Middleweight contender Paulo Costa is expected to face former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia on February 12, but Costa says he doesn’t have a deal in place.
Last week, Costa posted on Twitter that he doesn’t have a deal to fight in Perth and that the matchup is ‘no for real.’
“Hey guys I’m here again to say the obvious. I don’t have a deal to fight in Perth A lot of fans are sending their regards for this fight, but ITS NOT FOR REAL , anyway see u soon in MMA or boxing,” he wrote.
Hey guys I’m here again to say the obvious. I don’t have a deal to fight in Perth A lot of fans are sending their regards for this fight, but ITSNOT FOR REAL , anyway see u soon in mma or 🥊 boxing pic.twitter.com/Ieu68Nff4H
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) November 18, 2022
Costa has one fight left on his current UFC contract, but wants to renegotiate the terms. In an interview with Ag Fight, Costa revealed that he hasn’t renewed with the fight promotion and may not.
“I haven’t renewed with the UFC. I had a talk with Hunter. He was supposed to get back to me. I asked him about a figure and he was supposed to give me an answer about it. I haven’t gotten an answer yet. Anything is possible. I have one fight left and I’m not very sure. I’ve got some lawyers looking at the contract, seeing how it works, because it can also be terminated over time. Maybe I don’t even need to fight to finish my contract,” he said.
“We need to know how to take care of our stuff and the UFC contract is business,” Costa continued. “I need to be aware of how it works so I don’t make a mistake, I need to make the most out of it. I have one fight left or the time clause. I believe that’s it, but I’m still talking to my lawyers. I’d really like if this Whittaker fight could happen, but it’s up to the UFC. There’s no contract yet, there’s nothing. I wish there was a contract up to par to the level of this fight.”
Paulo Costa says he doesn’t have a deal to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 284