Jared Cannonier of USA celebrates after his victory over Anderson Silva of Brazil in their middleweight bout during the UFC 237 event at Jeunesse Arena on May 11, 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images)
Jared Cannonier was given a replacement fighter after Paulo Costa pulled out of his fight recently
Jared Cannonier was scheduled to face Paulo Costa on the 21st of August, later this year. However, on the 4th of June, Costa pulled out from the fight, stating on Twitter that he never agreed to fight in the first place.
However, Costa himself later revealed that he had decided to withdraw due to not being paid well. His allegations came in the wake of YouTube sensation blasting UFC President Dana White for not paying the fighters the amount they deserved.
Costa was then replaced by Kelvin Gastelum, who had already replaced Costa in his fight against Robert Whittaker in April, earlier this year. The Brazilian had pulled out then because of flu.
More recently, Cannonier was asked in an interview about Costa pulling out of the fight due to being paid less. The Killa Gorilla stood by the Brazilian and reiterated the fact that fighters “are being paid less”. He acknowledged Costa’s brave stance in the ever-present debate.
Cannonier told Submission Radio:
“Well, I don’t know how much he’s getting paid per fight, but it’s a common argument right – MMA fighters, UFC fighters don’t get paid as much in comparison to what (people in) other organizations or promotions are getting paid…I can’t hate on him, or knock him or chastise him for having his stance. It’s a very bold stance. to say -‘ I’m not going to fight unless you guys pay me some more money.’
Cannonier will be facing Kelvin Gastelum on the 21st of August. Gastelum is coming off a loss against Robert Whittaker. Despite being dominated throughout the fight, the American never backed down, eating a ton of hard shots from ‘The Reaper’.
In the same interview with Submission Radio, Cannonier praised Gastelum for his toughness and durability.
He was quoted as saying:
“Kelvin has got a good wrestling base. He’s got knockout power in his hands, he’s not afraid to mix it up with bigger guys, he’s been in the middleweight division since he had come up from the welterweight division. He’s not necessarily a big middleweight…You know, he’s got the heart of a Mexican warrior and a big a** head to go along with it.“
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