Teixeira Offers Up Advice For ‘Corrupted’ Costa

Glover Teixeira is one of the most respected fighters in combat sports today and a veteran athlete that does everything by the book. He has seen the lowest of lows and highest of highs in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) and offers a plethora of knowledge for anyone willing to listen.

Ahead of his first official UFC light heavyweight title defense against Jiri Prochazka later tonight (Sat., June 11, 2022) at UFC 275 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, Teixeira was asked about Paulo Costa and what advice he might give his fellow Brazilian.

Costa, who was once considered a future champion of the UFC’s middleweight division, has fallen on tough times of late. Whether it’s been losing his last two trips to the Octagon, showing zero remorse for missing weight his last time around, or recently being accused of assaulting a nurse in Brazil, Costa’s once-promising MMA career has started to dwindle.

“I believe ‘Borrachinha’ is too corrupted by Instagram and YouTube followers, maybe he wants attention to gain followers, like Jake Paul,” Teixeira told ESPN Brasil earlier this week. “I can’t say because maybe he’s doing the right thing.

“Honestly, look, he has more followers than me, right? Maybe that’s worth more money down the line, so who am I to talk? If that’s his goal, gain more followers and be the Kim Kardashian of Instagram, he’s on the right path. Now, if his goal is to become champion, he has to leave the controversies aside and focus on training, diet, and what he wants.”

Costa, 31, hasn’t captured victory inside of the Octagon since a decision win over Yoel Romero back in 2019. The former UFC middleweight title challenger is currently scheduled to welcome former division champion Luke Rockhold back to 185 pounds at UFC 278 this August, but nobody knows for sure if Costa will actually show up in one piece.

Teixeira, who has made a living out of winning fights inside of the cage, believes that Costa is too worried about social media and gaining followers rather than winning a UFC title. Until he changes that outlook on his fighting career it’s unknown if “Borrachinha” will ever make it to the top.

“I’m not saying he’s right or wrong,” said Teixeira. “If we’re talking about money and followers, he’s right. It’s not my goal to have followers. My goal was always to be the best fighter in the world. When I retire from fighting, I’ll delete all my social media and start over.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 275 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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