For nearly three months, Paulo Costa
insisted on a rematch with Marvin
Vettori, a fight that didn’t make much since to either Vettori
or the UFC.
That focus shifted after Sean
Strickland defeated Jack
Hermansson via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 200 in
February and then challenged the Brazilian on social media. By the
time “Borrachinha” responded to Strickland’s callout, it was too
late. Strickland is now expected to face Alex
Pereira at UFC 277 on July 30.
Carlos Borracha, Costa’s brother and head coach,
discussed Costa’s next move backstage after Jungle Fight 106
with PVT journalist Leonardo Fabri.
“Strickland challenged ‘Borrachinha’ a long time ago, [but] when He
accepted, Strickland ran from us and they ended up giving him to
‘Poatan,’” Borracha said. “Strickland chickened out, but we have
other ranked fighters in our target like [Derek] Brunson.
“We truly hope Brunson keeps his word and doesn’t run like
Strickland did,” Borracha said. “Actually, Brunson already
challenged ‘Borrachinha,’ and now it’s the best time for that fight
to happen.”