Paulo Costa is targeting another top-ranked middleweight.
The former middleweight title challenger was seeking a matchup with Sean Strickland, who claimed that he was game before Costa even called him out, but the UFC wasn’t interested. Strickland will be facing Alex Pereira instead at UFC 277 in July.
With Strickland now unavailable, Costa has shifted his focus to Derek Brunson.
“Now it’s time to Derek Brunson runway or accept. Sean gave up. Brunson?”
Now it’s time to Derek Brunson runway or accept. Sean gave up. Brunson? pic.twitter.com/t9sFwIwrrS
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) March 30, 2022
Brunson however, doesn’t seem so eager to fight Costa. The 38-year-old is looking to take some time off after his recent loss to Jared Cannonier in February and reminded Costa that he was calling him out last April, but the fight never materialized. He also took a shot at “Borrachinha,” whose past loss to Marvin Vettori was contested at light heavyweight after he had issues making the middleweight mark.
“@BorrachinhaMMA focus on your own weight class . You’re a heavyweight . I tried to fight you multiple times . Your disappeared until I got a fight . I’m not fighting soon, I’m working on my craft . I’m waiting on your 2nd heavyweight fight . Paulo Pasta.”
. @BorrachinhaMMA focus on your own weight class . You’re a heavyweight . I tried to fight you multiple times . Your disappeared until I got a fight . I’m not fighting soon, I’m working on my craft . I’m waiting on your 2nd heavyweight fight . Paulo Pasta pic.twitter.com/jrb9YdsXfs
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 31, 2022
“I think Derek Brunson is avoiding this call someone give me his number.”
I think Derek Brunson is avoiding this call
someone give me his number
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) March 30, 2022
But Costa took a few extra shots of his own after that and accused Brunson of performance-enhancing drug use and called him a “cheater.”
The back and forth on social media continues.
Blonde Brunson and some unranked heavyweight
pic.twitter.com/q9MKU7oT4x
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) March 31, 2022
After an unbeaten start to his professional MMA career, including wins over Uriah Hall and Yoel Romero, Costa has dropped two straight to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and most recently Vettori in the UFC Fight Night 196 headliner this past October.
Derek Brunson fires back at ‘Paulo Pasta’ after Paulo Costa’s callout