Paulo Costa Details How Gilbert Burns’ Fight Against Khamzat Chimaev Encouraged Him to Turn Down a Fight Against Luke Rockhold
After a brilliant 13-0 start to his professional career, Paulo Costa slumped to two straight losses against the likes of Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. In the build-up to his first title fight against Israel Adesanya, there was a lot of animosity between the two. ‘Borrachinha’ dubbed Adesanya a ‘skinny clown’ and vowed to demolish him. On fight night it was Adesanya who had the last laugh as he stopped Costa in round two and proceeded to utterly disrespect Costa in his post-fight celebrations.
Since that fight, Costa has not been himself. On social media and even during fight weeks, Costa has been saying things that have fans concerned for his well-being. Nevertheless, the Brazilian fighter has been aiming for a comeback and in a recent interview expressed his displeasure in the opponent the UFC has offered him.
Paulo Costa continues his ongoing feud with the UFC
He said, “Luke Rockhold has shown an interest in fighting me, but he’s not ranked. I don’t know if that would be the best option. That’s unfortunate, because if he were ranked, that would be a great fight. I don’t think it’s too smart to fight someone who’s not ranked. The rankings are the foundation for everything. The UFC offered me this fight. They have the obligation to do so. It’s in the contract. They offered me Rockhold. I didn’t dismiss it entirely. I said I’d prefer to face someone ranked. Worst case scenario, if there’s nobody else, we fight.”
‘Borrachinha’ continued, “If he comes back to the rankings, then I’d take the fight. He’s popular, especially in America. That’s a pro. Him not being ranked is a big con. Let me give you an example. Gilbert Burns was the number-two guy and he gave Chimaev an opportunity. He lost. Now where is Burns going? Which spot? Is he going to drop many spots? He’s already down to number four. He might drop more. So fighting an unranked guy is even worse.”
Who do you think Paulo Costa should face in his return to the octagon? Let us know in the comments below!
