Credit:Joao Baptista
Credit:Joao Baptista
Credit:Joao Baptista
It sounds like Paulo Costa
won’t even attempt to make the contracted middleweight limit for
his UFC Fight Night 196 headlining bout against Marvin
Vettori on Saturday.
During a media day for the event on Wednesday, the Brazilian
revealed that he currently weighs 211 pounds. He also indicated
that there is already some type of agreement in place to go forward
with the bout.
“My weight right now is 96 kilos (211 pounds),” Costa said. “What
happened yesterday, [my manager] Wallid [Ismail] talked with some
people with him, Ali [Abdelaziz], his manager I think, and it’s not
on the schedule to make 185 [pounds] anymore. It’s another weight.
I’m not exactly [sure] which weight yet.”
While nothing has currently been announced regarding an agreement
for a catchweight bout against Vettori, “Borrachina” hopes that his
opponent will be open to fighting at a weight above 185 pounds.
“I think this fight will happen,” Costa said. “It just will not
happen if he don’t want to fight me. Maybe we can do a catchweight
195 [pounds] maybe but I think make this fight [205 pounds] could
be more exciting to the fans.
“[It’s a] more explosive fight cause I want to go bring the fight
for him. Maybe he wants to bring the fight to me. I think with both
guys heavy, this knockout can happen easily.”
Costa said he will reveal “after the fight” what difficulties led
to him being unable to make the middleweight limit. The 30-year-old
Brazilian has not competed since a second-round technical knockout
loss to Israel
Adesanya in a middleweight title bout at UFC 253.