ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: Paulo Costa looks on in the third round against Yoel Romero during their Middleweight Bout at UFC 241 at Honda Center on August 17, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Paulo Costa is a Middleweight but his last fight was in the Light Heavyweight division
Paulo Costa, at one time, was destined for great things and some believed he could defeat Israel Adesanya.
Borrachinha came into his title fight with Middleweight Champion Adesanya, undefeated in his MMA career.
There was a lot of bad blood between them but Costa was easily beaten and knocked out. His next fight had even more controversy as he was to face Marvin Vettori in a Middleweight fight.
However, the Brazilian came in nearly 25 pounds overweight and the clash was then turned into a Light Heavyweight one.
Borrachinha lost that bout and Dana White confirmed that the Brazilian’s next clash would be in the Light Heavyweight division.
However, Wallid Ismail, Costa’s manager, has claimed that the Brazilian will fight in the Middleweight division only:
“The UFC is not the biggest fighting company in the world by chance,” Ismail told Sherdog.com. “They know that Borrachinha was injured and that’s why he had problems with his weight. There is no doubt his next fight will take place in the middleweight division.”
While the Brazilian’s stock might be a little low after consecutive defeats, there is no doubt he could get back on the winning trail.
His manager brought up who he could face in the UFC. Ismail also believed his client would be a future champion:
“We will fight whoever the UFC decides. I keep believing that Borrachinha will be the champion,” Ismail said. “He just has to train right. His biggest problem is that he trains too much. If he trains correctly, I have no doubt no one in that division can beat him.”
The Brazilian does have a lot of power but his weight issues were a huge talking point prior to his last fight.
There was also some talk of Costa drinking a little too much before his title fight with Adesanya.
If Ismail can get his client on the right path, Borrachinha could be on his way to another title shot, of course with a couple of wins under his belt.
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