With approximately two weeks remaining before he faces Luke
Rockhold at UFC
278, Paulo Costa
has confirmed that he is no longer managed by Wallid
Ismail.
Advertisement
In a 13-minute video published on his Youtube channel, Costa
recalled his entire history with Ismail, making it clear that he
did not have any issues with his former manager.
“I have nothing bad to say about Wallid. He is an honest person and
very professional, I just have compliments about him,” Costa said.
“We just have different views about my career and, because of that,
we decided to not work together anymore.”
Costa revealed that his girlfriend, Tamara Alves, will serve as his
representation going forward. The separation comes about two months
after another major loss suffered by Ismail’s agency. In June, UFC
flyweight champion Deiveson
Figueiredo
parted ways with Ismail after a disagreement over the UFC’s
decision to creat an interim flyweight belt while he recovered from
injury.
Costa hasn’t fought since October, when he dropped a five-round
verdict to Marvin
Vettori at UFC Fight Night 196. He will face Rockhold in the
UFC 278 co-main event on Aug. 20 in Salt Lake City.