Paulo Costa prepares for a sensational transition to boxing once his contract expires, citing his interest in the money he could amass in the ring as the main factor.
Currently ranked number six in his division, the Brazilian is on a torrid run, losing his last two bouts to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. He has just one more fight in the UFC and seems uninterested in renewing his contract. Costa and his camp have made it clear he’ll only be interested in taking on Vettori for his last fight, creating an intense atmosphere should the bout be accepted.
“I just said to let Dana White know, I’ll fight him now. It’s the only fight that interests me. No one else interests me. Unless if it’s for the title, but I’m no fool. I’m not stupid to consider [a title fight] now. I want to fight him. He’s the only viable guy that interests me. If it’s not him, I’m not even interested in fighting. I let Dana White know that.”
– Paulo Costa via AG. Fight
Paulo Costa on Switching To Boxing
Amidst his desperation to avenge his unanimous decision loss to Vettori, “The Borrachinha” is the latest mixed martial artist to fancy the challenge of switching promotions to kickstart a boxing career upon the completion of his UFC contract. However, he also spoke on the negatives should he take up the decision.
“Boxing is in now. It’s a new opportunity. It’s just something to consider for now. I’m still under contract with the UFC, so I can’t really do anything. First, I have to finish the contract. This is a tough question to answer. Boxing pays more, much more, in a shorter period of time. However, it doesn’t have the promoting power that the UFC has. The UFC pay is low, but they have a high promoting power. It’s ideal to have both.”
– Costa
Paulo Costa also showered some words of love and support to Francis Ngannou, the current heavyweight champion, who has reiterated his aspirations of fighting in the ring. He blasted the UFC about their poor salary structure and expressed his desire to see the other fighters source for better payments.
“You have to try to have both. Get what’s best from each side, which is what Ngannou has done. He’s the UFC champion, getting paid a bad purse. Now that he’s at the top he’s doing the right thing, which is to go after the financial part outside the UFC.”
– Costa
The middleweight fighter is currently in his worst run of form and aims to return to the octagon as soon as possible against his rival, Marvin Vettori.
What are your thoughts on Paulo Costa’s potential decision to drop the UFC for boxing?
Follow me on Twitter @DrSolar3 for more sports news and discussions. Also, make sure to follow @OT_Heroics for all your sporting needs and @OTHeroicsMMA for all things mixed martial arts!
