.
Paulo Costa claims he didn't get offered "fair money" to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 284
Following Costa's win against Rockhold, the UFC eventually announced that the Brazilian KO artist would fight former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 on February 12, 2023.
However, Costa later asserted that he never signed an official contract to fight Whittaker, as he disapproved of the pay the organization offered him for that matchup.
The highly anticipated middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will not happen at UFC 284 as planned, sources have told @bokamotoESPN. https://t.co/BLwbWSsYKx
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Paulo Costa recently explained that his scheduled matchup against 'The Reaper' fell apart due to failed contract negotiations with the UFC. Nevertheless, he suggested that he'd be willing to fight in March if offered a better deal:
"They [UFC] didn't sent a contract or terms or nothing. They just say, 'If you want to fight Whittaker, let's do that fight.' But I cannot do that fight, fight the number-one or number-two high level guy like Whittaker for the same money that I'm getting since 2017. No make sense. I say, 'Okay, I could fight him, let's fight, but pay fair money.'" [2:52 - 3:22] [sic]
Watch Paulo Costa's interview below: