Jared Cannonier respects Paulo Costa’s decision to pull out of their fight for the reason he did.
Costa withdrew from the Aug. 21 UFC Fight Night main event, claiming that he never signed a contract. He also expressed frustration over being underpaid, referencing YouTuber Logan Paul and the the millions he made to box Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout.
While Cannonier (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) has to deal with a change in opponent, he commends Costa (14-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for addressing a common issue in the sport.
“Well, I don’t know how much he’s getting paid per fight, but it’s a common argument,” Cannonier told Submission Radio. “MMA fighters, UFC fighters, MMA in general fighters don’t get paid as much in comparison to the organizations or the promotions are getting paid. So, yeah, I mean, I understand the argument. 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 gonna fight unless you guys pay me some more money.’ But, yeah, someone’s gotta fight for us fighters to get paid more.
“And I’m not gonna turn down a fatter paycheck either. So, it is what it is. It’s his choice. With that being said, he has to be able to deal with the consequences of that, not fighting and maybe even losing his position. He’s ranked No. 2 right there. He’s just fought for the title, so he’s right there. He can get right back in there with a few wins. But once you get a title fight, that’s when you start getting pay-per-view points, that’s when I hear the money starts rolling in. I wouldn’t know. I’m not there yet.”
In response to Costa’s displeasure, UFC president Dana White said that if the former title challenger is unhappy with his pay, he should just fight out his contract. It’s a move that could sideline Costa for a while, but Cannonier respects him for standing up for the fighters.
“He’s fighting for something that I would fight for,” Cannonier said. “He’s fighting for me. So, it’s just like me talking down on our soldiers fighting someone, a terrorist or something like that.”
Cannonier will now fight former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum (16-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC), and he’s grateful that such a worthy opponent was able to step in.
“He’s one of the top 10; he’s challenged for the interim title before,” Cannonier said. “He’s fought a lot of the top guys, so he has a big name behind him, as well as the skills to back it up. So, he was one of the names that came up on the board. Because again, everybody else was booked up. Uriah Hall was, Brunson was, Till. Those two were booked up. Anybody who was the toughest, rankest person available.”
He continued, “What we all know is that he’s 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’s come up from the welterweight division. So, he’s not necessarily a big middleweight, but he’s been in there mixing it up with the middleweights. So, he’s got the heart of a Mexican warrior and a big ass head to go along with it.”
“I like big targets, and he’s a big target.”
Jared Cannonier stands with Paulo Costa, no qualms about UFC main event withdrawal: ‘I can’t hate’
