Middleweight contenders Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori headline the UFC Vegas 41 fight card in a light heavyweight bout after Costo showed up too heavy to make the middleweight limit of 186 pounds.
The bout was originally slated to take place in the middleweight division, but Costa informed the fight promotion that he wouldn’t be able to make the 186-pound limit on weigh-in day. The two fight camps agreed to move the contest to a catchweight of 195 pounds, but hours before he weigh-in, the bout was moved to the light heavyweight division.
When it all shook out, the fight will take place 20 pounds above the original bout agreement weight. “You got beat by the scales,” Vettori said to Costa during the weigh-in face-offs.
Weight issues aside, Vettori believes that he’s simply better than his Brazilian opponent.
UFC Vegas 41 Face-offs: Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori exchange words
“This fight is going to be a treat for all the fans. I’m not going to step backwards,” Vettori said during an appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “I’m going to meet him. I’m not going to shy away from any confrontation, from any exchange.
“I’m just smarter in the way that I fight, and I’m just better, so I think you’re going to see me, I think, picking him apart,” Vettori added. “I’m not going to shy away from the battle at all. That’s what I like about this fight.”
UFC Vegas 41 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With Costa ranked No. 2 in the middleweight division and Vettori ranked No. 5, the but has significant implications in the 185-pound division despite taking place in there 205-pound weight class.
Marvin Vettori on Paulo Costa match: ‘I’m just better’