Paulo Costa: UFC Pays Brazilian Fighters Poorly

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Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa feels the reason the UFC won’t negotiate with him is a nefarious one.
Costa was supposed to return against Robert Whittaker at UFC 284, despite not officially signing off on the fight. He last fought against Luke Rockhold in a unanimous decision victory at UFC 278.
The Costa vs. Whittaker fight was called off in recent days after Costa and the UFC failed to come to terms on a deal. Whittaker won’t remain on the UFC 284 card and is eying a return in either March or April.
Costa has been searching for a new contract since his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. He currently fights on a $70k to show, $70k to win contract, and was offered the same numbers for a fight with Whittaker.
While Costa wanted a bigger payday for his last fight on his current contract, he said the UFC offered him a $500k deal over six fights. He turned this down and wanted to negotiate each individual fight separately rather than agreeing long-term.
Paulo Costa Feels UFC Lowballs Brazilian Fighters
Image Credit: MMA Junkie on YouTube
During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Costa gave his thoughts on why the UFC won’t re-negotiate his contract.
“I think they offer a very low number for Brazilians,” Costa said. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because they just think ‘They live in the jungle, they don’t need real money because the currency’s five times less than the dollar’…But this is horrible for the business. I don’t care who I fight, but if it’s low money, I’ll take leverage from that.”
Costa isn’t the only Brazilian fighter who has been critical of the UFC’s pay structure. Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva admitted that the UFC could do more to better compensate its fighters, although it’s up to fighters to negotiate.
Costa has teased a potential move to boxing if he and the UFC can’t get on the same page. He’s called out Jake Paul for a fight as well.
Fighter pay has been a hot topic in the UFC, especially over the past year. The UFC is still working on a deal with Francis Ngannou almost a full year after his last fight.
Costa wants Brazilian fighters to be paid fairly for their efforts in the Octagon. While the UFC could come to terms with him, Costa is willing to stand up for his ideals and his people.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa feels the reason the UFC won’t negotiate with him is a nefarious one.


Costa was supposed to return against Robert Whittaker at UFC 284, despite not officially signing off on the fight. He last fought against Luke Rockhold in a unanimous decision victory at UFC 278.


The Costa vs. Whittaker fight was called off in recent days after Costa and the UFC failed to come to terms on a deal. Whittaker won’t remain on the UFC 284 card and is eying a return in either March or April.


Costa has been searching for a new contract since his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. He currently fights on a $70k to show, $70k to win contract, and was offered the same numbers for a fight with Whittaker.


While Costa wanted a bigger payday for his last fight on his current contract, he said the UFC offered him a $500k deal over six fights. He turned this down and wanted to negotiate each individual fight separately rather than agreeing long-term.


Paulo Costa Feels UFC Lowballs Brazilian Fighters
UFC-Fight-Night-196-Paulo-Costa-media-day-interview.jpg-2-1024x576.jpg.optimal.jpg
Image Credit: MMA Junkie on YouTube
During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Costa gave his thoughts on why the UFC won’t re-negotiate his contract.


“I think they offer a very low number for Brazilians,” Costa said. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because they just think ‘They live in the jungle, they don’t need real money because the currency’s five times less than the dollar’…But this is horrible for the business. I don’t care who I fight, but if it’s low money, I’ll take leverage from that.”


Costa isn’t the only Brazilian fighter who has been critical of the UFC’s pay structure. Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva admitted that the UFC could do more to better compensate its fighters, although it’s up to fighters to negotiate.


Costa has teased a potential move to boxing if he and the UFC can’t get on the same page. He’s called out Jake Paul for a fight as well.


Fighter pay has been a hot topic in the UFC, especially over the past year. The UFC is still working on a deal with Francis Ngannou almost a full year after his last fight.


Costa wants Brazilian fighters to be paid fairly for their efforts in the Octagon. While the UFC could come to terms with him, Costa is willing to stand up for his ideals and his people.


Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.




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